Scotland’s 2026 World Cup opponents: Deep dive on Group C rivals

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 5 Dec 2025 14:19 CST
• 6 min read

Analysis

Scotland are getting ready to party like it’s 1998, with their return to the World Cup finals pitting Steve Clarke’s side against Brazil and Morocco – two of the opponents they played in France.

Completing Group C will be Haiti, the Scots’ first opponents and a side tipped to be whipping boys but an opponent that Steve Clarke’s side must be wary of.

Scotland’s World Cup group

FIFA WORLD CUP 2026: GROUP C

• Brazil
• Morocco
• Scotland
• Haiti

Brazil

Brazil need little introduction on this stage, with the Selecao the most successful side in World Cup history. They go chasing their sixth title, yet they have not lifted the trophy since 2002 in a drought that will reach an unprecedented length should they fail to win this competition.

Veteran coach Carlo Ancelotti is the man tasked with steering Brazil to glory in 2026. The CBF took their time appointing the Italian, even spending a long period under interim guidance to allow the 66-year-old to take the role. He is eight matches into the job and has posted four wins, two draws and two defeats.

Brazil, meanwhile, were not at their devastating best in CONMEBOL qualifying. While there was never any serious chance of them missing out on the finals due to the volume of qualifiers from South America, they would have wished their path to be more impressive. They lost six times en route to securing their place in the finals, with the 17 goals they conceded second-worst among the confederation’s six automatic qualifiers.

It’s the wealth of Brazil’s attacking talent that is really eye catching. Vinicius Junior is clearly the headline player in this regard, but in Raphinha they have another potential Ballon d’Or contender, as well as talent such as Richarlison, Rodrygo, Matheus Cunha and Estevao and many more.

Scotland play Brazil last, and no doubt Steve Clarke is hoping the Selecao will have sealed their passage through by that point.

Morocco

Scotland were infamously defeated 3-0 by Morocco in Saint-Etienne back in 1998, when the Africans were inspired by the talents of Mustapha Hadji. The efforts of the Atlas Lions were in vain that day as Norway’s shock victory over Brazil saw both sides painfully eliminated, and this matchup will no doubt bring back memories of that dramatic day in both nations.

Morocco finished fourth in Qatar in the best African performance at a World Cup finals, and this time around they have a squad that is arguably just as good.

Head coach Walid Regragui, who took charge a matter on months before the previous tournament, remains in charge and boasts a formidable 71% win rate. He has led his side into 45 international matches and has lost only four.

The defensive unit that impressed so much in the Middle East remains a strong point. Yassine Bounou is a formidable goalkeeper, despite being into his mid-30s, while captain Achraf Hakimi is the best right-back in the world by some distance. With Nayef Aguerd and Noussair Mazraoui, there is no shortage of experience or quality at the back.

Going the other way, there’s no shortage of talent either. One face familiar to the Scots will be Hamza Igamane, formerly of Rangers but now plying his trade at Lille in France. He will be hoping to force his way past Youssef En-Nesyri, to start in attack.

But the Moroccans also possess creativity and flair. Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz is likely to be their key attacking fulcrum by the time next summer rolls around, but keep an eye on Bayer Leverkusen’s Eliesse Ben Seghir.

Haiti

World Cup debutants Haiti will be Scotland’s first opponents in the 2026 finals, and it’s a match that Clarke’s side will feel they have to win if they are to stand a chance of progression to the last 16.

The Caribbean islanders, along with Curacao, are expected to be among the whipping boys of the competition. Scotland will pay little heed to this, having suffered in previous World Cups against opponents similarly tagged such as Peru and Iran.

Haiti entered in the second round of CONCACAF qualifiers, actually finishing behind Curacao in a five-team group that also included Saint Lucia, Aruba and Barbados.

Round 3 saw them tasked with matches against Honduras, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Largely thanks to four clean sheets in six games, they won that group. Arguably their decisive result was a 1-0 home win over Costa Rica, with was the Central Americans’ only loss in the group, though they showed some bottle to overcome Nicaragua at home five days later to seal their passage through.

While Haiti may not have any household names, they do have a sprinkling of players in Europe’s big five leagues and have several US-based stars. Wolves midfielder Jean‐Ricner Bellegarde is perhaps their best-know player, while centre forwards Duckens Nazon and Frantzdy Pierrot have 77 international goals between them.

Haiti have also recently recruited Guadeloupe-born winger Josue Casimir, who plays in France with Auxerre.

They are likely to provide stiffer opposition than they are currently given credit for.

World Cup draw in full

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Group I

Group J

Group K

Group L