With Matchday 2 of the 2026 World Cup now underway, Mark Lynch runs us through four key questions that will be answered over the next 24 hours of Group C football.
Soak it in Scotland fans- the next week might not bring as much joy. Yes our neighbours to the North East are having the time of their lives over in the Boston area. Enjoying a week where their team sits top of a group table above the fancied teams of Brazil and Morocco. Sadly this might be as good as it gets for any Scotland fans reading reading this column so if you are Scottish and of a nervous dispensation this might not be the column today for you. For now though bask in the glory as we look at the current standings and what they mean.
As it Stands:
C1 Scotland 3pts Last 32 opponents currently Japan (29th of June)
C2 Morocco 1pt ( Fair Play pts 0) Last 32 Opponents currently Sweden (30th of June)
C3 Brazil 1pt (Fair Play pts -2) Last 32 Opponents currently Germany (29th of June)
C4 Haiti 0pts
Questions for the 4 teams
Brazil: Can Brazil get the team balance right or continue looking like a group of individuals?
Last Saturday nights game between Brazil and Morocco felt like the first real test in this World Cup. What was surprising about it was that if anything Morocco played more like those great Brazil teams of old. Brazil on the other hand felt like a team of individuals- certainly they have some very gifted individuals like Vinicious Junior who scored a good individual goal in equalising for his country. Overall though it was hard not to feel disappointed in them so far.
Over on RTE the pundits seemed to be quite critical of the Midfield something I would not necessarily fully agree with. The problem for me seems to be they don’t appear to have that creative no 10 of the quality they have had in years past and as a result the midfield they have suffers without that outlet. The likes of Zico, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Kaka to name but a few Brazilian greats in the role. Could Neymar do a job there? Potentially but he will be missing again for tonights game with Haiti. So that is not something we will get an answer to tonight. Everybody will be expecting to see a big win tonight. The question is can we see more team cohesion if they get it?
Morocco: Will Morocco go all out against Scotland tonight to try and give them the best chance of top spot?
Morocco are a team with an interesting cunundrum tonight. The consensus before this group kicked off is that both themselves and Brazil would account for both Haiti and Scotland and we have seen little last weekend to indicate anything other than this will be the case. The added twist in the tale is that they obviously drew last weekend with Brazil so essentially we are looking at a two game shootout to decide who finishes top.
Tonight all expectations would be that Brazil will have a better goal difference after tonight as they play Haiti which will probably be the case. Morocco though by virtue of playing first this evening will have the opportunity to set down a marker to put a bit of pressure on the Brazilians. Hitting Scotland with a full-on attack early might well be the key to victory this evening and it will be interesting to see how Morocco set out their stall in what should be an interesting clash.
Haiti: Can they find some joy out wide to put a dent in Brazils challenge?
Haiti impressed me last time out in a game that a lot of people including myself would have expected them to lose a lot more heavily in. They battled well and of course came so close to that equaliser with a couple of very good chances in the dying minutes. A lot of people will now be expecting their World Cup to essentially be snuffed out tonight and in all honesty that probably is the case but there are a couple of ways they could hurt the Brazilians.
One player who impressed me a great deal last week for Haiti was their left winger Providence and I think he can cause some more problems this week up against the Brazilian Full backs neither of whom really stack up against the great Brazillian Full-Backs of old. Roger Ibanez who started last week is a centre back playing on the right while Danilo formerly of Man City and Real Madrid fame who replaced him at half time is 34 now and I think Providence has an opportunity to do some damage there.
Nobody is expecting anything other than a big Brazilian win. However if they can get the ball to Providence early and create some chances down the left flank then who knows the expected heavy Brazil win might not materialise. For Haiti you would hope it does not.
Scotland: Is Scotlands World Cup over already?
Firstly a disclaimer before I continue, Scotland like a lot of other Irish people this summer feel a kinship with our Scottish counterparts but at the same time are as jealous as hell at the wonderful adventure the Scottish team and fans are having across the Atlantic. Like ourselves Scotland have been waiting a long time to get to this stage and deserve it and I really hope they progress to the next stage.
Unfortunately there is a but coming. And the but in question is that right now I would be extremely concerned for Scotlands ambitions to be one of the best eight 3rd Place teams to qualify for the next round. With a group containing Brazil and Morocco, then winning your other group game against the perceived weakest opposition by a single goal is in all honesty not good enough.
Compare Scotlands result to a team that you would say were in a similar position to Scotland in that their weakest opposition was probably their first opponent and the expectation was probably that they would lose the last two group games, that being Sweden. They went out and won 5-1 knowing that the margin of victory in this format could well be key. Against opposition as well in Tunisia that a lot of people myself included would have seen as at a level above the Haiti team Scotland played.
Now for some good news, hope is all not yet lost. Some of the results of the past few days have been helpful for Scotland, The result between Czechia and South Africa yesterday might well be important. A draw between Turkey and Paraguay tonight might also help. Group G as well might provide some more hope. Its harder to see though where that fourth positive result might come from but here’s a chilling thought for every Scottish fan. There is that possibility that a hiding from England might well give you the opportunity to overtake Ghana on goal difference so it might be a painful night next Tuesday night with regards to who you have to support in that match.
One last thing that’s not to say either that Scotland can’t take a point from their final two games. Right now I’m inclined to say Brazil might actually provide the better opportunity for that but that’s for another day. Until then enjoy the games tonight and I imagine we will see goals. Until next time
