From the silence of 28 years to the brilliance of Miami: Scotland versus Brazil and History
Scotland will face Brazil again in a World Cup finals. It will be at the 2026 World Cup
Scotland is a small nation in terms of population — just 5.5 million souls. And yet, the history of football has proven many times that the weight of a jersey is not measured in numbers, but in memory, anticipation and collective emotion.
After the dramatic and soul-crushing night against
Denmark, the one that broke the curse of a
28-year absence from the big stage, the Scottish national team
returned to the world stage. And with it came the longing: the desire of the fans to see them present again at the top football event on the planet. Of course, luck played its role. When one of the opponents in the group stage is
Brazil (the footballing superpower of 212 million inhabitants, with endless talent and world-class footballers such as Real Madrid winger
Vinicius) the interest almost automatically takes on global dimensions.
However, the figures released by FIFA exceed all expectations. Within the first 24 hours of the official random draw, more than five million requests for tickets were submitted from 200 different geographical regions. And amidst this huge wave of demand, the Scotland-Brazil match in Miami ranked fifth overall in terms of number of requests. An achievement that is impressive and reveals the charm of this particular football clash.
The most anticipated match is also taking place in Miami, where Colombia will face Portugal on June 27. Next, in an informal list of football “magnets”, are Brazil vs. Morocco at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey on June 13, Mexico vs. South Korea in Guadalajara on June 18, and Ecuador vs. Germany, again at MetLife, on June 25. A little further back, but with equally powerful symbolism, comes the duel between Scotland and Brazil at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 24.
This particular matchup is nothing new in World Cup history. Scotland and Brazil have crossed swords with remarkable frequency. At the 1998 World Cup in France, John Collins scored from the penalty spot in a heroic but narrow 2-1 defeat in the opening match of the tournament.
In 1990, at Italia ’90, the Scots were beaten 1-0, while in 1982 they suffered a 4-1 defeat after leading. Even further back, at the 1974 World Cup, the 0-0 draw was a memorable one, with Billy Bremner missing a huge chance from close range against the “samba wizards” — a moment that still haunts the collective memory of the Scots.
Meanwhile, the Scottish national team continues its World Cup preparations with a series of high-level friendlies. In March, they are expected to host Japan in a home match, with the Samurai's national coach, Hajime Moriyasu, leaving little room for doubt about its holding.
The Japanese national team has already scheduled a friendly with England at Wembley on March 31 and, according to what Moriyasu said, the second match of the tour will be against Scotland.
"In addition to England, we will also play against a country that is very similar to them," he said, adding that last week he was in the United States for an on-site inspection of the bases ahead of the World Cup. Preparations, he stressed, are in full swing.
Thus, the Scottish national team, small in size but heavy in history, is preparing for another journey to the world footballing stardom — with its gaze fixed both on the past that haunts it and on the future that calls to it.
Manos Staramopoulos
Journalist and Analyst of International Football and Affairs
Chief Editor English Zone of Discoveryfootball.com
Athens (Greece)
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