With video
Scotland started the 2026 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Haiti. Aston Villa captain John McGinn had the tens of thousands of Scottish fans in Foxborough cheering and singing exuberantly.
Sports editor
Earlier in the night, the meeting between Brazil and Morocco in group C ended in a 1-1 draw. In the next round, Scotland will face Morocco and Brazil will face Haiti.
Haiti previously only participated in the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, where it lost three times. Scotland is participating in the World Cup for the ninth time, but the last time was in the summer of 1998 in France.
The match between Haiti and Scotland was not a high-quality spectacle, but the spectacle in the stands was more than worth staying up for the fans. Before the match, the tens of thousands of fans from Scotland who traveled along sang the national anthem ‘Flower of Scotland’ at the top of their lungs. The singing became even more beautiful after the match, when the stands went wild after the ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ started.
John McGinn scored the winning goal in the 28th minute. The left-footed midfielder of Europa League winner Aston Villa scored on the rebound after Haitian goalkeeper Johny Placide had saved the effort of striker Che Adams.
In the final phase, Frantzdy Pierrot had a great chance, but the Haiti attacker headed the ball just wide from a promising position. Ruben Providence, striker of Almere City, had a starting place in Haiti.
McGinn became Craig Burley’s successor with his goal. He was the last player to score for Scotland at a World Cup in a 1-1 draw against Norway in Bordeaux on 16 June 1998. Scotland started that World Cup with a 2-1 defeat against Brazil and closed the group stage with a 3-0 defeat against Morocco, two countries that they will meet in the group stage of this World Cup. Two tough games, but with three points in their pocket, Scotland can at least dream of a place in the sixteenth finals.
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End of second half
It’s over in Foxborough, where Scotland beat 1-0 Haiti.
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Yellow card for Kenny McLean
Six minutes of extra time
Can Haiti make it 1-1 in extra time?
Yellow card for Findlay Curtis
Great chance of the 1-1
Scotland escapes unscathed after the header goes just wide.
Ruben Providence is replaced by Yassin Fortuné
Lawrence Shankland is replaced by Kenny McLean
John McGinn is replaced by Findlay Curtis
Wilson Isidor is replaced by Yassin Fortuné
Aaron Hickey is replaced by Nathan Patterson
Ché Adams is replaced by Lyndon Dykes
Ben Gannon-Doak is replaced by Ryan Christie
Wilson Isidor almost with the 1-1
Wilson Isidor almost with the 1-1 on behalf Haiti, but the Sunderland striker just misses getting his foot into the ball at the far post. Isidor started last season as the first striker at Sunderland, but in recent months had to settle for a role as a substitute for Brian Brobbey.
John McGinn misses a chance to make it 2-0
Oh dear! That should have been 2-0 for Scotland, but John McGinn shot wide.
Drink break
We are halfway through the second half and so there is the second drinks break of this match. The second half is not as spectacular as the first, which we also saw earlier this night during Morocco’s match against Brazil (1-1) in New York.
Louicius Deedson is replaced by Josué Casimir
Yellow card for Aaron Hickey
‘Flower of Scotland’ in Foxborough
The first half was entertaining, but the real highlight came before the match. Then tens of thousands of Scots in Foxborough sang along at the top of their lungs to the ‘Flower of Scotland’.
End of first half
It’s half time in Foxborough, with Scotland leading 1-0 thanks to John McGinn’s goal after 28 minutes. Haiti certainly did not play badly in the first half, but shot over the goal of Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn three times.
The odds ratio is 6-6, but a 1-3 in Scotland’s favor when it comes to shots on target. Scotland also had more ball possession (58 percent) in the first half.