The first cries of “super John McGinn” could be heard from the concourse of the Marienplatz underground station, filtering down the escalators as if it had the power to pull others out into the sunlight. On the day before Scotland’s opening game against hosts Germany, the Tartan Army arrived in the city square by the early afternoon and in their thousands. “No Scotland, no party” rang around the Marienplatz and by the evidence of the kilts lining the streets of Munich’s Old Town and the steins of beers filling the surrounding outdoor tables, the party had well and truly begun.
Some estimates have put the number of Scotland fans in Munich at as many as 200,000 before the opening game. A first major men’s tournament abroad in 26 years became an unmissable opportunity. Scotland qualified for the last Euros, delayed into 2021, but the two games at Hampden and the trip to Wembley were played with reduced crowds as Europe eased into normality following the pandemic. Covid restrictions weighed over the tournament and Scotland’s return. It was not the major tournament experience many had dreamt of.
