"Fly a plane over Scotland at night and you'll see street lights flickering as the national grid struggles to take the strain of thousands of Scots on laptops hammering travel and hotel comparison websites. Bizarre connections, jacked-up flight prices and getting in touch with your long, lost cousin Chad in Tampa about his spare room, Scotland is awash with World Cup fever, even if each group game will be played at silly o'clock."
"Scotland open up their campaign against Haiti at Gillette Stadium. The World Cup website will tell you the game's on Saturday 13 June, but in Scotland it's actually the following day thanks to an eye-straining 02:00 BST kick-off time. Steve Clarke's side will also meet Morocco in Massachusetts on 19 June, with the slightly better but far from ideal 23:00 start for fans back home. That's the same time as the Scots face five-time winners Brazil at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on 24 June."
"In comparison, England will play two games at 21:00, and one at 22:00. The draw means the Scots will conclude all their games after Cinderella time, with houses filled with zombified children from Wick to Gretna. By any means possible. Preferably not by pedalo. While adrenaline will be surging through supporters that will no doubt endure them into the wee hours, roaring at your telly in the middle of the night is never a great idea."
Thousands of Scotland supporters are scrambling to book flights and accommodation for World Cup matches in the United States, causing travel websites to strain and prices to spike. Scotland will play the first two group games in the Boston area and finish the group against Brazil in Miami. Kick-off times will be late for UK viewers, with the Haiti match at 02:00 BST and matches against Morocco and Brazil at 23:00 BST. England's fixtures are comparatively earlier at 21:00 and 22:00. Fans face sleepless nights, logistical headaches and family disruptions while following the team.
Read at www.bbc.com
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