‘It’s gonna go wild.’ Broward resident helps welcome Tartan Army to South Florida
Scottish fans are taking over South Florida for the FIFA World Cup, filling pubs in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Miami, and putting the Tartan Army in the spotlight.
In the weeks before Scotland’s Wednesday, June 24, match against Brazil in Miami Gardens, one Broward County resident has been making sure that the Tartan Army has somewhere to gather.
Miramar’s David Steedman, 58, came to South Florida from Scotland in the 1990s and is now a proud dual citizen.
When he saw that Scotland qualified for the World Cup, he started a YouTube channel called Haggis305 to give tips to Scottish fans coming into the country.
He chronicled the Tartan Army takeover of the Miami Marlins game on Monday at loanDepot Park, gave advice on the closest bars to Hard Rock Stadium and told stories about how he met fellow Scots in the area.
Steedman even went around to pubs to let them know the Tartan Army was coming and encouraged drink specials.
“Tartan Army is known for this. … It’s all for good fun. They like to party. Yes, there’s a lot of drink, but it’s all with the best intentions,” Steedman told the Miramar News in a June 23 interview.
When Scotland plays Brazil on Wednesday at Hard Rock Stadium, Steedman will likely be at Mickey Byrne’s, an Irish pub in Hollywood. Scottish musician Ciaran Whyte will be performing that night.
“If we beat Brazil? Oh my God. You ain’t seen nothing. It’s gonna go wild,” Steedman said.
However, he calls the Tartan Army “realistic,” hoping for Scotland to secure enough points to make it to the knockout stage.
“There have been a lot of surprises this World Cup,” he said.
As a Miramar resident, he’s “a hop, skip and a jump away” from Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Hollywood, the three hubs for World Cup viewing.
However, the heat of these cities is its own kind of opponent, as he saw “pale-skinned Scots sweating like they’ve never sweated before.”
The Tartan Army made headlines in Boston at the start of the World Cup for bringing the party, but Miami is a different situation in terms of travel, too. Steedman said it is harder to get around, but that won’t stop fans.
During the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament, around 200,000 fans swarmed Germany. Everywhere they go, Steedman said, locals don’t want them to leave.
For Wednesday’s game, here’s where Steedman says most fans will show up for “a wee soiree”: Mickey Byrne’s, Elbow Room, McSorley’s Beach Pub & Rooftop and Con Murphy’s Ocean Bar & Grill.
This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 5:09 PM with the headline "‘It’s gonna go wild.’ Broward resident helps welcome Tartan Army to South Florida."
