🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland vs 🇧🇷 Brazil

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.

Brazil haven't won a World Cup since 2002. By their own standards, that's a 24-year national emergency. They've reached the semi-finals three times since and been knocked out each time in increasingly painful ways. This fact alone explains a lot about the Brazilian national mood.

Neymar is back at 34 after a serious knee injury. He's Brazil's all-time top scorer, but has spent more time injured than playing at the last two World Cups. Fans are cautiously optimistic, which for Brazil fans is an unusual emotional state.

They're in Group C with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland. Brazil are expected to win this group so comfortably that any slip would dominate global sports news for about a week. Scotland fans are already preparing to be philosophical about it.

Brazil are managed by Dorival Júnior — the fourth different manager they've had since 2019. That's not a sign of a settled, confident operation. If someone asks why Brazil seem slightly disorganised, this is your answer.

Five World Cup titles, more than anyone else. Every tournament they enter comes with the weight of expectation that no other country has to deal with. It's both their greatest strength and the reason their fans always look slightly stressed.