Viral sensation Dawn the Duck becomes Scotland’s unofficial World Cup mascot ahead of Morocco clash

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A duck from Providence, Rhode Island, with a significant social media following, has become an unlikely unofficial mascot for Scotland football fans, joining the Tartan Army in a pre-match bagpipe march.

Known as Dawn the Duck, or Dawny, the feathered supporter donned a Scottish flag on his back, alongside his signature golden medallion, to lead the procession ahead of Friday’s World Cup fixture against Morocco.

Dawn is well-known as a “rally duck”, having first gained prominence in 2024 after attending a Providence College Friars basketball game. However, he was subsequently prohibited from the stadium due to animal welfare concerns.

Despite the ban, Dawn continues to make frequent appearances at events across Providence and boasts a substantial online presence with over 30,000 followers on Instagram.

Dawn the Duck has become a viral sensation (Instagram/@dawnducky08)

His participation follows a trend, with Mexico fans previously adopting a duck named Merlin as their own unofficial mascot.

Scotland will be aiming for a second win in as many matches when they face Morocco after beating Haiti 1-0 in their opening game last Saturday.

John McGinn scored the only goal of the game to give Scotland the perfect start to the tournament, and a win over Morocco would send Steve Clarke’s men through to the knockout stages.

However, Scotland are likely to enter Friday’s contest as underdogs against a Moroccan side who drew 1-1 with five-time champions Brazil last weekend.

Scotland fans have been enjoying their time in Boston, the city staging their opening two World Cup games, leading to a significant shortage of beer.

John McGinn scored Scotland’s winning goal against Haiti (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Meanwhile, four Scotland supporters received a significant financial boost for their World Cup trip, winning over $10,000 in a raffle at a baseball game in Boston, a welcome relief from the thousands spent on tickets.

The two father-and-son duos bought the winning numbers on Sunday at the Boston Red Sox stadium, which was packed with the Tartan Army.

“We checked in the ninth inning. We had to do a double take,” one of the sons, Paul Innes, said after receiving the $10,677 prize.

“The numbers matched. I think we checked three or four times. It’s just surreal. It’s not really sunk in.”