Scotland
Twenty-eight years. That is how long Scotland have waited to return to football's biggest stage, the longest absence in the nation's history since they last appeared in 1998. The architect of the comeback is Steve Clarke, a pragmatic, defensively disciplined coach who built a structured side that overperformed in qualifying, the night they beat Spain 3-0 at Hampden Park the proof of what this group can do. Andy Robertson captains from left-back, John McGinn supplies the energy through midfield, and Scott McTominay arrives with his attacking game freshly unlocked at Napoli. They have never escaped a group, and Group C, with Brazil and Morocco ahead of them, asks a hard question. Beat Haiti, take something off Morocco, and a place in the Round of 32 is genuinely within reach. The Tartan Army, as ever, will travel in their thousands.
Standings · C
After matchday 3 of 3| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BRA | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +6 | 7 |
| 2 | MAR | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +3 | 7 |
| 3 | SCO | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 4 | HAI | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 0 |