Megan Bonar
Reporting from Boston

There have been some concerns in Boston about where Scotland fans will go as the city's main fan zone is oversubscribed and a huge number of travelling fans do not have match tickets.

The Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, said her office was working on opening a "consumption area" for supporters. But it is not clear whether it will be ready in time for Scotland's opening fixture with Haiti at 21:00 local time on Saturday.

Many fans are just happy to be in Boston and soaking up the atmosphere.

Jim Brown from Edinburgh said: "It's almost as good as at home. The beer has actually got a head on it here. A lot of US cities don't have that feeling. I don't think Boston truly knows what is about to hit it."

For Nikki Smith, from Keith in Moray, a lost suitcase has been an unlucky start to the trip.

"My kilt is in the bag so I don't have that and my contact lenses are in the bag so I can't see the game but we'll make it work," he said.

Scott Mullen
BBC Sport Scotland in Boston

So, it's a bit of a cliche, but it had to be done.

Boston's famous for many things - one of them being it's absolutely roasting, which I'm finding out to my cost - with the biggest potentially being the bar Cheers, famous from the TV show... erm... Cheers.

After eventually shutting the laptop, I ventured out to find the local spot for Norm, Cliff and the gang (ask your parents, kids).

Instead I found two dozen Scottish people chanting along to Bits 'n' Pieces.

Image source, Scott Mullen

I wonder if Gordon Ramsay has paid a visit to Boston's most famous hostelry?

It would be rude not to, wouldn't it?

Lewis Irons
BBC Scotland in Boston

The celebrity chef has been spotted arriving here at the training ground. Pulling out all the stops to solve Scott McTominay’s stomach bug?!

Megan Bonar
Reporting from Boston

"Big" Jay Howard and his brother Ed Murray, who are in charge of security at Boston's only Scottish pub, The Haven, have been given a crash course in Scottish culture ahead of Scotland's games in the city.

"It blew my mind," Jay said. "I came in yesterday and then these guys were wearing these kilts and they just started singing for no reason. I love the energy."

As an American football fan, Jay said the crowd was very different to what he is used to.

"This is a whole new world for me. Bostonians are excited, the bars are booming and it's bringing a real buzz to the city."

Lewis Irons
BBC Scotland in Boston

We’ve made it to the training ground, home to MLS side New England Revolution. Security checks before being let in here.

The team coach just arrived and we’ll get a look at training shortly.

Image source, Lewis Irons

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland in Boston

No prizes for guessing what the hot topic was over breakfast at BBC Sport Scotland HQ in Boston...no, not whether to have the crab cake benedict again this morning or to give the lobster a go.

Wait, that makes it sound like we're staying at some plush, five-star resort. We're not, honest guv.

Anyway, of course we were chatting about the fitness or otherwise of Scott McTominay. On one hand, his absence would solve the conundrum of who to leave out of the midfield that started against Bolivia to get John McGinn in. But on the other, Scotland will desperately want their talismanic midfielder available to start this momentous fixture.

Stay tuned for an update on this from Steve Clarke at his news conference in a few hours. I went for the lobster by the way.

Right, let's switch our attention to Scotland.

The players are due out for a training session soon and there's a big burning question... will Scott McTominay be involved?

Image source, Getty Images

One of the biggest issues for fans both native to the United States and from abroad has been ticket prices.

In the days before the USA's opener, there were still tickets available for the game. But with the cheapest going for $1,120 (£836), many fans - particularly families - have been priced out.

In downtown LA, family of four Chris, Angie, Layla and Lauren said they were thrilled to have World Cup football in their home area.

"We have two girls in club soccer so we are very much fans," said Chris.

"Unfortunately we will watch at home. The ticket prices and availability are a whole other subject."

"If it was more affordable for families we would definitely go and check it out," says Brennan, who was with wife Erica and children Stephanie and Marcel.

"Despite that, we will still be excited and watch it from home."

Image source, Getty Images

The attention of the world turns to Los Angeles tonight, where the USA will begin their World Cup campaign against Paraguay at the SoFi Stadium.

Katy Perry leads a star-studded line-up of music artists who will perform at the ceremony to open the first World Cup finals hosted by the States since 1994.

Twelve miles away in the area of downtown Los Angeles known as Skid Row, there is a large population of people experiencing homelessness.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), the agency which lead the city's homelessness response, reported that almost 60,000 residents of the city were without a home in 2019.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier this week, the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner announced that announced that the department would immediately suspend funding to the LAHSA, external and the opening of an investigation into the agency.

"Under President Trump, HUD will fund results, not corrupt failure or the homeless industrial complex," Turner wrote in a press release.

"Taxpayers will no longer bankroll an organization that puts its own self-interests ahead of the Americans it was created to serve."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

This is the second time the USA has hosted the men's World Cup, having done so in 1994.

That tournament had a significant and lasting impact on the football culture in the country, boosting its popularity and paving the way for the creation of Major League Soccer.

But fast forward more than three decades to the present day and the World Cup's return has yet to capture the public imagination.

In New York, there is evidence if you look closely that this monster tournament has begun, with subway trains decked out in national team colours and Lionel Messi's face appearing on a giant billboard.

But it is basketball - not football - that New Yorkers are besotted with right now.

The New York Knicks lead in the NBA Finals 3-1 against the San Antonio Spurs and will clinch the national championship for the first time since 1973 if they win on Saturday.

"You've seen Batman, right? You've seen Gotham, right? Man, Saturday night is probably going to be like that if the Knicks win," one fan told BBC Sport.

"To be honest I haven't really kept up with anything about the World Cup. I don't care about anything other than the Knicks."

Miami Beach turned into a World Cup runway last night as fans attended a curtain-raiser watch party and dressed for the occasion.

Paraguay's World Cup campaign will begin against hosts USA at 02:00 BST on Saturday in Los Angeles on the west coast - but fans have been finding creative ways to get behind their team on the opposite side of the country.

This fan was toting a custom-made bandeau top featuring the stars of the Paraguay team framed in love hearts in Miami, where there is a large Hispanic and Latino population.

Image source, Getty Images

How will you style your Bukayo Saka shirt, or your classic 1996 replica?

If you still need inspiration then look no further than these supporters of Colombia, Argentina, and Paraguay.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Vicki-Jane Edwards
BBC Sport senior journalist in Toronto

I've just been speaking to this family in a supermarket heading to the game later. They were looking for an appropriate water bottle to take into the Toronto Stadium later. Fans will be able to bring sealed disposable water bottles into World Cup stadiums now of course, after Fifa overturned a ban on reusable bottles.

Image source, BBC Sport

Canada

Canada boss Jesse Marsch on his first World Cup tournament as a coach: "I don't get that nervous. My job is to prepare the players, to know what it is going to require to go out on the pitch and do what they do. If I think back to different experiences, whether that's when I was an assistant at the World Cup, when it was the Champions League, Premier League, Bundesliga, Copa America, my attention is always on the players and giving them the best opportunity to go out and be free, know their roles, be themselves and I think we have accomplished that, over and over again.

"I think this team has always performed well, since I have been here and I think it is because of the quality, character and clarity they have on the pitch so that will be key for [the match]."

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

While Jesse Marsch struggles to piece together a best XI, he will be hoping talisman Alphonso Davies will be available soon - despite missing their opener through injury.

A raw 21-year-old at Qatar 2022, Davies endured a mixed tournament in which he missed a penalty in Canada's opening defeat to Belgium, before becoming the first Canadian man to score a World Cup goal, in their match against Croatia – but they lost 4-1.

Now 25, Davies is Canada's captain and best player but has missed 15 games for Bayern Munich this season with injury.

He was absent from the March internationals with a hamstring strain, however is hoping to be fit for some of the World Cup, which would be a massive boost for his country.

"We saw Davies come back and score for Bayern, he is an integral part," Canadian football journalist Har Johal told BBC Sport.

"Davies is 100% the face of the team, it's just we have not seen that face so often with the injuries."

Canada

Image source, Getty Images

Canada boss Jesse Marsch on Alphonso Davies' fitness: "We did an MRI with him yesterday, it showed very positive signs that he is healing incredibly well, almost completely so we are getting ready to ramp things up. He will not be available for the match. But, I think he is showing, like he always has, a real good ability to recover from muscle injury.

"Having his private physio here is really helpful and the concentration on his body's needs every day and we are really hopeful that over the next days and week that we can accelerate things and give him a chance to contribute here soon."

You're hitting all the right notes with that text, Steven. It's almost like you've been remote viewing our drafts!

We'll be bringing you some lines from USA manager Mauricio Pochettino shortly but first let's see what Canada boss Jesse Marsch has been saying about Alphonso Davies.

Image source, Getty Images

While those Canadian football fans are excited, a number of them did admit they had been priced out of buying a ticket to watch their favourite players.

Amid political turbulence in the US and talk of moving matches out of Mexico, it can be forgotten that there is a third co-host of the 2026 World Cup.

Off the pitch, Canada has avoided the local travel cost controversies of some American locations thanks to both cities - Vancouver and Toronto - having stadiums in the city centre.

Ticketing issues though are the same as elsewhere thanks to Fifa's pricing structure, while hotel prices are steep - downtown Vancouver hotels have rates of more than $1,000 per night during the World Cup, with some above $2,000 on match days.

The average hotel price of downtown hotels during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was $359 per night. Rates have surged by over 300% in some cases, compared to typical 2025 prices.

"Super excited" is the buzz word here, click play to find out more...