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Scotland took a nervy step closer to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Belarus at Hampden Park on Sunday, though their performance left much to be desired.
The win marked Steve Clarke’s 72nd match in charge, a record for the national team.
Che Adams opened the scoring for the hosts in the 15th minute, giving Scotland an early advantage.
Belarus had a goal disallowed in the second half for a foul on Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay before the Napoli star restored the lead in the 84th minute with a precise finish from 10 metres.
Belarus substitute Hleb Kuchko reduced the deficit deep into stoppage time, but Scotland held on to claim three crucial points.
The victory moves Scotland to 10 points from 12 in Group C, ahead of upcoming fixtures in Greece and a home clash with Denmark, which will determine the outcome of their qualification campaign for the World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States next year.
Scotland are currently top of the group, with Denmark’s result against Greece still to come.
Despite the win, home supporters expressed frustration at the lack of fluidity and attacking sharpness, given Belarus’s lowly ranking and heavy defeats to Greece and Denmark.
Clarke admitted the performance was below par, telling the BBC, “We’ve come out with the three points, so that’s one small crumb of comfort, but the rest of it is a bit of a head scratcher as to why we were so poor.”
McTominay echoed the sentiment, stressing that the squad must consistently demonstrate the quality seen in training.
Scotland last reached the World Cup in 1998, and under UEFA’s 2026 format, 12 group winners will qualify directly, with four further places decided via playoffs involving the 12 runners-up.
