Tartan Army Offered Free Commonwealth Games Tickets
Scotland fans, known as the Tartan Army, are being offered complimentary tickets to attend events at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. This initiative is intended to express gratitude to supporters who traveled to the United States to back the men's national football team during the World Cup.
The organisers aim to encourage these fans to also support Team Scotland across a variety of other sports, including netball and 3x3 basketball.
Despite speculation, Glasgow 2026 representatives have denied that this ticket offer indicates slow sales for the multi-sport event, which is scheduled to take place from 23 July until 2 August.
Glasgow is hosting a scaled-down version of the Games after stepping in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew due to financial constraints.
An email sent to members of the Scotland Supporters Club states:
"As our country now prepares to step up give the world a true Scottish welcome for this summer's Commonwealth Games, we've teamed up with Glasgow 2026 to offer you a little thank you."
Members of the club can claim up to four free tickets for various sessions and sports.
These include para powerlifting at the SEC Armadillo on 24 July, as well as the 3x3 basketball session on the same day, where Scotland will face Australia.
Other events available are a morning athletics session on 27 July and a netball match between Scotland and Jamaica on 29 July at the OVO Hydro.
Additional sports included in the offer are boxing and weightlifting.
Netball is one of the sports where Scotland fans are being offered free tickets.
Organisers informed BBC Scotland News that the free tickets are limited in number. However, the inclusion of events featuring the host nation—typically expected to be among the most popular—may raise concerns regarding ticket sales.
Phil Batty, the chief executive of Glasgow 2026, told BBC Scotland earlier this week that there is strong demand for tickets, highlighting sales for cycling and swimming events.
It is notable that neither cycling nor swimming tickets are part of the complimentary offer extended to the Supporters Club.
Batty described ticket sales as "really strong" and praised Glasgow for having an "amazing fanbase" for major sporting events.
The Commonwealth Games website lists 27 sessions as "selling fast," while another 97 sessions are reported to have "good availability."
Regarding the ticket giveaway, Batty said:
"The Tartan Army captured the hearts of so many at the World Cup and did Scotland proud. The incredible support shown for the national team is exactly the groundswell of energy we want behind Team Scotland as they prepare to compete on home soil at the Commonwealth Games. This ticketing initiative is a thank you to those fans."
Tickets for the Games went on sale last October, but some sports fans expressed concerns that prices were too high, with many tickets priced in the three-figure range.
Ticket prices started at £26 for medal sessions and £17 for non-medal sessions, although prices vary depending on the sport.
The highest-priced ticket for an athletics medal event at Scotstoun Stadium was £150, while a morning non-medal session of track cycling was listed at £90.
