Scotland end 35-year World Cup wait with 1-0 win over Haiti in Boston

Scotland ended a 35-year wait for a World Cup victory by defeating Haiti 1-0 at Boston Stadium on Saturday, their opening match of the 2026 tournament. It was also the nation’s first appearance at a World Cup since France 1998, making the result doubly significant for a fanbase that has endured decades of near-misses and qualification heartbreak.

The last time Scotland won a World Cup match, Home Alone was the number-one film at the box office. That context alone captures just how long the Tartan Army has been waiting for a moment like this.

After the final whistle, Scotland supporters inside Boston Stadium turned the celebration into something unexpectedly American. Fans were heard belting out John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ and Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ — two anthems that have become fixtures at sporting events across the United States, now adopted for an afternoon by a travelling Scottish support a long way from home.

The win puts Scotland top of Group C with three points, two clear of their rivals at this early stage. Their next test comes against Morocco on Friday, 19 June, also in Boston — a match that could go a long way to determining whether this Scotland side can progress beyond the group stage for the first time in their history.