Scotland's dream of advancing beyond the group stage at a major tournament for the first time remains in serious jeopardy after Brazil dismantled Steve Clarke's side 3-0 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

A draw would have sealed Scotland's place in the knockout rounds, but individual errors proved fatal, handing Brazil — the five-time world champions — all the ammunition they needed.

Vinicius Junior's masterclass

Brazil needed just seven minutes to take the lead. Scott McKenna surrendered possession inside his own half, and Vinicius Junior pounced, rounding Angus Gunn before slotting into an empty net.

The Real Madrid forward came close to doubling the advantage in the 25th minute, putting the ball in the net after capitalising on a Jack Hendry error — but VAR intervened, ruling the goal out for a foul on the Scotland defender.

Lewis Ferguson was in the right place at the right time to clear another Vinicius Junior effort off the line before half-time, keeping Scotland's hopes alive — if only briefly. In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, both Gunn and Nathan Patterson were caught out of position, and Vinicius Junior made no mistake to make it 2-0.

Cunha puts the game to bed

Scotland showed more intent after the restart. Kieran Tierney tested Alisson Becker with a firm effort in the 49th minute, and Gunn did well to deny Vinicius Junior a hat-trick shortly after.

Brazil's third arrived in the 60th minute. Bruno Guimaraes overpowered Kenny McLean and threaded a pass through to Matheus Cunha, who finished emphatically to end any lingering Scottish hope.

Vinicius Junior came agonisingly close to a fourth for Brazil in the 81st minute, diverting his shot wide inside the box. Alisson was also on hand to deny Scott McTominay a late consolation deep into stoppage time.

What comes next for Scotland

Brazil top Group C and progress to the round of 16 as group winners. Scotland, meanwhile, must now wait and hope — their fate depends on whether they finish among the best eight third-placed teams across all groups at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.