WBUR TODAY: How the Scots could soon return to Boston

 

❤️ Donate Monday, June 22, 2026

🌧️ Increasing clouds, with a high near 81 and rain likely in the evening. Good Morning Boston, It's Monday. A (much-needed) heavy dousing of rain is headed our way today. Click here for when the National Weather Service forecasts it will start and end across New England. But first, the news: A Scottish goodbye: After two World Cup games, countless relocated traffic cones and approximately a billion beers, the Tartan Army bid farewell to Boston over the weekend. Scotland's national soccer team lost to Morocco by a score of 1-0 on Friday in Foxborough. Now, the team and its supporters are traveling south to Miami for their third group-stage game Wednesday against Brazil. Before their bagpipe sendoff from state troopers on Saturday, the Scottish national team posted "a heartfelt thank you" to Boston residents on social media. "You’ve made us feel part of your incredible city," the team wrote. The Tartan Army supporters group similarly thanked Boston and Providence (which also hosted thousands of Scots ) for the cities' hospitality. "We hope it’s not goodbye, but see you again soon," they wrote. How soon? Potentially, sooner than you think! Thanks to their win against Haiti, Scotland is in good position to advance to the World Cup's knockout rounds. Right now, The Athletic's forecast model puts their odds at 85%. And if they do advance, there's a very realistic chance Scotland would play their Round of 32 game back here in Foxborough — a week from today on Monday, June 29. Why? There is some brain-numbing scenario modeling involved. (Read this Boston.com article for a full explainer on how the bracket works.) But the TL;DR is eight of the 12 teams that finish in third place in their group will advance in this year's expanded 48-team World Cup. And if Scotland advances out of their group in third place, they'd likely be slotted into the June 29 game in Foxborough. In fact, according to the BBC, that's what would happen if the current standings hold. Who would they play? That part has actually been settled: Germany. The June 29 game has always been set to be between a third-place finisher and the winner of Group E — and Germany clinched that group Saturday. What are we rooting for Wednesday? If you want the Scots back in Boston, root for a tie (or a close loss). An upset win Wednesday against Brazil would actually push Scotland into at least second place in the group, which would send them elsewhere in the knockout rounds. A tie would keep them in third and basically guarantee they advance. Even a 1-0 or 2-0 loss would probably be OK, depending on the results of other games. Off track: MBTA General Manager and interim state transportation secretary Phil Eng says he's apologized to an MBTA worker for pulling her hair after a work event in 2024. "I own the mistake of an interaction that I shouldn't have done," Eng told WCVB's "On the Record" in an interview that aired Sunday morning. News of the apology comes after WCVB and Contrarian Boston first reported the allegation earlier this week. According to the T, the incident happened during a team dinner at a restaurant in November 2024, following a group conversation about hair. T officials said Eng was trying to poke fun at his own baldness. But the employee felt it was inappropriate. According to WCVB, the employee raised the incident with MBTA's human resources and legal departments, but a formal complaint was never filed. "Every day I'm learning new things," Eng told WCVB. "In a people organization, in a people service, it is how we communicate, it is how we conduct ourselves. And I've learned from that day." P.S.— Just in time for the official start of summer, CitySpace's new season of events is here. 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