Scotland stun Haiti to top World Cup Group C above Brazil on opening night

Scotland opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Haiti in Boston on Saturday, sitting top of Group C after the opening round of fixtures — above Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil, who were held 1-1 by Morocco earlier in the day.

John McGinn’s deflected strike on 28 minutes was enough to settle a hard-fought contest and deliver Scotland their first World Cup win since a 2-1 victory over Sweden in 1990 — ending a 36-year drought at football’s biggest stage. It was also the country’s first appearance at a World Cup in 28 years, and Steve Clarke’s side marked the return by going straight to the top of the group.

The result sent a ripple of concern through Brazil’s camp. Brazilian outlet Lance warned that the Selecão must be “perfect” for the remainder of the group stage to guarantee automatic progression, noting that a second-place finish would set up a last-16 tie against the winner of Group F — a pool containing the Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia and Sweden.

“With Scotland’s victory, Brazil is now tied on points with Morocco for second place in the group,” Lance wrote. “Therefore, the Brazilian team needs a perfect record in the remainder of the group stage to avoid depending on other results.”

Globo were equally candid in their assessment, fully acknowledging the scale of Scotland’s achievement in Massachusetts. “Brazil’s group in the World Cup has a leader, and it’s not Ancelotti’s team nor the emerging Morocco. It’s Scotland,” the outlet wrote. “The Scots withstood the pressure in the second half to come away with a valuable 1-0 victory.”

The Tartan Army, who outnumbered Haiti supporters inside the stadium, were singled out for praise by both Brazilian publications. Lance noted that “European supporters were able to see their national team in a World Cup again, and they did not disappoint,” while Globo described the travelling support as one of the highlights of the evening.

Scotland’s winning start leaves Group C wide open heading into matchday two. Brazil will need to respond quickly if they are to avoid an uncomfortable path through the knockout rounds, while Morocco’s draw with the five-time world champions already marks them out as a credible threat. For Scotland, the priority now is consolidating a position that, 24 hours ago, few outside the Tartan Army would have dared to imagine.