BOSTON (AP) — Fresh off Scotland capping its first World Cup appearance in 28 years with a historic victory, the Tartan Army marched to Fenway Park and joined Red Sox Nation on Sunday night.
Thousands of Scottish revelers marched from a public park about a half-mile away from Boston's 114-year-old baseball stadium and down a street behind the center-field bleachers before filling the bars behind the fabled Green Monster.
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Scotland soccer fans take part in the Tartan Army March, making their way to Fenway Park ahead of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Scotland soccer fans take part in the Tartan Army March, making their way to Fenway Park ahead of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Thousands of Scotland soccer fans take part in the Tartan Army March, making their way to Fenway Park ahead of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Scotland soccer fans take part in the Tartan Army March, making their way to Fenway Park ahead of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
The Texas Rangers played Nick Morgan's song “No Scotland No Party” in their clubhouse after beating Boston 6-4. Jake Burger, a Tottenham fan, selected it from his playlist.
“Just having them out there and doing their chants, that was electric,” Burger said. “It's a just a different energy when everybody's singing in unison, just having a good time. There's a sense of togetherness that sometimes we lose in American sports.”
On Saturday night, John McGinn deflected a shot off an opposing defender and past goalkeeper Johny Placide in the 28th minute, and Scotland defeated Haiti 1-0 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said: “My bucket list is to be at a European game one day with my kids, and that was probably as close to it as you can get as far the atmosphere. That was pretty special.”
The Red Sox billed Sunday's game as “Scottish Heritage Celebration Night,” with jerseys in Scottish colors available via a specific ticket purchase.
The promotion sold out.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how Fenway Park deals with us,” said 43-year-old Allan Middlemass of Edinburgh, who was wearing a blue Red Sox cap he bought for the trip across the pond.
Bagpipes were played outside the ballpark, kilts were abundant, large Scottish flags were carried through the streets and blue or orange Scottish jerseys filled the area. Numerous times during their roughly 30-minute march, the fans broke out into a chant of “no Scotland, no party,” and they started singing outside while the Red Sox and Rangers were taking batting practice.
Some were kicking a soccer ball outside the entrance to the bleachers before the army came marching down the street — guided to the ballpark by Boston police — before they entered the famous watering holes of Lansdowne Street or went inside the park.
“I’m just here for the sing-song,” said 38-year-old Darren McGregor of Gourock, just after he exited a bar.
He was with a group of three friends, and all of them were wearing new Red Sox hats.
The singing continued when they filled the park, joining with Fenway’s sound system as it played John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” about 20 minutes before the first pitch.
Earlier, many were in the bars watching Japan and the Netherlands play to a 2-2 draw in the World Cup.
Robert Cooper and his 11-year-old son, Aaron, both traveled to Boston from Glasgow. They said they were “super excited” to watch their first game at Fenway.
Cooper even had a dream of catching a homer or foul ball.
“I think he wants to try and catch one,” his dad said.
Scotland, making its first appearance in the tournament since 1998, earned its first World Cup victory since 1990.
“There’s no words for that,” Middlemass said of Saturday’s win.
Hundreds of fans were on the streets near the team hotel in the early-morning hours after the victory. They’ll be hanging around for a little while longer, too, as Scotland stays in town to play Morocco on Friday.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Scotland soccer fans take part in the Tartan Army March, making their way to Fenway Park ahead of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Scotland soccer fans take part in the Tartan Army March, making their way to Fenway Park ahead of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Thousands of Scotland soccer fans take part in the Tartan Army March, making their way to Fenway Park ahead of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Scotland soccer fans take part in the Tartan Army March, making their way to Fenway Park ahead of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump emerged from the Oval Office first, then fighters from around the globe followed straight into the fight cage, in part for the president’s 80th birthday celebration and to bring a sport long on the fringe of mainstream acceptance into a main event spot on the White House South Lawn.
UFC was in DC on Sunday night, a most improbable all-American setting for a fight promotion that long ago shed the “human cockfighting” tag and decades later became entwined with the emboldened right-wing “ manosphere ” that soaks up UFC fights and threw its support behind Trump in two elections.
Trump and UFC boss Dana White walked from the Oval Office to the Blue Room Balcony to chants of “USA! USA!” during the Freedom 250 fight night jacked up by a dose of high-octane patriotism on a blustery night for cage fighting.
This was no Easter Egg Roll.
Ring announcer Bruce Buffer busted out star-spangled threads for the occasion: gold stars on the outside of his suit coat and mini American flags stitched inside. UFC’s ring girls, who normally parade around the cage in skimpy outfits, were covered up for a more PG-rated fight night, dressed in more full-body outfits, some that flowed past the knee or to the ground and incorporated the American flag into the designs.
The Marine Band played from in front of the White House and Zac Brown sang the national anthem — which is never played before normal UFC fight cards because of the mix of nationalities fighting inside the Octagon. The Navy’s Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds zipped overhead as part of a flyover.
The 4,000-plus fans — which included Mark Zuckerberg and David Ellison — on the South Lawn who sat under the claw, the flying saucer-type, open-air structure that housed the cage, mostly sat on their hands until the fighters used theirs to deliver furious fists and smackdowns that got them on their feet.
Bo Nickal delivered the red, white and boom when the three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Penn State earned the TKO win over middleweight Kyle Daukaus and immediately bolted the Octagon for a cage-side chat with Trump. Nickal met Trump in 2019 during a ceremony at the White House for collegiate national champions.
Nickal thanked Trump after the easy night of work for bringing UFC to the White House.
“First and foremost, I have to thank President Trump for making this happen,” Nickal said inside the cage. “This is unbelievable."
The first blight of the night for Trump came when American heavyweight Derrick Lewis lost his fight after he got a personal invitation from the president. Trump proclaimed himself a fan of Lewis and his unconventional celebrations and asked White to add him to the card. Josh Hokit instead improved to 10-0 when he flattened Lewis by TKO.
More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor were poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn, and the looming threat of rain that threw White into a tizzy each time a miserable forecast was raised never materialized over the early portions of the card.
Fight night came only hours after the United States and Iran reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since fighting began.
UFC had seven fights with all male fighters under the Freedom 250 banner to celebrate Trump’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.
Alex Pereira of Brazil will meet Ciryl Gane of France for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria then takes on interim champ Justin Gaethje in the main event.
The rare UFC outdoors event marked the pinnacle of the relationship between White and Trump that has yielded personal, political and financial dividends for both parties. White's first card as UFC president came in 2001 at an event held at Trump Taj Mahal.
Trump has attended four UFC cards as sitting president, walking to the cage amid rock music and patriotic chants from fans. White introduced Trump at two Republican National Conventions.
Trump got a home game for this one, making the short walk from the Oval Office to the Octagon, much like the fighters who were flanked by first responders and medal of honor recipients, among others.
Thousands more outside the White House lawn watched the fights on big screens from the nearby Ellipse, though not everyone was able to get tickets.
Even one of UFC's champions.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland was escorted out of the Ellipse event by a group of police officers.
U.S. Park Police said in a statement that Strickland’s presence drew enough attention from attendees that it resulted in disorder. He wasn’t cited or arrested, they said. Instead, he was taken to his hotel and told not to come back to the venue.
Once a vocal supporter of Trump, Strickland has recently said on social media that he was not invited to participate in the event at the White House because he is an outspoken critic of Israel.
White has rejected Strickland’s accusation that he was banned from UFC Freedom 250 events.
AP MMA: https://apnews.com/hub/mixed-martial-arts
President Donald Trump talks with first lady Melania Trump at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Bo Nickal, top, fights against Kyle Daukaus during their middleweight bout at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump and Dana White, UFC president and CEO, arrive for UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A joint forces honor guard stands during the National Anthem before UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Diego Lopes is introduced during UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House from the top of the Washington Monument on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump and Dana White, UFC president and CEO, arrive on the Blue Room Balcony for the National Anthem before UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump walks with UFC president and CEO Dana White through the Cross Hall of the White House before attending the UFC Freedom 250 fights on the South Lawn of the White House, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
Army soldiers hold a grappling demonstration during the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool Photo via AP)
Storm clouds move above the Washington Monument ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool Photo via AP)
UFC president and CEO Dana White, center, with Ilia Topuria, left, and Justin Gaethje, right, during the ceremonial UFC Freedom 250 weigh-ins on the Ellipse, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Washington, ahead of Sunday's fight on the South Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) CORRECTION: Changes name from Joe Rogan to Dana White.
The arena for the UFC Freedom 250 fights is pictured on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
UFC commentator Joe Rogan during the ceremonial UFC Freedom 250 weigh-ins on the Ellipse, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Washington, ahead of Sunday's fight on the South Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The arena for the UFC Freedom 250 fights is pictured on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
UFC commentator Joe Rogan, center, with Ilia Topuria, left, and Justin Gaethje, right, during the ceremonial UFC Freedom 250 weigh-ins on the Ellipse, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Washington, ahead of Sunday's fight on the South Lawn of the White House. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
