The Tartan Army has arrived in Munich in style, with tens of thousands of Scotland fans taking over the city center ahead of Friday's Euro 2024 opening match against Germany.
Legions of Scottish supporters, many in kilts, have descended on Germany for the national team's first tournament abroad since 1998.
Thousands of supporters already enjoyed the German sun on Wednesday, before more and more supporters followed in the past 24 hours as Marienplatz, the central square in Munich, became a sea of blue shirts.
SCOTLAND fans arrived in Munich in jubilant mood ahead of their Euro 2024 opener against Germany.
Wouldn't be the Tartan Army without the bagpipes. 😻 pic.twitter.com/uVfW3Rz5AM
- Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) June 13, 2024
Social media showed a bagpiper falling from a table while serenading a packed bar of Scottish supporters in the city. Fortunately, the man in question was unharmed and quickly returned to his musical performance.
However, there have been difficult moments for some supporters and local authorities, with some Scotland supporters attacked on Wednesday evening.
A reporter from the Daily Record witnessed an outbreak of violence in Munich when two thugs began throwing chairs at a group of fans drinking in a beer garden on Marienplatz.
A scuffle then broke out, with the attackers throwing glasses at the group. Police soon arrived on the scene, with Scottish fans reportedly chanting "cheerio, cheerio" as the two men were arrested and taken away.
Scotland take on Germany on Friday before playing Switzerland in Cologne on Wednesday and Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday.
Robertson calls on the Scots to make history
Andy Robertson has urged his Scotland team to achieve 'legendary' status and make history at this summer's European Championship as they aim to become the first side in the country's history to reach the group stage of a major tournament.
Robertson, the Liverpool defender and Scotland captain, said the players have no intention of leaving Germany with any regrets as they look to move past their disappointing performance at Euro 2020.
Germany are heavy favorites for the tournament opener, but Robertson insisted Scotland are ready for the challenge that awaits them at the Allianz Arena. Scotland will then take on Switzerland and Hungary in their group, with most observers expecting these three teams to battle to progress against Germany.
"Qualifying for the European Championships was huge for us and to then achieve two in a row was incredible," said Robertson. "But now we want to compete. Last time we thought it could have been better. This time we don't want to have any regrets.
"What's the worst that can happen? Are we going to the long list of teams that failed to leave the group? That's the worst that can happen. So let's start from there and move on from there. We believe we can be the team that can make history.
"We have put ourselves in a good position to do this by qualifying first and foremost. Let's see what we can do. We are excited about the challenge and what lies ahead. If we can perform the way I know we can, then I believe we can be the ones to make history.
"We know this is at stake. We could be the first team ever to do that [reach the knockout stages]. There are many incentives to perform well, but that is the most important one: to become a legendary team. That for me is one that drives us forward, to be the first team in the knockouts, because you never know what can happen in the knockout stages.
Asked about the scale of the challenge facing Scotland, Clarke said: "One of the mantras I've always had is to respect everyone and fear no one. We respect the host country, we know it is a good team. But hopefully we can show everyone that we are a good team too."
Robertson suffered an injury earlier this week when he had to leave a training session in front of the watching media. However, the 30-year-old said he will be fully fit for Friday's match, when his experience and defensive quality could prove crucial against the collection of German attackers.
"Physically I'm good, mentally I'm good," he said. "It was a bit scary. It wasn't great that your cameras were there, because it was really just a precaution. I've had an ankle injury since March and it's obviously bothered me a bit since then, but it feels good and is in a good place now. We were quite relaxed about the situation - perhaps some others were not, especially my family, before I could call them. But I'm all good, good to go. We are ready and looking forward to it. It's time to show what we can do."
Scotland were cheered on by enough fans to fill the population of Aberdeen
By Neil JohnstonNearly four percent of Scotland's population could move to Germany if the euro takes off.
The British Consulate in Munich estimates as many as 200,000 Scotland fans could come to Germany for the group stages.
Scotland will take on hosts and four-time World Cup winners Germany in the opening match of Euro 2024, the Tartan Army's first major tournament abroad since France 1998.
The number of Scottish fans descending on Munich for the tournament opener is dwarfed by the 40,000 English fans expected to arrive in Gelsenkirchen in northern Germany for the Three Lions' first match against Serbia on Sunday.
The Munich Tourist Board has said it expects up to 100,000 Scots in the next two days, almost the equivalent of the whole of Dundee and around one in 50 of the country's entire population.
However, according to the consulate's highest estimate, the equivalent of all of Aberdeen, Scotland's third largest city, would visit Germany. Scotland has 5.5 million inhabitants.
Mark Dittmer-Odell, the British Consulate in Munich, said last month that 500,000 fans from Britain will visit Germany during the European Championship, but that almost half of these were expected to come from Scotland, even though it is less likely to be Tartan -seeing Army football beyond the group stage.
"We estimate that 500,000 fans will travel from Britain and there could be up to 200,000 Scotland fans," he said.
"I think the first thing you should say to anyone who comes, with a ticket or not, is to plan your stay ahead. You may not be able to get immediate accommodation," Mr. Dittmer-Odell said."
He also advised all fans not to drink too much in Munich's beer halls.
"The second thing we would always say is: be aware of cultural sensitivities. We would say that for anyone who travels.
"The last point, and we are realistic about this, is that we know people want to come here and have a drink. The beer in Bavaria is world famous, but please drink in moderation."