Tartan Army 'great advocates' for Scotland, says Swinney

The Tartan Army are “great advocates” for Scotland, the First Minister has said, as he looks to capitalise on the team making the World Cup.

Steve Clarke’s side will head to the US in June to take on Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in the group stages, with thousands of Scots from the renowned official supporters club in tow.

Scotland supporters have regularly been praised on trips abroad, with German authorities having raved about the Tartan Army’s behaviour during the 2024 European Championships despite the team’s struggles on the pitch – including a 5-1 opening game thumping from the hosts.

“I really am very comfortable with the Tartan Army going out there,” John Swinney said.

“I had an absolutely joyful – apart from the football – 24 hours, it was wonderful.

“When I saw the German president when I arrived at the stadium, he was complimenting the Scotland fans on just the mood they created.

“Similarly, the mayor of Munich, I saw was overjoyed with the contribution of the Scotland fans.

“I think the Tartan Army does that well and are great advocates for Scotland.”

The First Minister, right, travelled to Germany the last time Scotland qualified for a major football tournament. PA Media

But far from being just a sporting competition, the World Cup also presented economic and cultural opportunities for Scotland, according to the First Minister.

Speaking to the Press Association, Mr Swinney said: “We’ve already started our work internally on all of what you’d call soft-power elements of this about how we deliver economic, social, cultural and sporting benefits for Scotland from the World Cup.

“It’s an absolutely landmark moment, it’s a moment of great joy, it’s brought great joy to the population and we want to make the most of it.”

The team heading to the World Cup comes just months before the Commonwealth Games return to Glasgow for a slimmed-down programme.

The city agreed to host the Games again after the Australian state of Victoria pulled out.

“We’ve got all of that ahead of us and I want to make sure that we make every benefit from this,” the First Minister said.

“It’s an opportunity for Scotland to be on the world stage, to attract business development, to attract tourism interest within the country and to make cultural and sporting connections and that’s what we’ll be doing.”