Scotland's Long Road Back: 28 Years of Waiting End as Steve Clarke's Side Open Against Haiti
Scotland return to the World Cup for the first time since France 1998, facing Haiti on Saturday in Boston — and with Brazil and Morocco to follow in Group C, the opener at Gillette Stadium is one they simply cannot afford to drop.
After 28 years away, Scotland are back at the World Cup — and they open their Group C campaign against Haiti on Saturday evening (9pm ET) at Gillette Stadium in Boston, in a fixture Steve Clarke's side will feel they must win if their tournament is to have any shape at all.
Scotland last appeared at a World Cup in France in 1998, where a group containing Brazil and Morocco proved fatal to their ambitions; they failed to advance from the group stage and went home having lost to both of those sides. The poetic irony of their 2026 draw is not lost on anyone: Group C again places them alongside Brazil and Morocco. The difference, at least on paper, is an expanded 48-team format with more routes to the knockout rounds, and a considerably more battle-hardened squad.
The group's opener against Haiti — ranked 83rd in the world and at their first World Cup since 1974 — is the most accessible fixture on paper. Clarke has said his side are ready to "do something special" at the tournament, according to Sky Sports, and his team has the players to justify the confidence. Andrew Robertson, the Liverpool captain with 92 international caps, leads the side, while Scott McTominay has arrived in arguably the form of his career after winning the 2024–25 Serie A Player of the Year award at Napoli. It was McTominay's bicycle-kick goal in a 4-2 win over Denmark during qualifying that did as much as anything to send Scotland to North America in the first place.
The historical context gives the occasion additional edge. Scotland have appeared at eight World Cups but have never once advanced past the group stage. The expanded format means 32 of the 48 nations qualify for the round of 32 — theoretically lowering the bar — but finishing third in Group C, above at least one of Brazil, Morocco or Haiti, is no simple ask. The Haiti match is where the tone is set.
Win in Boston on Saturday and Scotland carry momentum into fixtures against two of the world's top-ten ranked nations. Slip up against the Caribbean minnows, and the 28-year wait threatens to extend in the worst possible way. Clarke's players know the assignment; now they have to execute it.
Sources: ESPN — Scotland at the 2026 World Cup: Schedule, results, how to watch, news, analysis · Sky Sports — Scotland at World Cup: Steve Clarke ready to 'do something special' on return to football's biggest stage
