Scotland face familiar foe in Brazil as World Cup fate to be decided

Scotland will go head-to-head with a familiar foe in Brazil as the country’s fate at the World Cup is hanging in the balance.

Steve Clarke’s men will face their toughest test yet against Carlo Ancelotti’s side, with Brazil being five-time winners of the elite competition.

Tens of thousands of the Tartan Army have availed themselves splendidly to the people of Boston for Scotland’s first World Cup since France in 1998.

The Scots were celebrating after beating Haiti 1-0 in Boston last Saturday evening, thanks to a goal in the first half from John McGinn.

That was Scotland’s first win at a World Cup since 1990, but it was followed by a frustrating 1-0 defeat to Morocco on Friday.

Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
Brazil	2	1	1	0	4	1	+3	4	D W
Morocco	2	1	1	0	2	1	+1	4	D W
Scotland	2	1	0	1	1	1	0	3	W L
Haiti	2	0	0	2	0	4	-4	0	L L

Updated 20 Jun 2026, 17:57

Now, in Miami, Scotland’s bid to qualify from the group for the first time at a World Cup looks set to be decided against one of the tournament’s big hitters.

Scotland vs Brazil: A history of defeats

Scotland have never beaten Brazil in a competitive game of football.

And the Tartan Army have watched the South American giants crush dreams at four previous World Cups.

Those old enough to remember Italy in 1990 and France in 1998 will have vivid memories of the two narrow defeats to the Brazilians.

Scotland matched Brazil up until the last ten minutes in Turin in 1990, until Muller’s strike after a Jim Leighton fumble consigned them to defeat.

Brazil beat Scotland in France in 1998 SNS Group

Scotland needed a point to progress and nearly got it in the closing stages but Claudio Taffarel produced a brilliant point-blank stop from Maurice Johnston.

Scotland’s exit was confirmed the following day as results elsewhere deprived them of progress as one of the best third-placed teams.

In 1998, Brazil took an early lead in Paris through a Cesar Sampaio header. They threatened to run away with the game, with the 21-year-old Ronaldo in scintillating form.

Scotland hit back before the break with a John Collins penalty but Craig Brown’s side fell behind in the last 18 minutes when Cafu’s shot was saved by Leighton, only for the ball to cruelly hit Celtic captain Tom Boyd and creep over the line.

Scotland once again fell at the group stage after a 3-0 defeat to Morocco and Brazil lost to the hosts in the final.

Scotland also lost 4-1 to Brazil in the 1982 World Cup, but managed a 0-0 draw at the 1974 edition of the tournament.

This time around, Scotland face a Brazil side littered with star power. Real Madrid’s Vini Jnr, Barcelona’s Raphina and a returning Neymar will all prove a massive threat to Scotland’s defence.

At the back, they have Premier League winner Gabriel, veteran Marquinhos and the choice of two world-class goalkeepers in Alisson and Ederson.

And for the boss, Ancelotti, his record speaks for itself, having won the Champions League five times.

What do Scotland need to do to qualify?

Scotland could, of course, beat Brazil and guarantee qualification from the group.

Scotland would have hoped to avoid defeat against Morocco, but a goal inside two minutes left the Scots on three points, and Morocco on four, the same as Brazil.

A negative goal difference now looks certain, unless Clarke’s men can play out a draw with Ancelotti’s side. In that scenario, Scotland would be all but guaranteed to qualify.

Football

What do Scotland need to qualify as World Cup fate hangs in balance against Brazil?

Should Brazil beat Scotland by a significant margin, the chances of qualification become fairly slim.

Brazil saw off Haiti by three goals to nil, with the Haitians becoming the first team to be eliminated from the tournament. They also drew 1-1 with Morocco.

With eight of the best third-placed teams going through, Scotland still have a chance to get into the next round.

Only Sweden are ahead of Scotland in those rankings, and the Swedes have the same goal difference of zero but have scored more goals.

Paraguay are also on three points after two games, but have a worse goal difference than Scotland.

All but four of the 12 teams have played two games, with Portugal, Panama, Senegal and Jordan still to play. The latter three are all on zero points, and Portugal are on one.

That means as it stands on Tuesday morning, Scotland look in a relatively healthy position, but things can quickly change.