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Scotland’s thrilling 4-2 victory over Denmark in their final qualifier at Hampden Park secured their spot in the World Cup for the ninth time — their first appearance since 1998.

The 2026 World Cup marks Scotland’s long-awaited comeback to football’s biggest stage after a 28-year gap. Their dramatic triumph over Denmark saw them top Group C ahead of Denmark, Greece, and Belarus, meaning they qualified directly without needing a play-off.

Under the guidance of manager Steve Clarke, now in his seventh year in charge, Scotland have transformed into consistent participants at major international tournaments.

Clarke’s primary goal for June is straightforward: Scotland have never advanced beyond the group stage of any World Cup, and with the 48-team format, finishing third in the group could be enough to make history.

In their World Cup history, Scotland have notched up four wins from 23 matches, their last victory coming against Sweden back in the 1990 group stage.

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

Interestingly, Scotland were drawn alongside Brazil in that tournament and again in the 1998 World Cup, their most recent World Cup appearance. This time, they’ll face the five-time champions once more, this time at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

Just like 1998, Scotland will share the group with Morocco again — the team that defeated Craig Brown’s side 3-0 in France 28 years ago. Coming off their historic run as Africa’s first-ever World Cup semi-finalists in 2022, Morocco will meet Scotland at Gillette Stadium.

Completing Group C is Haiti, Scotland’s first opponents at the 2026 tournament. Haiti’s only previous World Cup appearance came in 1974, a competition that also saw them face Scotland and Brazil.

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 assembled one of the strongest Scottish squads in decades.

Andy Robertson, who is set for a club move this summer, will captain the team with his usual energy and leadership. He is supported by an experienced core of players competing at elite club levels.

Aston Villa’s captain John McGinn heads into the World Cup after lifting the Europa League trophy, while Scott McTominay has been a standout performer for Napoli over the last two seasons. Lewis Ferguson, another of Scotland’s Serie A representatives, continues to impress as Bologna’s captain.

However, Clarke does face some concerns — particularly in goal. The goalkeeping trio of Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly, and Craig Gordon have had limited playing time, managing a combined total of just four league appearances in the 2025/26 season, three of which came from 43-year-old Gordon.

Scotland will undoubtedly face a stern test in the United States this summer. Brazil and Morocco are among the toughest group opponents they could have drawn, but the fighting spirit they displayed against Denmark suggests they could still pull off a result in at least one of those matches.

With eight knockout spots available for third-placed teams, collecting four or five points could make Scotland’s World Cup dream come true.

According to FourFourTwo, Scotland are predicted to have a memorable tournament, finishing the group stage with four points under Steve Clarke’s leadership.