‘Must beat Haiti’: Scotland reacts to World Cup draw as pundit ‘forces a smile’ after 1998 heartache | OneFootball

From Pat Nevin’s scars to the importance of beating Haiti, Scotland players past and present have reacted to their 2026 World Cup group-stage draw.

Steve Clarke’s side were handed a tricky but fascinating group with Brazil, 2022 semi-finalists Morocco, and Haiti, who have qualified for their first World Cup finals since 1974.

That makes Scotland’s World Cup hiatus look insignificant, despite being 28 years away from the big stage.

Their last World Cup match was actually against Morocco – a devastating 3-0 defeat that left them bottom of a group topped by Brazil.

The Tartan Army kicked off the 1998 tournament with a narrow loss to Brazil, and they will begin their 2026 campaign against CONCACAF minnows Haiti.

Players in the current squad will not underestimate Haiti, but former internationals were quick to stress that beating them will be pivotal to getting out of Group C.

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Scotland reacts to ‘exciting’ 2026 World Cup draw

Former Celtic and Scotland captain Scott Brown said: “We’ve got to look to beat Haiti. It will be a huge game for us.

“Morocco – we’ll be underdogs looking at the world rankings; it’s a hard game.

“Brazil is the big one. Everyone will want to be at that Scotland v Brazil game. Seeing that yellow shirt… they’ve got top-quality players – as do Morocco.

“We’ve got to beat Haiti and try to pick up points somewhere else. There is hope for us.”

Former forward James McFadden admitted that Haiti is “a winnable tie”.

He said: “It’s a tough draw. You’ve got the glamour tie against Brazil. Then Morocco – people will tip them to be a dark horse because they got to a semi-final last time.

“And you hate to say it, because it’s international football, but it’s a winnable tie against Haiti. It makes it a little bit better. The worst part was waiting for the draw – it took forever.

“Scotland’s draw could have been better, but it probably could have been worse.”

Charlie Mulgrew is confident Scotland can progress from a group at a major tournament for the very first time next summer, and is “delighted” to have Haiti on matchday one.

“Haiti – I’m delighted with that for the first game,” he said.

“Hopefully we can not be very Scotland-like, not make hard work of that, and get through.

“I think we can go through this group. I think we can go through in second place, potentially.

“You don’t know what Morocco are going to bring; 100 per cent it’s going to be a difficult game.

“But listen, just to be at the World Cup, carrying that momentum through… the Tartan Army alone should be at every World Cup with the atmosphere they bring.”

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Pat Nevin, meanwhile, was there in 1998 and says he still has “scars” from the 3-0 defeat to Morocco.

“If you can see a smile on my face, it’s because I’m forcing it massively,” he said.

“Brazil, you know you love it, but every Scotsman’s second team is Brazil. So we’ve got them, and I love that. It’s enjoyable playing against Brazil. We should beat Haiti.

“The problem is Morocco, because I was there against Morocco in 1998, and I think we were favourites – at least in Scottish people’s minds – and it was torture. We have such bad memories. That game left scars, maybe more than any of the others, and if you look at Morocco’s recent run, it’s phenomenal.”

Scotland players Lyndon Dykes and Ryan Christie also reacted to what they called a “tough” group.

Dykes said: “Tough draw. Obviously, you’ve got massive teams in there, but I don’t think it’s something we should shy away from. It’s the World Cup – you’re going to get hard teams. We’ve faced hard teams before, so we should be going into it full of confidence, I think.

“I think so many people, so many of the boys, were probably saying before the draw came out, ‘I hope we get Brazil,’ because a lot of us grew up playing FIFA and whatnot… and whoever picked Brazil, it was too unfair because of the players they had.

“It’s been like that for generations, so it’s going to be iconic. It makes us even more determined to prove everyone wrong, maybe be an underdog — and what a story that would be to beat them.”

Christie said: “It’s exciting. A tough group, but one we’re looking forward to.

“We have to go over there wanting to try and prove a point. We’re not just there to make up the numbers. We want to compete and get through the group phase.

“Two out of the three games are going to be massively tough, and even Haiti. Nobody gets to a World Cup without being a decent team. These are teams we’re not used to playing.

“You can’t ask for more exciting games. I’m sure me and the rest of the boys are buzzing for it.”

The Bournemouth midfielder believes Scotland should travel to the World Cup with “more belief” after group-stage exits at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

“Probably head there with a bit more belief,” he said when asked what the Tartan Army should do differently. “It’s the same core of players that’s managed to qualify for this World Cup. Hopefully we can go one step further this time.

“We go into the tournament a little bit as underdogs. It suits us. Hopefully these other teams don’t know what to expect, and we can surprise them a little bit.”