Scotland and Haiti will both be eager to make a positive start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaigns when they meet in their opening Group C fixture, with crucial matches against Brazil and Morocco still to come.

For Haiti, the tournament marks a historic return to football’s biggest stage after a 52-year absence the joint fourth-longest gap between World Cup appearances in the competition’s history. The Caribbean nation is appearing at the finals for only the second time, having lost all three matches during their debut campaign in West Germany in 1974.

The Grenadiers will be hoping for a more competitive showing this time around, although defensive frailties remain a concern. During qualification, only two other CONCACAF nations that played ten matches conceded more goals than Haiti’s tally of 13. Manager Sébastien Migné faces unique challenges, having never set foot in Haiti due to the country’s ongoing civil unrest, but he has guided his side to some encouraging results, including an impressive 4-0 victory over fellow World Cup finalists New Zealand.

Despite that standout performance, Haiti arrive in the United States with just one win from their three matches in 2026, drawing one and losing two.

Scotland, meanwhile, return to the World Cup finals for the first time since France 1998 and do so in excellent form. Steve Clarke’s side have won six of their last nine matches, including convincing warm-up victories against Bolivia (4-0) and Curaçao (4-1), underlining their attacking quality ahead of the tournament.

The Scots topped their qualifying group to secure their place at the finals, achieving the feat for the first time since 1982. While Scotland have never progressed beyond the group stage in any of their previous 12 appearances at either the World Cup or European Championship finals, there is growing optimism that this generation could finally break new ground.

This match also represents a historic first meeting between the two nations, with Haiti never previously facing opposition from the British Isles.

Statistics suggest there could be plenty of attacking action. Haiti’s last eight victories have all come with clean sheets, while they have led at half-time in four of their last seven matches. Scotland, however, have been particularly prolific in recent victories, scoring at least three goals in five of their last seven wins.

Haiti’s main attacking threat is Duckens Nazon, who finished as joint-top scorer in CONCACAF qualifying with six goals. He also recorded more shots and touches inside the opposition penalty area than any other player during the campaign.

For Scotland, Lawrence Shankland enters the tournament in outstanding form. The striker has registered five goal contributions across his last three international appearances, scoring four goals and providing one assist, while ending on the winning side in each match.

Haiti may be without Leverton Pierre, who continues to battle fitness issues. Scotland also have minor concerns over defenders Scott McKenna and Nathan Patterson, although both are expected to be closely monitored ahead of kick-off.

Prediction

Scotland appear to have the stronger squad, greater momentum and significantly more firepower heading into this opening fixture. Haiti are capable of causing problems on the counter-attack, but their defensive vulnerabilities could be exposed by a confident Scottish side.

With qualification hopes likely to depend heavily on this match, Scotland should have enough quality to secure an important three points.

Prediction: Haiti 1-3 Scotland

Betting Tip: Scotland to score over 2.5 team goals.