For football fans across Scotland, picking a team to cheer on at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a straightforward choice. But for one Aberdeenshire family, the tournament brings a once-in-a-lifetime joyous dilemma: two sons, wearing the jerseys of two different nations, both competing on soccer’s biggest global stage.
Jack and Heather Souttar, lifelong football lovers from the small village of Luthermuir, are packing their bags this week to travel across the Atlantic to the United States, where their middle son John will make his World Cup debut starting for Scotland, while their youngest son Harry lines up for Australia. The unique situation is a dream come true for the proud parents, even as it requires careful logistics to pull off.
John and Harry are both professional centre-backs, who cut their teeth in the Scottish football system before moving to top clubs across the United Kingdom. John, who earned his first Scotland cap in 2018, currently plays for Glasgow Rangers after previous stints at Dundee United and Heart of Midlothian. Harry, who got his Australian eligibility through Heather, who was born in the country, has been a mainstay of the Socceroos squad since 2019, and currently plies his trade at Leicester City following spells at Stoke City and Dundee United. What makes the 2026 tournament extra special is that it marks John’s first appearance at a World Cup, while Harry already featured for Australia at the 2022 Qatar edition.
The logistical challenge for Jack and Heather is significant: their sons’ two opening round group stage matches are separated by 3,000 miles and six days of travel across the U.S. The couple have already planned for the first two matches, but say they are keeping their plans flexible, holding out hope that both Scotland and Australia advance deep into the tournament, requiring them to travel further to continue cheering on both boys.
Far from the family being torn between loyalties, the Souttars say their support for both sons is equal. “It’s a big thing, I suppose. We want to support both kids and both countries. Then the ball’s in the air for the rest of it,” Jack said in an interview, adding that the brothers share a warm, friendly rivalry rather than any bitter competition. Though they occasionally scrapped as children, the pair are close, regularly discussing matches and supporting one another through the ups and downs of professional football.
Football has been woven into the Souttar family’s life for generations. Jack himself played for Brechin City in his youth, and all five of his children – oldest son Aaron, followed by Mhiran, John, Ailsa and Harry – grew up playing the game and following it closely. Over decades, Jack and Heather logged thousands of miles driving across the UK to watch their sons play at youth and professional levels, a commitment they never saw as a burden.
“I think the big thing is that it was never a task for us,” Jack said. “We trained at Dundee twice a week. Then we were going down to Glasgow twice a week and training down there… We were all over the country supporting them and, to be fair, we both really enjoy football. It was excellent. We didn’t want to be grumpy parents. We treated it as a holiday.”
This World Cup is not the first time the Souttar family has had a chance to watch Scotland compete at the tournament. In 1998, the last time Scotland qualified for the World Cup before 2026, Jack traveled to France with 10-year-old Aaron, while a toddler-aged John stayed home with Heather, who was heavily pregnant with Harry. Heather never got to make that 1998 trip, and joked that she has waited 28 years for her turn to attend a World Cup with her family. “I never made it. I was very pleased that they went and I said ‘well, I’ll go to the next one’,” she said. “But here we are, 28 years later for the next one. I’ve waited a while.”
This year, a group of four generations of extended Souttar family and friends will travel to the U.S. with Jack and Heather, who has organized the entire trip. The only absence will be Aaron, the oldest brother, who passed away in July 2022 at the age of 42 after a multi-year battle with motor neurone disease. Both John and Harry have spoken publicly about how Aaron shaped their careers and served as a role model for them growing up.
One of the biggest questions the Souttars have been asked is what will happen if Scotland and Australia both advance far enough to face each other in a knockout match, pitting brother against brother on the world stage. But Jack says the family’s love for both sons will not change, no matter the outcome. “I don’t think, because we’re from Scotland, our feelings for Harry are any less. We’re just so proud – as any parent would be – for their kids doing well. In any sport or any walk of life,” he said.
For Heather, the 2026 World Cup is about more than just football: it is a chance to build new, lasting memories for the whole family, after 28 years of waiting. “On the football side we’ll have new stories, because we’ve heard the France ’98 stories for years, so we’ll have lots of new stories and new memories for all the family,” she said. “Memories and stories forever and that’s all you can want for families, isn’t it?”