By Vincent Juico
As the FIFA World Cup unfolds across the United States, millions of Americans are discovering something that European football supporters have known for generations: sometimes the most powerful force in sports isn’t the team on the field—it’s the fans in the stands.
Few supporter groups embody that reality better than Scotland’s Tartan Army and the Netherlands’ Orange Army.
While Scotland and the Netherlands differ greatly in football pedigree, both nations have cultivated supporter cultures that transform host cities into festivals of sport. Their impact on the United States during major tournaments offers a compelling glimpse into what American sports can become when fandom evolves beyond entertainment and becomes a cultural movement.
The Tartan Army has long been celebrated as one of the most respected supporter groups in world football. Scotland’s national team has not consistently challenged for major international trophies, yet Scottish supporters continue to travel in extraordinary numbers. They arrive wearing kilts, carrying bagpipes, and singing traditional songs that often become the soundtrack of tournament host cities.
What makes the Tartan Army remarkable is not merely its size but its reputation. Across Europe, Scottish supporters have become synonymous with friendliness, community engagement, and goodwill. Their presence often generates positive interactions with local residents, businesses, and opposing fans.
For American sports audiences accustomed to rivalry-driven fan cultures, the Tartan Army presents a different model. Supporting a team does not require hostility toward opponents. Instead, fandom becomes a celebration of identity, heritage, and shared experience.
The Dutch Orange Army brings a different but equally impressive energy.
Draped entirely in orange, Dutch supporters turn city squares, public transportation systems, and stadium districts into seas of color. Their coordinated displays create some of the most visually striking scenes in international sport. Whether in Germany, South Africa, Qatar, or now the United States, Dutch supporters often seem impossible to miss.
The Orange Army demonstrates the power of visual branding in sports culture. Every supporter becomes part of a larger spectacle. The result is an atmosphere that transcends the match itself and becomes an attraction for tourists, broadcasters, and local communities.
American sports have seen flashes of similar supporter culture.
Major League Soccer clubs such as Seattle Sounders FC, Portland Timbers, and Atlanta United FC have cultivated supporter groups that embrace chants, tifos, marches, and community traditions. College football likewise generates passionate fan bases whose loyalty rivals anything found internationally.
Yet American sports still largely revolve around the game-day event itself.
European football supporters often begin their celebrations hours before kickoff and continue long after the final whistle. Entire city centers become extensions of the stadium experience. The economic impact is substantial, and so is the cultural impact. Fans are not merely customers; they are participants in a communal ritual.
As the United States continues to host global sporting events—from the FIFA World Cup to international rugby, cricket, and Olympic competitions—the arrival of the Tartan Army and Orange Army offers an opportunity for reflection.
American sports excel at entertainment, production value, and commercial success. What they can still develop is a deeper culture of supporter-driven identity. The most memorable sporting experiences are often not defined by scorelines but by atmosphere.
The Scots and the Dutch understand this instinctively.
A victory lasts a day. A championship banner lasts a season. But songs sung in city squares, friendships forged between rival supporters, and unforgettable moments shared among thousands of strangers can last a lifetime.
That may ultimately be the greatest lesson the Tartan Army and Orange Army bring to America: sports are not simply competitions. They are cultural celebrations capable of uniting people across borders, languages, and generations.
And when the final World Cup whistle blows, the legacy of these supporters may prove as lasting as the achievements of the teams they came to cheer.
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