Why are people talking about haggis ahead of the World Cup?
Scottish fans are eager to eat their favourite dish while at the World Cup 2026
- Published
Footie fans around the world are gearing up for the 2026 World Cup that's taking place in America, Canada and Mexico this summer.
But Scottish fans travelling to see their team play won't be able to get their hands on the national dish while they're there.
Haggis is a famous Scottish dish, but it's actually illegal in the USA.
So Simon Howie Butchers in Perthshire has launched a campaign to "make haggis legal again".
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What is haggis?
Haggis, neeps and tatties are eaten on Burns' Night, a celebration of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns
Haggis is a Scottish delicacy, it's made of sheep offal, which means organs such as the heart, lungs and liver, which are then cooked with onions, oats and spices.
It's a big part of the Scottish celebration Burns' Night, as it's paraded in to the table to the sound of bagpipes, to be eaten as part of a big supper.
Why is haggis illegal in America?
Vegetarian haggis, as pictured here, can be made with things such as lentils and mushrooms to replace the meat
Traditional Scottish haggis has been banned by the US since 1971 because it contains sheep lungs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared lungs from any animal as "unfit for human consumption", and so it's illegal to use them as an ingredient when cooking.
You can still get some types of haggis in the US though, as there are vegetarian versions and some that just leave lungs out of the recipe.
What are Scottish football fans doing?
Scotland qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998
Scotland are in the World Cup for the first time in almost 30 years.
So a Scottish butcher has launched a campaign to lift the ban for the tournament.
Flags reading "no haggis, no party" are being supplied to football fans heading to the US.
Simon Howie who owns the Perthshire butchers said: "Scotland football fans are widely recognised as the best in the world and they are about to make the trip of a lifetime, but they'll be doing it without access to their national dish.
"With such warmth and long-standing affinity between Americans and Scots, we're appealing to the USA to embrace this delicious delicacy and 'make haggis legal again'."
The World Cup 2026 final will take place at the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey
A Scottish journalist called Gordon Smart is also a part of the campaign.
He said: "For Scotland fans, summer 2026 is going to be a trip we'll never forget.
"We'll have the flags, the songs and the scarves, and if this petition has anything to do with it, we'll have the haggis too."
The US embassy in London has not commented on whether or not the ban could be lifted for the tournament.
