🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland vs 🇲🇦 Morocco

Scotland don't have a great World Cup reputation — they failed to qualify for a single tournament between 1998 and 2022, which is a long time to be watching from the sofa. Best not to mention this to a Scotland fan. Better to compliment them on being at their second consecutive World Cup and try not to sound too surprised.

They're in Group C with Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. It's a brutal draw. Realistic expectations involve getting through by finishing third rather than topping the group — although Scotland fans have a long tradition of hoping for the best while bracing for the worst.

Manager Steve Clarke has been in charge since 2019 and has overseen the most successful period in Scottish football for a generation. The fans genuinely adore him, which is an unusual emotional state for Scottish football supporters to be in.

Scotland's players are largely Premier League quality — they're not a small nation fielding amateurs, they're a well-organised side that competes properly. The problem is their group includes Brazil, who are a different class entirely.

The Scottish fans will be the most vocal at the tournament. They travel in enormous numbers, make friends with absolutely everyone, and are universally beloved abroad in a way that slightly baffles people back home. If you see tartan, just be nice — they've earned it.

Morocco were the story of the 2022 World Cup — the first African and Arab nation ever to reach a semi-final. They beat Spain and Portugal on the way. Nobody saw it coming. They did it with organisation, belief and some genuinely brilliant goalkeeping.

Most of their squad plays in Europe's top leagues, which wasn't the case a generation ago. The quality jump is real, not a fluke — and if anything the current side is better than the one that shocked the world in Qatar.

Manager Walid Regragui took over just months before the 2022 World Cup and immediately took them to the semi-finals. That's either extremely impressive or evidence that the squad is so good the manager barely matters. Probably a bit of both.

Morocco are in Group C with Brazil, Haiti and Scotland. They're realistically competing with Brazil to top the group. If they do, and you've been following them since 2022, you're allowed to feel smug about having 'always believed in them'.

The crowd at Morocco games is genuinely extraordinary — they travel in huge numbers, are incredibly passionate, and create an atmosphere that noticeably affects the opposition. Worth mentioning if someone asks why Morocco keep winning games they 'shouldn't'.