The Scots moved into his Wakefield Airbnb for the World Cup. The world watched.

A squad of Scotsmen arrived at night to Lou Perriello’s Wakefield Airbnb in June to enjoy the World Cup scene in Boston. Then, they went viral.

Read more Revolution reportedly sign goalkeeper Matt Turner on another loan from Lyon

The next morning at 6:30 am, Lewis Porter stood in the front walkway of the Airbnb playing the bagpipes, proudly wearing a Scotland jersey. His father, Neil, and younger brother, Fergus, were also on the scene, as was their friend Raymond Hay, who slept upstairs. The visitors stood in the street looking at the house, where they had hung the Tartan Army’s flags from the windows. Diagonally across the street, neighbor Mike Morrison captured the group’s first visit to Boston on video – and it’s since racked up 9.5 million views on X. It also made the local news.

“The next morning we woke up, and our phones were red hot,” said Fergus, who, along with the rest of the crew, hails from Kilmarnock in southwestern Scotland. Back home, friends were feverishly sending them the viral video and laughing at their newfound internet fame.

Perriello, who lives with his wife, Karen, his daughter, and their three grandchildren in Dracut, only became aware that his houseguests were blowing up on social media when his son called him.

“He says, ‘Have you seen social media?’ I said, ‘No, why?’ And he says, ‘Your guests in Wakefield are all over social media right now,” Perriello, who works as the Wakefield Highway Supervisor, recalled.

Perriello has had the Wakefield Airbnb for nine years, and also has rental properties on Lake Winnipesaukee and in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Airbnb bookings around Boston have seen a boom this summer thanks to the World Cup and Tall Ships event. Some neighborhoods in and around the Boston area, such as East Somerville, Dorchester, and downtown Newport, recorded the largest year-over-year growth in bookings — with Dorchester up 122% as of early June, according to Airbnb.

Perriello said Fergus and his group were the only guests who told him they booked his Airbnb specifically for the World Cup.

Recognizing that it was Morrison who made them go viral, the Scots soon spotted him across the street, and invited him over for an 8 a.m. beer. He had to work, but ended up joining the crew later. The next morning, he fired up the grill and welcomed them over for sausage, peppers, and onions. In the days that followed, neighbors would stop by with beer and Rice Krispies Treats and knock on the door to say hello to the visitors, asking questions about Scotland and their heritage. The men handed out small Scottish flags and hats to the neighborhood children and welcomed the residents to the yard. And whenever they left the house, they were welcomed everywhere they went.

Read more New attacks raise questions about what comes next in the Iran war

“Anywhere we went — into a coffee shop, a cafe, a restaurant, a bar — it was just a complete welcome from everybody. The best part about it is that once they got to know us in the Tartan Army and that we were actually just here for a good time, they all started joining in,” said Lewis.

Across Greater Boston, the Tartan Army’s presence was met with joy and enthusiasm, leading Mayor Michelle Wu to sign a letter of intent to establish Boston and Glasgow, Scotland, as sister cities.

The crew attended the Scotland-Haiti game in Foxborough, which they called an “electric experience.” But when they weren’t watching the matches, they immersed themselves in the intricacies of Massachusetts life. They drank coffee at Dunkin’ and were shocked by the size of the SUVs on the roads. (“We don’t have cars that size on our roads over here,” said Neil.) They discovered that a trip to the grocery store didn’t mean you could buy any alcohol you want. And when it came to Massachusetts haute cuisine, they were particularly enthralled with the delicacy that is North Shore roast beef sandwiches topped with American cheese.

As for Morrison, who works in communications for an academic health system, opening up his home to the visitors across the street was just the beginning of a journey. After going viral online, a generous member of the Tartan Army messaged him and shared she was in town for the game and wanted to gift him a ticket to the Morocco-Scotland match in Foxborough. The morning of the game, the Scots again came over for breakfast and visited with Morrison, his wife, and their three sons. He later found himself sporting a kilt in Miami after Airbnb thanked him with a trip to the Scotland-Brazil match.

“The last two weeks have just been absurd,” said Morrison.

Perriello didn’t get to spend any time with the Scots. But seeing his Wakefield neighborhood come together still makes him smile.

“Especially where the world is right now, it’s nice to get everybody together in a happy moment,” he shared, noting that the Scots left a sweet parting gift in the Airbnb.

Read more Patrick Dempsey shuts down Maine Senate buzz as Democrats weigh a replacement

“They did leave me a nice bottle of Scotch,” said Perriello.