As we edge closer to Scotland’s second World Cup match of the 2026 tournament, plenty of fans are worried that the one-goal victory over Haiti may come back to cost us.
Defeats to Morocco and Brazil would leave us on three points and, at best, a -1 goal difference. We’d then face a nervous few days before finding out whether that would be enough to progress. Scotland’s group campaign finishes on Wednesday 24 June in Miami against Brazil, with the final group not ending until Saturday 27 June.
If Scotland can avoid defeat against either Morocco or Brazil, it will almost certainly be enough to reach the knockouts for the first time in our history. It would be 13th time lucky, after 12 previous group stage campaigns without progression - the most of any European nation by far.
Across those 12 previous campaigns, we’ve never managed more than one win at a tournament. The victory over Haiti ended our longest winless run in major tournament history: nine matches.
I am here in Boston and can’t wait for the Morocco game tomorrow night, and am on my knees for Scotland to remain unbeaten come full time.
However.
If we lose both remaining games and go out on goal difference, it would remarkably be the fourth time this has happened to Scotland in nine World Cup campaigns. That would extend our unwanted record as the nation eliminated on a tiebreaker more than any other; only Scotland and South Africa have suffered such a fate more than once:
