Scotland’s World Cup Group C fixture list sees their opening two games this summer’s tournament played in the co-host country of the United States, with clashes against Haiti and Morocco taking place at the Boston Stadium.
Founded in 1630, Boston is the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, with a current population of about 675,000. One of the oldest cities in America, it is home to several prestigious universities like Harvard and MIT, and is viewed as a global leader in education, medicine, and technology.
Known for its ties to Ireland and Irish history, it also has several links to Scotland, which is why so many have chosen it as the perfect base for the Tartan Army this summer.
Here are 10 Scottish links to Boston, Massachusetts, as Steve Clarke's squad will look to re-write their World Cup narrative over the next few weeks:
1. Alexander Graham Bell
The inventor of the telephone, born in Edinburgh, established his revolutionary telephone exchange in Boston in 1878, connecting it globally from Massachusetts. He conducted most of his experimental work on the telephone there, where he lived and had a laboratory at 109 Court Street. The first intelligible speech transmission happened in March, 1876, in Boston. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
2. Scots’ Charitable Society
The Scots Charitable Society was established in 1657 in Boston, Massachusetts, and is known as the oldest charitable institution in the Western Hemisphere. It enjoys the distinction of being the oldest Scots society in the USA, and became the prototype for thousands of other groups of private charity in America. | Getty Images/Canva Pro Photo: Getty Images/Canva Pro
3. Highland Games
Massachusetts hosts an annual Highland Games, primarily the popular Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival and the No Fame Games in Milford (which takes place in June!), pipe bands, and traditional Scottish culture. Many other similar events also take place in the broader New England region. | Getty Images/Canva Pro
4. Dr. John Collins Warren
The first Professor of Medicine at Harvard (1760s) was educated in Scotland, with Dr John Collins Warren graduating with an M.D. from the University of Edinburgh Medical School in 1801 before returning to Massachusetts. | The Metropolitan Museum of Art/CC0 1.0 Universal.