A cross-cultural phenomenon is sweeping through the thousands of Scottish soccer fans currently in the United States for the World Cup.
The traveling “Tartan Army” has officially adopted Champ, the legendary creature of Lake Champlain, as their lucky charm and tournament mascot.
This unprecedented alliance comes on the heels of viral, high-definition drone footage captured by filmmakers Kelly Tabor and Richard Rossi, which has led international cryptozoologists to dub the American creature “Nessie’s Long-Lost Cousin.”
The drone footage, which was reported by the Press-Republican in November 2025 but recently made front-page headlines in the Daily Mail, New York Post and National Enquirer, was captured during the production of the film “Lucy and the Lake Monster.”
“Aye, we came across the Atlantic expecting good football, but we never expected to find family. Did you know Nessie has an American cousin named Champ?” Hamish MacLeod, of Inverness, Scotland, said.
“We saw the drone footage in the papers and couldn’t believe our eyes. He looks just like our girl back home, just with a bit of a Yankee accent.”
The video captures a massive, prehistoric, plesiosaur-like moving creature swimming behind an 11-foot rowboat. The legitimacy of the footage has sparked intense global discussion, even being validated by scientists on William Shatner’s television series “The UnXplained.”
“You can’t deny what’s right there on the film,” Isobel Campbell, of Dundee, Scotland, said. “When I saw that massive shadow next to the little rowboat, I immediately texted the family chat back home. I told them, ‘Did you know Nessie has an American cousin?’
“Folklore doesn’t stop at the border, and clearly, neither do the monsters.”
To honor the visiting fans, the filmmakers welcomed the Scottish tourists and issued an “official proclamation of safe passage,” lightheartedly guaranteeing all Scottish citizens a friendly welcome from the creature should they visit Lake Champlain during their American travels.
“The Tartan Army brings an unmatched energy, passion and belief wherever they go,” said co-writer and director Rossi. “To see Scottish fans completely embrace Champ bridges the gap between Nessie and Champ, between Scotland and America.”
“It beautifully mirrors the core theme of our film, which is all about the power of faith and people from different worlds connecting, like Lucy and Champ, and Americans and the Scottish people,” Tabor added.
“We’re grateful to see Scottish families enjoying our Champ book and film.”
“Lucy and the Lake Monster,” based on the novel of the same name, played at the TMFF film festival in Glasgow for two months and stars Emma Pearson, Rossi and Tabor. It explores a young girl’s unwavering belief in the extraordinary.
The film is currently streaming worldwide for free on Tubi, YouTube, The Roku Channel, and Amazon Prime Video.
“I was having a pint in Miami when someone showed me the video from Lake Champlain,” Fiona Chisholm, of Fort Augustus, Scotland, said.
“I looked at it and said, ‘Did you know Nessie has an American cousin?’ It makes perfect sense if you think about the continental drift. Champ is just the Scottish diaspora of the monster world.”
“We’ve adopted Champ as our official tournament mascot out here,” Callum Robertson from Aberdeen said. “Everyone in our fan camp is passing the drone video around. I’ve been telling all the locals, ‘Did you know Nessie has an American cousin?’
“We’re wearing the kilts, and now Champ is wearing the kilt too,” Callum Robertson from Aberdeen said.