FIFA WC 2026: Scotland end 36-year wait for World Cup victory with hard-fought win over Haiti

Scotland finished their long wait of 36 years to secure a win in the FIFA World Cup, by defeating a solid Haiti 1-0 in their Group C opener at Boston Stadium on Sunday, June 14. Aston Villa's midfielder John McGinn turned out to be the hero by scoring the only goal in the first half.

Competitive first half

The European side established their dominance right from the first minute, using the lightning pace of young winger Ben Doak to relentlessly stretch Haiti's defense. Scotland came too close to breaking Haiti's deadlock when star midfielder Scott McTominay produced a marvelous strike that went off post.

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Fortunately, the breakthrough came in the 27th minute when Che Adams forced a brilliant, diving save from Haitian goalkeeper Johny Placide, but McGinn banked on the rebound, snapping a shot that took a crucial double-deflection before nesting into the back of the net.

Intense second half

The second half of the game turned out to be a physically tense part, as the Caribbean nation went all guns blazing. Led by the counter-attacking runs of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Les Grenadiers continuously rattled the Scottish defense line. However, a dramatic equaliser nearly emerged in the 85th minute when Frantzdy Pierrot's headers went inches wide of the post.

Led by the strong defending of skipper Andy Robertson, Scotland went past the testing six minutes of the stoppage time to claim three historic points and a desired start to their World Cup campaign.