Scotland’s players led by star John McGinn remained confident they can secure historic qualification for the World Cup knockout stages despite a 1-0 defeat to Morocco in their second match on Friday.
A brilliant second-minute strike from Ismael Saibari decided the Group C match in Morocco’s favor at the Gillette Stadium near Boston, leaving the Atlas Lions on four points and Scotland on three with one game to play.
Steve Clarke’s team defeated Haiti 1-0 in his first appearance at the same stadium, but now need to win something against Brazil next Wednesday to guarantee a place in the last 32.
“Tonight we showed that we can compete with the teams in the top 10. Brazil will be a different game, they play with less structure, but they have quality that can hurt you at any time,” McGinn told reporters after a battle in Scotland that lacked quality in the final third.
«We will have to be at our best. We know what we have to do to advance to the next round.»
Scotland showed great resilience after scoring their first goal of the World Cup so far, causing problems until the end against a Morocco ranked seventh in the FIFA rankings.
Aston Villa captain McGinn felt he should have been awarded a penalty but struggled to seriously test Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
“We are a determined group and what we sometimes lack in quality to compete with the top 10, we have in fight and character,” added McGinn, who was Scotland’s match-winner against Haiti.
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«Can we improve? Of course we can, but we’ll keep going. I think the second half showed that once we’re chasing teams, nobody likes to be under pressure; even players at the highest level make mistakes because they were close to the end.»
Scotland are entering the World Cup for the ninth time and are desperate to get past the group stages in a major competition for the first time ever.
Brazil is waiting
Coach Clarke added: «This group of players, this squad, has shown that resilience in abundance over the years. They’re in it, they’re flat, they’re disappointed, but we still have a chance.»
«We’re here to try to do what no Scottish team has done before. We gave it everything tonight and we’ll try to do it again.»
After playing the two games in Massachusetts, where Tartan Army took over Boston, it now returns to its base in Charlotte, North Carolina.
From there it’s on to Miami, the venue for the match against sixth-ranked Brazil – which means adapting to the warmer conditions in Florida.
“I’ll keep an eye on the weather app,” McGinn joked as Scotland prepared to play the record five-time World Cup champions for the fifth time.
«I’ve played in Orlando before and it’s tough. But we prepared for it. We had the pre-camp there.»
«Scotland against Brazil in Miami to make some history is something you dream about. We will prepare well as we have done throughout the tournament and we have to go one step further.»
Published on June 20, 2026
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