Scotland is eliminated from the 2026 World Cup

Scotland have been officially eliminated from the 2026 World Cup just two days after defeat to Brazil sealed their fate. After losing 3-0 to Brazil in Miami, Scotland needed a string of favorable results to progress to the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams. However, the Tartan Army have seen a series of matches not go in their favor, with Ghana's defeat to Croatia confirming that Steve Clarke's side have exited the tournament.

Scotland captain Andy Robertson has accepted that the Tartan Army will probably have to return home after their defeat to Brazil. Scotland's fans have brought a lot of excitement off the field, attracting the attention of locals in Boston and earning them many new fans in the US. But on the field, Scotland's time at the tournament was forgettable. They opened with a 1-0 win over Haiti but followed with two losses, a 1-0 loss to Morocco and a 3-0 loss to Brazil.

Despite being placed in a difficult group, Scotland will return home without any complaints as they were unable to exert enough pressure in all three of their matches. For Scotland, it is a string of failures to get past the group stage at a major tournament, even though the World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams.

Below is the current situation of the third-placed teams:

What Scotland needs and why they are failing

• In Group A, Scotland needs Mexico to avoid defeat against the Czech Republic and South Korea not to lose against South Africa. South Africa won 1-0 to progress.
• In Group D, Scotland needs Australia to win against Paraguay by two goals. But Australia and Paraguay drew in a match that favored both to advance.
• In Group E, Scotland require Ecuador and Curacao not to win against Germany and Ivory Coast, respectively. But Ecuador defeated Germany 2-1.
• In Group F, Scotland needs Japan to beat Sweden with a difference of four goals. But Sweden drew 1-1.
• In Group I, Scotland needs a draw between Senegal and Iraq, or a narrow victory for Iraq. But Senegal crushed their opponents with a 5-0 victory.
• In Group H, Scotland needed Spain to win against Uruguay... and they got it.
• In Group G, Scotland needed Egypt to win against Iran but saw the two teams draw.
• In Group L, Scotland expected Croatia to lose by a margin of three goals or more – but they won 2-1 against Ghana.