Euan Vance is hoping to be on top of the world at this summer’s big tournament in Acapulco

West Lothian footgolf player Euan Vance

World Cup fever will grip the nation this summer with Scotland heading to North America to take part in the greatest show on earth.

The United States, Canada and Mexico are all hosting the football extravaganza that will see Scotland end a 28-year exile from the tournament, as the world’s best players battle it out for the trophy.

But for one Armadale man, the only World Cup in North America that really matters is in footgolf.

Euan Vance will fly out to Mexico later this month to represent Scotland in the 2026 Footgolf World Cup in Acapulco and he insists their objective is to go all the way and bring home the trophy, which is currently held by France.

The 30-strong Scotland team are in a group with Spain, Uruguay and USA in what is the pinnacle of their sport.

As you would expect, Footgolf is a mixture of football and golf, which sees players aim to kick a full-size football into oversized holes on a golf course, with the fewest shots possible.

More than 60 countries are competing and there are over 1000 players travelling for the competition, which is played across four categories – Men, Women, Senior, and Senior+.

Euan, who is captain of the Bridgend Footgolf Club just outside Linlithgow, admits football used to be his first love, but a broken collarbone led him to fall for footgolf instead, as he spent the best part of a year recovering from his injury.

And now he is setting his sights on world glory.

The 30-year-old explained: “We are, of course, aiming to win the tournament. We have an excellent team and player by player should be able to compete with any team.

“We have a very talented squad, who also happen to be a group of great people so we would like to go far in this tournament.

“The biggest hurdle for us is the Mexican playing conditions. Spain, USA and Uruguay play year-round with similar weather and courses.

“We simply can’t replicate those conditions in Scotland so we’ll have to adjust quickly to win our games.”

On his injury he added: “I came into the sport four years ago, having played football my whole life. After a few rounds playing for Bridgend I got addicted and have been playing weekly ever since.

“I was kicked by an opposition player, causing me to land on my shoulder and break my collarbone. This meant I couldn’t play for around nine months, but footgolf allowed me to still kick a ball whilst I recovered.

“I discovered that it’s very competitive – I immediately loved the sport and the people who play it, and have climbed the rankings to qualify for the Scottish National team, with this World Cup being my fourth international appearance.”

The tournament runs from May 27 until June 7, so it will allow Euan to be back home in plenty of time to see how Steve Clarke’s Scotland fare in the football World Cup.

West Lothian footgolf player Euan Vance

Euan said: “I’m absolutely looking forward to the football World Cup. Although I’m playing in a slightly different World Cup, every kid’s dream is to play football for Scotland, so lets hope they can inspire a generation.

“I’ll be watching as soon as I’m home from Mexico, with a whisky rather than a tequila.”

Making the trip is not cheap, however, and Euan hopes there may be companies out there who could help him on his journey.

He added: “I’m open to sponsorship for any companies or local businesses who would like to sponsor me for the tournament and the footgolf season in Scotland. I’m also captain of Bridgend Footgolf Club just outside Linlithgow and we’re looking for new players to join our team if they’re interested.”

If you can support Euan, email to evance96.ev@gmail.com for details.

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