Scotland are up and running. John McGinn’s 28th-minute strike settled a tense Group C opener at Gillette Stadium, handing Scotland a 1-0 win over a spirited Haiti and a perfect start to their 2026 World Cup.
The goal was scrappy but deserved. Che Adams forced a half-chance, the ball broke loose in the box, and McGinn was quickest to react, lashing it home for Scotland’s first goal of the tournament.
McGinn punishes a slow start
Scotland had already threatened twice before the breakthrough. Scott McTominay headed Andrew Robertson’s seventh-minute cross over the bar, then rattled the right-hand post with a fierce strike from the edge of the box on 17 minutes. The warning signs were there, and on 28 minutes they were converted.
Haiti, to their credit, did not retreat. Rather than sit deep and protect the scoreline, they pushed numbers forward, backing themselves in transition and in possession, and carved out chances to level. They could not find the finish — the recurring story of an attack-minded side that lacked a cutting edge in the final third.
The game had its edge, too. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was booked on 39 minutes for a reckless lunge on Lawrence Shankland, one of several niggly moments in a physical contest. But Scotland saw it out with the kind of game-management that has too often deserted them at major tournaments.
What it means for Group C
The win lifts Scotland to the top of Group C on three points, above Brazil and Morocco, who drew 1-1 earlier in the day. Haiti sit bottom on zero. With the group’s heavyweights dropping points in their opener, three points against the lowest seed is exactly the platform Scotland wanted — and it keeps qualification firmly in their own hands.
It is a result that will travel well with the Tartan Army. Scotland have rarely made winning starts at World Cups; this one, ground out rather than romped, may matter more than the margin suggests. For the full schedule, odds and group breakdowns, head to the World Cup 2026 hub.