Scotland claim first World Cup win in 36 years as kick-off delays continue across 2026 tournament
Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 for their first World Cup victory since Italia '90, while none of the first eight fixtures at the 2026 tournament have started on time.
Scotland break 36-year drought
Scotland beat Haiti 1-0 in their opening Group C match at Boston Stadium, securing their first World Cup victory since 1990. John McGinn's deflected strike just before the half-hour mark proved enough to separate the sides. Manager Steve Clarke praised the team's resilience.
It just shows how difficult it is for a country like Scotland to go to a World Cup and win games. It does not happen very often.
The win lifted Scotland to the top of Group C after Brazil drew 1-1 with Morocco earlier in the day.
Haiti's frustration
Haiti pushed for an equaliser late on, with Frantzky Pierrot's header grazing the post and claims for a penalty when Grant Hanley appeared to block a shot with his arm. Haiti manager Sebastien Migne insisted the incident should have been punished.
Many people were talking about a possible hand ball from Scotland and if the penalty had have been given for the Bellegarde shot it would have been right.
Scotland held on for a nervy but landmark win.
Kick-off delays become a theme
The match's 2.5-minute delay was part of a wider pattern: none of the first eight World Cup 2026 fixtures started on time. The opening game between Mexico and South Africa kicked off six minutes late, the worst offender. Qatar versus Switzerland began almost five minutes behind schedule. Across the eight matches, the average delay was three minutes.
- Mexico vs South Africa
- 6 minutes
- Qatar vs Switzerland
- 5 minutes
- Scotland vs Haiti
- 2.5 minutes
- Australia vs Turkey
- 0.67 minutes
- South Korea vs Czech Rep
- 0.85 minutes
Elsewhere at the tournament
Australia cruised past Turkey 2-0, while South Korea edged the Czech Republic by the narrowest of margins. Off the pitch, England reported the theft of some training equipment during their trip to the team base in Kansas City. The tournament continues with Scotland facing Morocco at the same Boston venue on Friday.
Scotland's historical context
Scotland have appeared at nine World Cups but never advanced beyond the first round. In the expanded 48-team format, reaching the knockout stage would be a first. Historical guides note that merely matching a round-of-16 finish (the benchmark set in earlier, smaller tournaments) would require them to win a knockout match. For now, the focus is on backing up the Haiti result against Morocco.
