Join The Club
Scotland's spectacular 4-2 win over Denmark in their final qualifier at Hampden Park confirmed their place at a ninth World Cup, their first since 1998.
World Cup 2026 marks the return of Scotland to the global stage after a 28-year absence. Their dramatic win over the Danes saw them qualify as the top team in Group C above Denmark, Greece and Belarus, avoiding the need for a play-off.
Manager Steve Clarke has been in charge for seven years and Scotland, by hook or by crook, have become major tournament regulars on his watch.
Clarke's first target in June is clear: Scotland have never progressed beyond the group stage of the World Cup and it's the minimum expectation at a 48-team tournament in which third place in the group might be enough to achieve it.
Scotland have won four of their 23 matches at previous World Cups, most recently against Sweden in the group stage in 1990.
Group C Fixtures
Date | Round | Fixture | UK Kick-Off Time (BST) |
|---|---|---|---|
Sunday 14 June | Group Stage | Haiti vs Scotland | 2:00am |
Friday 19 June | Group Stage | Scotland vs Morocco | 11:00pm |
Wednesday 24 June | Group Stage | Scotland vs Brazil | 11:00pm |
Scotland were drawn against Brazil in that tournament and again at World Cup 1998, the last time they qualified for the World Cup. Sure enough, they'll face the competition's most successful nation again at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium this time around.
Just like 1998, Scotland and Brazil will be joined in their group by Morocco, who beat Craig Brown's team 3-0 in France 28 years ago. Three and a half years after becoming Africa's first World Cup semi-finalists, Morocco will take on Scotland at Gillette Stadium.
Group C will be completed by Haiti, Scotland's first World Cup 2026 opponents. Haiti lost all three matches in their only previous World Cup appearance in 1974, another tournament that threw Scotland and Brazil together.
Scotland's final World Cup 2026 Squad
- GK: Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest)
- GK: Liam Kelly (Rangers)
- GK: Craig Gordon (Heart of Midlothian)
- DF: Aaron Hickey (Brentford)
- DF: Andy Robertson (Liverpool)
- DF: Grant Hanley (Hibernian)
- DF: Kieran Tierney (Celtic)
- DF: Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq)
- DF: John Souttar (Rangers)
- DF: Dominic Hyam (Wrexham)
- DF: Nathan Patterson (Everton)
- DF: Anthony Ralston (Celtic)
- DF: Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb)
- MF: Scott McTominay (Napoli)
- MF: John McGinn (Aston Villa)
- MF: Tyler Fletcher (Manchester United)
- MF: Ryan Christie (Bournemouth)
- MF: Ben Gannon-Doak (Bournemouth)
- MF: Lewis Ferguson (Bologna)
- MF: Kenny McLean (Norwich City)
- MF: Findlay Curtis (Rangers)
- FW: Lyndon Dykes (Charlton Athletic)
- FW: Che Adams (Torino)
- FW: Ross Stewart (Southampton)
- FW: George Hirst (Ipswich Town)
- FW: Lawrence Shankland (Rangers)
Clarke has at his disposal some of the finest Scottish footballers for decades.
Andy Robertson has a change of clubs to contend with this summer but will lead Scotland as captain with characteristic gusto and is backed up by an experienced group of leaders playing at the highest level.
Aston Villa skipper John McGinn heads to the World Cup with his fingerprints yet to be buffed out of the Europa League trophy. Scott McTominay is one of Napoli's star players after two seasons at the Diego Maradona. Lewis Ferguson, another of Scotland's Serie A cohort, is the captain of Bologna.
Yet for all of Scotland's strengths, there are areas of concern too. The most striking is in goal, where Clarke's selections are short on game time to say the very least.
Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly and Craig Gordon made four league appearances between them in 2025/26. Three of them belonged to 43-year-old Gordon.
Group C Standings
FourFourTwo Prediction
There's no doubt Scotland face a real challenge in the United States this summer.
Brazil and Morocco represent one of the toughest pairs of group stage opponents they've ever had placed in their path but the spirit they showed against Denmark in particular could very well earn them something from at least one of those games.
In a World Cup with eight knock-out places up for grabs for third-placed teams, four or five points would put Scotland in dreamland.
FourFourTwo predicts a historic summer and four points for Clarke's team.
