Scotland return to the World Cup stage for the first time since 1998, opening their Group C campaign against Haiti on 12 June 2026 in Boston, where Steve Clarke’s squad aim to secure early momentum after decades away from the tournament.

Preparation for the World Cup opener had a minor scare when Scott McTominay, now at Napoli, suffered a stomach illness and travelled to Boston separately from the main group, but the midfielder rejoined the squad and took part in full training on Friday.

Steve Clarke confirmed that McTominay is available for selection against Haiti, describing the former Manchester United player as fully recovered and ready, which offers Scotland an important boost in midfield options for a match they will expect to control.

Clarke emphasised that Scotland’s approach at this World Cup will not rest on one individual, even with McTominay back. “I’ve got 26 superstars here, he said. To try to put so much on to one person is not fair. We’ve built everything we’ve done over the last seven years on the squad, the team, everyone being together and playing their part at certain times. We are delighted with Scott’s abilities and what he can bring to the team. But we are going to need another 15 to bring the same if we want to have a positive tournament.”

Scotland’s group schedule looks demanding beyond the Haiti opener, with matches to come against Morocco and Brazil in Group C, so Clarke and the squad understand the value of starting strongly before facing opponents with deeper World Cup histories and strong recent records.

Haiti arrive in Group C with their own piece of World Cup history, appearing at the finals for only the second time and for the first time since 1974, creating a 52-year gap between appearances that is among the longest intervals recorded at the tournament.

That 52-year absence matches the joint-fourth longest break between World Cup appearances, with only Wales, Egypt and Norway experiencing longer waits, yet Haiti’s current squad contains energetic attacking players whom Scotland have studied closely in preparation for the opener.

Defensively, Haiti showed weaknesses during World Cup qualifying, and their record can be compared with other teams over at least 10 matches, where Haiti conceded a high number of goals and expected goals, which may influence how Scotland design their attacking game plan.

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Despite Haiti’s qualifying numbers, Clarke has been clear that Scotland cannot underestimate the Caribbean side. “It’s important we respect the opposition, make sure we’re properly prepared, we play to the best of our ability and see what the result is, Clarke said. We’ve watched Haiti very closely, we respect their abilities on the pitch. Since they’ve qualified, they’ve improved the squad. We think we know how they’ll play. We think we know their system. They have very dynamic players, especially the attacking players, so we have to be careful.”

With Scotland chasing a first progression beyond the World Cup group stage, McTominay’s fitness, the depth of Clarke’s 26-player squad and thorough analysis of Haiti’s strengths and defensive issues combine to frame an opener that could heavily shape Scotland’s campaign trajectory.