Scott McTominay missed Scotland training on the eve of their 2026 World Cup opener against Haiti after being laid low by an upset stomach, leaving Steve Clarke with one less senior option in the final buildup. Scott McKenna, by contrast, was able to take part as Scotland went through their last session before the match in Mexico City.
The timing matters because Scotland are about to begin a group stage that also includes Brazil and Morocco in Group C, and there is no margin for drift when the tournament has already opened at pace. Mexico faced South Africa at 20:00 BST in Mexico City, while South Korea met Czech Republic at 03:00 on Friday, underlining that the World Cup is now fully under way and Scotland are entering it under immediate scrutiny.
For Craig Gordon, the moment carries a different kind of weight. The out-of-contract Hearts goalkeeper, 43, is the oldest player at the World Cup, and he admitted he once thought the chance to be here would pass him by on more than one occasion. That is the backdrop to a Scotland side that has already lived through more than one false start under Clarke, who ended a finals absence stretching beyond two decades when he took the team to Euro 2020.
Clarke has since guided Scotland to Euro 2024 after the pain of missing the 2022 World Cup in play-off heartache, and he put the change in mood in blunt terms: “This time, it's a different Steve Clarke.” The line fits the past few years, when Scotland have gone from long droughts to regular appearances at major finals, but it does not answer the immediate question now hanging over the camp: whether McTominay will be fit enough to face Haiti when the match comes around.
That uncertainty is the only cloud over a build-up that otherwise has Scotland arriving with experience, belief and a place in a wide-open group that also features Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. For a team chasing a first win on the sport’s biggest stage, McTominay’s stomach bug is a small problem only if it passes quickly; if it lingers, it becomes the kind of detail that can shape the opening night.
