John McGinn strike downs Haiti as Scotland top Group C

A John McGinn strike has given Scotland a 1-0 win over Haiti in their opening game of the 2026 World Cup.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Tartan Army though. Most people had low expectations for Haiti but their manager Sebastian Migne will feel that his side were deserving of at least a point.

The result means that Scotland move top of Group C after the first matchday, thanks to Brazil’s 1-1 draw against Morocco earlier in the day.

After an even opening half hour, Scotland made the breakthrough when Che Adams blocked shot fell to McGinn who finished via a deflection from 12 yards.

Haiti responded well after going behind though, and Ruben Providence forced Angus Gunn into a good save before the Scotland keeper blocked Frantzdy Pierrot’s rebound.

In the second half, McGinn came close to adding a second but his shot across goal went wide.

Scotland needed to survive a late Haiti onslaught, and Nathan Patterson did well to make a vital block to deny Providence.

Pierrot came within inches of equalising in the 85th minute. His header beat Gunn but went shades wide of the right post.

The result could prove crucial for Scotland if they are to make it through to the knockout stages. They’ll need to play far better to get anything out of their next game against Morocco on June 19.

For Haiti, they will likely regret their missed chances. They might struggle to get anything in their final two group games. They face Brazil in the early hours of June 20.

Flag of Scotland by Christoph Strassler used under license by CC BY-SA 2.0.