McGinn fires Scotland past Haiti, first World Cup win since 1990

John McGinn’s first-half goal gave Scotland a narrow but vital 1-0 victory over Haiti and put the Scots on top of Group C at the World Cup. In a match with few clear chances, Scotland took three pragmatic points that may end up mattering more than style as Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw in the section’s other game.

McGinn struck in the 29th minute at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, when the ball took a deflection before slipping past Haiti goalkeeper Johny Placide. Scotland had to work for the result, but once ahead it managed the game with discipline against a Haiti side that returned to a World Cup after 52 years and resisted until the end without finding an equalizer.

The win carried weight well beyond the scoreline. It was Scotland’s first World Cup victory since 1990 and its first in the tournament since returning after 28 years away. For a team trying to establish itself in a volatile Group C, the opening-round three points created early leverage, especially with Brazil and Morocco locked at 1-1 and already forced to share ground.

FIFA described the match as one with few obvious openings, a reminder that early World Cup points are often earned through patience rather than spectacle. Scotland’s supporters, including a strong presence of the Tartan Army in the Boston Stadium crowd, celebrated a result that strengthened their path to the next phase and immediately shifted pressure onto the group’s heavierweights. Brazil and Morocco cannot afford to treat the opening draw as harmless; with Scotland already at the summit, every dropped point now carries extra cost.