Scotland opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Haiti in their Group C match at Boston Stadium.
The decisive moment came in the 28th minute when John McGinn scored to give Scotland a 1-0 lead. Haiti had created early chances through Louicius Deedson, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, and Wilson Isidor, but Scotland defended well and punished their opponents when the opportunity arrived.
Scotland went into half-time ahead and had to work hard after the break as Haiti pushed for an equaliser. The Caribbean side continued to threaten, with Ruben Providence, Josue Casimir, and Frantzdy Pierrot all involved in late attacking moments.
Haiti’s best late chance came in stoppage time when Pierrot had a shot saved, while Martin Experience also missed the target in the final moments.
Scotland held on through nine minutes of added time to secure an important opening win in Group C.
Goal
- 28′ John McGinn – Scotland
Key Moments
- 28′ John McGinn scores the only goal of the match
- 39′ Jean-Ricner Bellegarde booked for Haiti
- 46′ Aaron Hickey booked for Scotland
- 61′ Josue Casimir replaces Louicius Deedson for Haiti
- 75′ Scotland make three changes, introducing Ryan Christie, Lyndon Dykes and Nathan Patterson
- 76′ Lenny Joseph replaces Wilson Isidor for Haiti
- 83′ Kenny McLean and Findlay Curtis come on for Scotland
- 85′ Yassin Fortuné replaces Ruben Providence for Haiti
- 90′ Findlay Curtis booked for Scotland
- 90+4′ Kenny McLean booked for Scotland
- 90+9′ Full-time: Haiti 0-1 Scotland
Substitutions
Haiti
- 61′ Josue Casimir replaced Louicius Deedson
- 76′ Lenny Joseph replaced Wilson Isidor
- 85′ Yassin Fortuné replaced Ruben Providence
Scotland
- 75′ Ryan Christie replaced Ben Gannon-Doak
- 75′ Lyndon Dykes replaced Che Adams
- 75′ Nathan Patterson replaced Aaron Hickey
- 83′ Findlay Curtis replaced John McGinn
- 83′ Kenny McLean replaced Lawrence Shankland
What It Means
Scotland begin Group C with three valuable points and move into a strong early position in the table. It was not a comfortable win, but it was the type of disciplined tournament performance that can shape a group-stage campaign.
For Haiti, the result will be frustrating. They created several chances and pushed Scotland late, but their finishing let them down.
Final Score
Haiti 0-1 Scotland
