Heartwarming moment two Scotland fans at the World Cup are surprised by their father in the US - as 'Tartan Army' are hailed despite early exit fears

Published: 22:31, 26 June 2026 | Updated: 22:47, 26 June 2026 This is the heartwarming moment two Scotland fans were surprised by their father in the United States during the World Cup. Cam Lister, 25, and Euan Lister, 23, had headed out to Boston to support the side, who had qualified for the tournament for the first time in nearly 30 years, ahead of their first game. The brothers, from Ipswich, were thrilled to have tickets to the match against Haiti, which their father, Kevin Lister, 55, who is originally from Inverness, had kindly bought them. But they had not expected their father to join them stateside – and were shocked and delighted to see him walk into the pub they were drinking at after arriving in Boston. Cam, a gymnastics coach, who now lives in Nottingham, told the Daily Mail: 'It was just a genuine fright because he was so adamant he wasn't going.' Back in November, when Scotland qualified for the World Cup, which began earlier this month, the price of match tickets and hotels in the States had started skyrocketing amid high demand. And Kevin was also hesitant to do anything to support FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who has previously faced controversy for his open endorsements of US President Donald Trump. Cam Lister, 25, and Euan Lister, 23, were surprised by their father, Kevin, at the World Cup The family are seen with other Tartan Army fans during the World Cup in the United States  The brothers, from Ipswich, were thrilled to have tickets to the match against Haiti In fact, for this reason, Kevin, after initially booking a flight, ended up cancelling it over this. 'He said, 'I can't do it. I don't want to be there,' Cam explained. 'I'm not a fan of what's going on. Morally, I'm against it.' But in the end, with only a week to go before Scotland's first match of the group stages, Kevin ended up changing his mind. 'He'd had that same gut instinct he had to be there,' said Cam. 'I'm so glad he did do it and we had the most amazing time. I think those are genuinely memories you take to the grave. I think it's important he did come.' Cam said he and his father, who moved from Inverness to his wife's native Ipswich around 20 years ago, have always had 'a really good relationship' – and a shared love of football. 'Being away from Scotland, that passion almost got stronger in a lot of ways,' Cam explained. 'He's prouder to be Scottish than when he actually lived in Inverness.' The family maintained a strong connection to Scotland, visiting twice a year and donning their kilts to host an annual Burns Night celebration for friends and family back in Ipswich. 'When it was Christmas and birthdays, there were always Scotland strips kicking around,' Cam said. Cam said he and his father, who moved from Inverness to his wife's native Ipswich around 20 years ago, have always had 'a really good relationship' – and a shared love of football Scottish fans gather in the stadium ahead of the country's match against Haiti  'For me, it was always a bit different, quite interesting. I felt pretty privileged to have my dad not be from England. 'Especially in Suffolk, a lot of people are Suffolk born and bred and a lot of people don't leave Suffolk.' And the family's national pride only increased when Scotland qualified for the World Cup in November last year – the first time the team had reached the tournament since 1998. 'It's been a long time coming,' Cam said. 'I'm at the upper end of a generation that has never seen it at all. 'I was born in 2001, Scotland were last there at France '98 and my dad went for the full duration of that tournament. 'I think it kind of became this legendary, folklore status thing for me because I know all his friends that were there. Every time you're with them, they speak about France '98. 'We had this time, we did this, we met these people, we interacted with Moroccans and Brazilians', and all this cool stuff.' Soon, Cam, Euan, who works as a barman, and Kevin, who retired in March from his career as a marine police officer, started discussing going to the tournament. Cam said: 'I was the frontrunner, saying, 'Listen, I think we need to make this happen'.' But Kevin and others of the group, which also included five of the trio's friends they had attended the most recent Euros with, in Germany in 2024, started having doubts. Cam explained: 'I said, 'I think we can claim this as our own, it's a bigger thing, there's a bigger picture here.' 'It's not about Gianni Infantino and FIFA, it's about Scotland being there and you guys being there 30 years on – what an amazing thing to do. The family party after Scotland's win against Haiti - the team are now in third position in Group C  Hundreds of fans drank together in the streets in the city centre before the match, which eventually saw Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 'And with Scotland, you don't know how often those things come round. 'It's a bit different to England, isn't it? Because you kind of expect you'll be there because England's pretty good. Scotland? Not so great.' But in the end, Cam said only he and Euan decided to go: 'I said, "That's fine, dad, but I'll tell you now, they'll not be bothered if you come one way or the other so you should come. You're telling me you're going to miss that opportunity?"  My dad and I didn't fall out about it but there were certainly cross words at times. I said, "I think you're going to regret this".' As he was about to retire, Kevin, though not attending himself, told his sons he wanted to use some of his pension to buy them tickets to see Scotland's first match. Cam said: 'It was obviously a really generous gesture and it was almost at the expense of coming. And I said to dad, "We were going knowing we weren't going to get tickets. 'I'd be satisfied if you use that money to come and we'll just watch it somewhere, I'm not fussed". 'He said, "No, I don't want you going all that way and not having a ticket for the game'. And I sound like a spoiled brat – but I was only sad because I wanted my dad there so badly. 'I was extremely grateful for the gesture of what that was and I completely understood why he was doing it but I just wanted my dad there. 'It was never really about the game. It was about coming together.' In the lead-up to the World Cup, several of their friends who had initially declined to go changed their minds and decided to come – prompting Cam and Euan to beg their dad to reconsider. 'I'm even talking to his parents, phoning up granny and grandpa, saying, 'Listen, have a word with him, just see if he fancies it'. So, it was a big push, it was a big battle,' Cam said. In the end, a group of six elected to go. Three of them – Cam, his best friend Adam and Euan – spent a few days in New York before travelling over to Boston for the match. They had a 'nightmare' bus journey, first getting on the wrong route before facing massive delays when their driver was pulled over by police for speeding. Eventually reaching Boston, they dropped their bags at their hotel before heading to the pub to meet their other friends, who had flown straight there. 'One of them goes, 'I'll get seven pints then', and I said, 'I thought there were only six of us', and that's the moment I turned around and my dad was standing there,' Cam said. 'I launched my bag, I don't even know what I was doing!' Cam had not heard from his dad much in advance of the match: 'I presumed it was because he was in a huff and had a bit of FOMO but it turns out he was there and trying to keep it secret.' Having saved hard to afford the trip, the group ended up having a fantastic time in the US, where locals quickly fell in love with the Tartan Army's high-spirited enthusiasm. 'Boston gave the Tartan Army a really, really warm welcome and we were so keen to be good guests,' Cam said. Hundreds of fans drank together in the streets in the city centre before the match, which eventually saw Scotland beat Haiti 1-0. And after the win, many Scotland fans went on to attend a baseball game in Boston, parading down to the city's Fenway Park stadium with a pipe band in tow. 'All our group of seven had tickets for that so we joined in that march and we're high-fiving locals, sharing drinks', Cam said. 'And then we got to Fenway Park and it's been widely talked about – that was the most memorable night at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox in years. 'They were even talking about it – they've won world championships and they were saying the atmosphere was nothing like it. We brought a football party atmosphere.' And Cam said the Tartan Army made sure to be on best behaviour: 'We spoke to a couple of police officers and there were no arrests of any Scotland fans made in Boston at all. 'And Scotland's always just really good-natured, with good fans – the Tartan Army prides itself on being good guests.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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