Overview
- Large contingents of international World Cup fans have attended regular-season baseball games, filling sections of Fenway, Yankee Stadium, loanDepot Park, Citi Field and Kauffman Stadium with kilts, bagpipes and organized chants.
- Scotland’s Tartan Army staged multiple takeovers, first appearing at Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium before drawing roughly 8,000 fans to the Marlins’ game in Miami, a turnout that helped make that Monday the Marlins’ most-attended Monday since 2017.
- Teams and MLB are responding with World Cup–themed promotions, ceremonial appearances and coordinated campaigns with FIFA to convert visiting supporters into baseball fans.
- Players and club officials have publicly praised the atmosphere, and teams report measurable commercial lifts such as higher ticket sales and stronger concession revenue on nights with large visiting fan groups.
- The phenomenon reflects a broader rise in U.S. exposure to global soccer culture during the 2026 World Cup and could boost cross-sport interest and youth participation even after the tournament ends.