Scotland haven’t played a World Cup match that actually mattered in nearly three decades. Now they’re about to play one against a team that reached the semi-finals of the last tournament.
The Scotland head coach has thrown his full support behind midfielder Scott McTominay ahead of the national team’s second Group C fixture against Morocco at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Clarke has identified McTominay as the player most likely to unlock what promises to be Scotland’s sternest test of the tournament so far.
From Haiti to Morocco: a very different challenge
Scotland opened their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Haiti on June 14-15, 2026, with John McGinn grabbing the decisive goal. Morocco stormed to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, becoming the first African nation to reach that stage of the competition. They beat Belgium, Spain, and Portugal along the way.
Scotland’s Group C is rounded out by Brazil, which means every match after the opener carries enormous weight. Sitting on three points from the Haiti result, Scotland know that a positive result against Morocco could dramatically reshape their knockout stage prospects.
