Brazil thrashed Scotland and qualified for the 2026 World Cup play-offs as group winners
The Brazilian national team beat Scotland in their third Group C match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami ended in a 3–0 victory for Brazil.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side opened the scoring as early as the 7th minute. Scottish defender Scott McKenna made a mistake near his own goal, after which Vinícius Júnior rounded goalkeeper Angus Gunn and slotted the ball into the empty net.
In the 22nd minute, Brazil had the chance to double their lead. Vinícius Júnior won the ball from Jack Hendry and fired into the bottom corner. Following a VAR review, the referee disallowed the goal due to a foul during the challenge.
In stoppage time at the end of the first half, Brazil did eventually score their second. In the 45+3rd minute, Vinícius Júnior completed his brace, heading home a cross from Bruno Guimarães.
In the 60th minute, the scoreline became a rout. Bruno Guimarães burst into the opposition’s penalty area and played the ball to Matheus Cunha, who slotted it into an empty net.
In the 76th minute, Carlo Ancelotti brought Neymar on. The Santos forward, who is the all-time top scorer for the Brazil national team with 79 goals, came on in place of Matheus Cunha.
For Neymar, this match was his first for the national team since 18 October 2023. He last played for the national side in a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Uruguay, where he suffered a serious knee injury.
In the other Group C match, Morocco beat Haiti 4–2.
At the end of the group stage, Brazil finished top of the group with 7 points and progressed to the play-offs. Morocco also picked up 7 points and qualified for the round of 32 in second place. Scotland finished the tournament in third place with 3 points. Haiti finished bottom of the group without picking up any points.
The 2026 World Cup is being held in the USA, Mexico and Canada from 11 June to 19 July. This is the first World Cup to feature 48 national teams.
