Scotland’s World Cup Survival Hangs on Brazil
Scotland are still alive at the 2026 World Cup, but only just. A 1-0 defeat to Morocco in Boston — settled by Ismael Saibari’s strike inside the opening two minutes — leaves Steve Clarke’s side needing a favourable result against Brazil to stand any realistic chance of reaching the last 32. You can follow the full picture on our World Cup 2026 hub.
According to The Guardian’s match report, Morocco were wasteful for much of the first half, and Scotland improved considerably after the break, even controlling spells of play. That relative solidity is the one crumb of comfort Clarke can take: the game demonstrated that conceding a heavy defeat to Brazil is not a foregone conclusion.
Clarke himself showed little interest in discussing qualification maths. When asked what the group standings do for his squad’s mindset, his reply was blunt: