Rejoice! Sporrans Allowed During 2026 FIFA World Cup!
Scotland FA: "Pockets Never Felt At Home With Kilts Anyway."
With the World Cup coming to North America this summer, safety discussions have been top of mind. And so, FIFA (the completely above-board organization behind the soccer tournament) decides to implement a stringent bag policy. Bad things happen in bags and traveling storage apparatus, apparently. But one ‘wee’ country has a problem with all of that: They like to show up with kilts, and kilts usually come with sporrans, a pouch that hangs out in front. A controversy ensued.
Well ya can’t keep a good country down because ol’ Alba got the green light to allow their supporters to wear the testicle-adjacent accessory as they cheer on their guys this July. From BBC News:
The Tartan Army have been given the green light to wear sporrans with their kilts at World Cup matches this summer, the Scottish Football Association has confirmed.
The World Cup stadium code of conduct states ticket holders are only permitted to bring certain types of bags into stadiums.
Sporrans initially failed to meet the strict security criteria but, following talks between world football’s governing body Fifa and the SFA, it has now been agreed fans will be able to wear them. - BBC
I’d really like to know how the discussion went down between the supporters, the Scottish Football Association, and FIFA. Was it a sit-down meeting in a dark room like in a mob movie? Was it like one of 200 message-long e-mail chains that probably ended with the guy who did the least saying something like “Thanks Everyone!”? Was it a rousing speech like in Braveheart, where someone yelled over a sweeping musical score about how important a sporran is to carry things perilously close to your manhood?
Because while I could clearly see an alternate universe where Scotland supporters would just have to bring in clear plastic bags like the rest of us, the fact that this was something Scotland fought for AND won is pretty amazing. Despite the fact that the tournament is located in North America, these Scottish pouches will most likely end up stealing the show. Do you remember when the vuvuzela became synonymous with the World Cup in South Africa back in 2010?
Hmm yes. Sounds angelic.
Honestly, it’s rather fitting that this story came across my desk this week. Back in January of this year, I had tried and failed to secure a tie of my ancestral clan in time for a Robbie Burns Night. (I ended up going with the Black Watch design, close but not close enough) But ever since then, Highland dress has been all over my algorithm. And let me tell you, wearing a kilt (and all the accoutrements that go with it) can get very intricate. Don’t believe me? Here’s a video about all the things that go into wearing Highland dress.
So yeah, in a way, I kind of understand standing up for your right to wear that cute bag over your sack. If you want to honor your people and culture, you might as well do it as accurately as you can. Good on them, I say. Also, as someone with actual ties to Scotland—a story for another time—I’m down for anything that gets the supporters in the best possible mood to sing their unofficial national anthem, “Flower of Scotland.”
The Rugby team does it better, imo.
Flobo Fact: I actually learned this song by heart this past Thanksgiving, just in case I would ever find myself at a Scottish soccer or rugby game. I also thoroughly dislike Thanksgiving, but that’s neither here nor there.
And speaking of me dressing up for the homies, did I ever mention to you that Just The Sandwich has MERCH? Click the link and support this homie, if you wanna!
Sporrans sold separately.