Having not qualified for a FIFA World Cup since 1998, Scotland‘s 4-2 win over Denmark didn’t just secure them a place in the biggest tournament in world football, but reignited a spark that had been lost over almost 30 years of heartache and misery for fans of the Scottish national team.

But with the Tartan Army in full voice, taking over the streets of Boston and Miami, those who are stateside will be hoping to extend their trip, provided that Scotland can edge through their group and into the round of 32.

Given that eight of the best third-placed teams will earn a place in the knockout stages, every point matters in the quest for their first-ever taste of knockout football.

What Results Scotland Need to Qualify

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Following the conclusion of the second round of fixtures, Scotland currently sit third in Group C, on three points and a zero goal difference, with both Brazil and Morocco above with four points.

Steve Clarke’s side will face five-time tournament winners Brazil in their final group stage match as they aim for a top-two finish in order to cement automatic qualification to the round of 32. However, given that Brazil entered the tournament sixth in FIFA’s world rankings, it looks increasingly likely that Scotland will have to turn to the alternative route into the knockout stages.

As this tournament has been expanded from 32 teams to 48, only those at the bottom of each group, plus the four worst third-placed teams, will be sent home at the conclusion of the group stage, giving Scotland their best-ever chance of getting out of the group.

As things stand, Scotland are the second-best of the third-placed teams, with Sweden topping the pile thanks to their 5-1 victory over Tunisia. A draw in their final group stage game could be all that Scotland need in order to progress to the knockout stages, depending on how other fixtures play out elsewhere.

The real threat would come if Scotland suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Brazil, with goal difference being the deciding factor for third-placed teams who are equal on points.

Stats company Opta believes that third-placed teams with a neutral goal difference have a 95 per cent chance of progression. A 1-0 loss would present an 84% likelihood, whilst a loss of three goals would offer a 42% chance of knockout football.

Have Scotland Ever Reached the World Cup Knockouts?

The 2026 World Cup has played host to Scotland’s ninth expedition at the tournament, including a stint of five successive qualifications between 1974 and 1990, with their first ever participation coming in 1954.

Despite their frequent qualification during the 70s and 80s, the Scots are yet to make it past the group stage, with their best-ever return achieved at the 1974 tournament in West Germany.

During that campaign, Scotland opened their tournament with a 2-0 victory over Zaire, before a goal-less draw with Brazil was followed by a 1-1 stalemate against Yugoslavia.

Equal on points with both Yugoslavia and Brazil, the Tartan Army narrowly missed out, with Brazil’s three and Yugoslavia’s nine goals against Zaire ensuring that Scotland were knocked out by the tightest of margins after going unbeaten.

Scotland at World Cup 2026

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Scotland’s return to the biggest stage was made even greater after John McGinn’s deflected strike against Haiti saw the Scots leave the Boston Stadium with all three points, their first points at a World Cup tournament since their 1-1 draw with Norway in 1998.

And whilst the Tartan Army were doing their bit in supporting their side, Ismael Saibari’s goal in just the second minute of their match against Morocco has left the Scots with work to do in their final game against Brazil if they want to make it to the knockout stages.

Aside from the action on the pitch, the Scottish fans have left a lasting impact on their host city of Boston. The Boston Globe newspaper left a heartfelt message for the Tartan Army, saying “For a week, you turned train stations into sing-alongs, Fenway into a football ground and an ordinary June into something we’ll be talking about for years.

And it’s not just the Scottish spirit that has left a lasting impression. In recognition of their extensive festivities, the governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healy, ‘legalised’ the Scottish delicacy of haggis after offal was made illegal in the US in the 1970s. And whilst the beloved dish hasn’t actually been legalised, the event would suggest that the Scots are more than welcome in Boston.

World Cup on GIVEMESPORT

Yet another kit infraction was spotted at the 2026 World Cup, this time in England’s match with Ghana on Tuesday.

The Three Lions were left frustrated by a rigid and defensive Ghana side that sat deep for long periods and gave Thomas Tuchel’s men little room to work with in the final third.

England struggled to fashion clear openings throughout, with Ghana happy to defend their point all the way to a goalless draw. It was a match that also saw Jude Bellingham narrowly avoid a red card.

Amid the chances and near misses, however, a sharp-eyed fan spotted something else entirely: a potential breach of FIFA’s kit regulations involving Ghana and Manchester City winger, Antoine Semenyo.

What Rule did Antoine Semenyo Break?

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Semenyo was wearing white socks during the match, and he’s not the only player doing it. Grip socks, which are designed with rubber patches on the soles, to keep a player’s foot from moving inside their boot, are very common among footballers at all levels.

Section 2 of the IFAB’s Law 4 states that “any tape or material applied externally to a sock must match the colour of the part of the sock it covers.” Ghana wore mostly yellow socks for the fixture, meaning the white of the grip sock was visible on Semenyo’s ankle and breached that requirement, with officials seemingly failing to intervene during the match.

Former PGMOL Boss Keith Hackett Wades in

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The post soon caught the attention of Keith Hackett, a former Premier League referee and PGMOL chief. Responding directly to the fan on X who’d pointed it out to him, Hackett wrote: “Well spotted Pat clearly law not being applied,” backing their claim that match officials had overlooked the infraction.

Hackett also made comment on Keito Nakamura’s apparent lack of shin pads during Japan’s clash with the Netherlands. Both incidents have raised similar questions about consistency in enforcement.

Hackett has made little secret of his frustrations with refereeing standards throughout the World Cup, and this latest episode involving Semenyo’s socks has kept the record spinning.

David Ornstein has offered the latest on Arsenal potentially hijacking Tottenham‘s bid to land Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali this summer, Spurs are in the midst of a huge window, already splashing out significant money to land Jan Paul van Hecke, while they have also signed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free deals.

More big signings are on the way for Tottenham, who are hoping to give Roberto De Zerbi the tools he needs to turn a relegation-battling team into one capable of qualifying for Europe.

There are going to be some juicy deals at Hotspur Way, and their latest pursuit involves a midfielder who could cost up to £90million.

Tonali battle latest

Tottenham are dead-set on signing Newcastle star Tonali this summer, with the midfielder seen as the ideal addition for the holding role. But given the Italian is one of the best in the league in his position, he is going to be a very pricey signing this summer, even with Newcastle having missed out on Europe.

Spurs have already seen a £75million bid rejected, and the Magpies are said to be demanding somewhere between £80million and £90million, though we are yet to see a follow-up offer just yet.

That will have Tottenham fans nervous, especially with Tonali likely to attract interest from elsewhere, and it’s no secret that Arsenal have been interested in the Italian previously. But there is good news for Spurs on that front.

Arsenal not currently likely to approach Tonali

According to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, Arsenal are not likely to approach Tonali this summer. He said on The Athletic FC Podcast: “A lot of people have mentioned Arsenal, they’ve had long-standing interest in him. We reported that on deadline day of the January transfer window, and I’m sure they’ve explored it again for this summer, but right now, at the time of recording this, I don’t know of them pursuing it in the way that Tottenham and Manchester City certainly appear to be.”

That will be music to the ears of Tottenham fans who want to see Tonali snapped up this summer, but the City interest is still a concern, given their financial power and the obvious attraction they have when it comes to convincing players of a chance to compete for trophies.

That’s where Spurs are going to struggle against such rivals due to recent failures, but given the money the North London side plan on spending this summer, there may still be an attractive project to present.