adidas, provider of the kits for the Scottish national team, have launched an ode to the nation and its footballing talisman, Scott McTominay taking inspiration from the iconic book, Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, ahead of the Scots’ opening game at the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
‘Choose Scotland’, features cameos from iconic Scots Lewis Capaldi, Andy Robertson and Welsh himself, and calls on fans to follow in McTominay’s footsteps having made his own choice to represent Scotland, as he prepares to travel out to the tournament from his adopted homeland in Naples.
Scott McTominay said of the campaign, “Representing Scotland is always a huge source of pride for me, so to be part of this adidas campaign that celebrates the choice I made, the country and our journey towards the World Cup is really special. Scotland has an incredible passion for football, and you can feel that support everywhere you go and as players we’re focused on doing everything we can to make the fans and country proud on the biggest stage.”
The film, voiced by the Grammy-award winning Capaldi, is soundtracked by ‘Lust for Life’, synonymous with the 1996 film adaption of Welsh’s book and captures the underdog spirit of the nation as it gets ready for a first World Cup game for almost three decades.
Irvine Welsh added, “Football in Scottish culture is about identity, community, hope, disappointment, resilience — and then somehow finding the belief to do it all over again. When adidas approached me about a campaign that draws inspiration from the spirit of Trainspotting, I saw an opportunity to explore that same sense of ambition, defiance and unity through a modern lens with Scott’s journey. This campaign captures some of that energy, humour and optimism and a celebration of Scotland at its most passionate and most hopeful, and that’s a powerful thing.”
McTominay’s famous bicycle kick that helped Scotland on their way to qualification, and is now immortalised on a mural overlooking Hampden Park, rounds off the video as one of the biggest moments of Scotland’s footballing history.
Scotland will face Haiti in Boston (13th June), before taking on Morocco in the same stadium (19th June) and Brazil in Miami (24th June), as they look to qualify from Group C at the tournament.
