When Scotland qualified for the Men’s Football World Cup for the first time in 28 years, supporters went wild in celebration – and the whole world was shocked in the process.
When Kenny McLean scored from the halfway line to seal a breathtaking 4-2 win over Denmark, who are ranked 18 places higher in the world than Scotland, according to the British Geological Survey (BGS), the reaction at Hampden Park was the equivalent of a very small earthquake.
BGS said McLean’s surprise target was celebrated by seismic activity monitors at the Glasgow Geothermal Observatory in Dalmarnock, about 2 km from land.
The readings taken between 21:48 and 21:50 – when McLean’s audacious shot hit the net, shortly after the final whistle – were measured as a rise between -1 and zero on the Richter scale and produced the equivalent of 200 kilowatts, enough to power between 25 and 40 car batteries.
Kieran Tierney’s strike in stoppage time, which gave Scotland a 3–2 lead, also produced a reading, although not as strong as McLean’s.
A BGS spokesperson said, “Around 300 naturally occurring earthquakes are detected in the UK each year, but only 30 are of high enough intensity to be felt by people.” Induced seismic events, such as those caused by human activity such as sonic booms, are also recorded, he said. Most earthquakes in Britain are very small and cause no damage.
A magnitude 3.3 earthquake could have been felt in homes across Perthshire last month.
Stadium incidents have shaken seismometers before in Scotland, but none more so than Oasis. The band’s 2009 Murrayfield show produced the biggest booze in two decades of monitoring, surpassing Taylor Swift’s Edinburgh concert last year and Harry Styles’ concert in 2023.
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The official attendance was 49,587 as Scotland topped Group C and booked their place at the 2026 World Cup alongside England. The team will now be included in the December 5 draw for next summer’s tournament, which is scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Scotland last played in the World Cup in 1998.