Haiti 0-1 Scotland: Steve Clarke’s side start the season in perfect fashion at Foxboro thanks to John McGinn’s goal and top Group C at the 2026 World Cup.
John McGinn makes Scotland’s perfect start against Haiti (Image: Getty Images)
Scotland opened the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Haiti in Foxborough.
Scotland got off to an even start and John McGinn opened the scoring midway through the first half. Haiti dominated much of the second period, but Steve Clarke’s side held on and grabbed the three points.
Scotland’s victory kept the Tartans top of their group heading into Friday’s game against Morocco, sealing their first World Cup win in almost 40 years.
Here’s all the buzz from the US:
Record-breaking McGuinn
McGinn was the man who ended Scotland’s long wait for a World Cup goal after midfield colleague Scott McTominay hit the post.
Che Adams managed to escape his marker and head the ball into the goal from close range. His attempt was saved, but the ball bounced towards McGinn.
The Aston Villa man hit a fly and the ball was sucked into the back of the net with the help of a deflection. Following his goal in the Europa League final, McGinn had another memorable blow to his name.
At 31 years, 238 days old, he also overtook Kenny Dalglish (31 years, 103 days old, against New Zealand in 1982) as Scotland’s oldest World Cup scorer.
John McGinn celebrates his goal against Haiti (Image: Getty Images)
Waiting for the victory to finally come
Scotland’s last World Cup goal came in a 1-1 draw with Norway in 1998, but victory took much longer.
The last time Scotland tasted success in a World Cup match was against Sweden in Genoa in 1990.
And this was no surprise. Coach Clark’s team certainly had to work for it, but Haiti certainly wasn’t a pushover. But Scotland did what needed to be done, scored goals and defended resolutely when needed.
Some may be disappointed that it wasn’t emphasized more, but given how long the country has been waiting for a victory, no one will complain.
big chance
Scotland needed to win this game to have a realistic chance of progressing into the last 32 and they did just that.
There are certainly more tricky tests scheduled in Brazil and Morocco. And, needless to say, both of these teams have made huge strides.
But Clark’s side are now giving themselves some breathing room. If we can pick up a point in each of our next two games, it will either be automatic or go a long way towards qualifying us as one of the top teams in third place.
Steve Clarke leads Scotland to their first World Cup win since 1990 (Image: Getty Images)
Haiti threatens
Of course, there will be disappointment among the Scots as they just barely got past Haiti. However, the minnow’s performance must be given some credit.
There was no noticeable difference in quality between the two teams. Haiti created a number of chances, the best of which was created by Franzdi Pierrot, who narrowly missed the target with just a few minutes remaining.
Key elements of midfield
Scotland’s midfield was still their strength against Haiti. McGinn scored the goal, but McTominay also played a key role in limiting Haiti’s creativity.
This combination is likely to be an important factor in determining the results against Morocco and Brazil. The day’s group matches were essentially decided in the center of the park, with the African side dominating their prominent South American opponents in the midfield.
If Scotland want to get results against either side, they will certainly need to outperform both with the help of McGinn and McTominay.
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