When Kenny McLean struck from the halfway line in the 98th minute to seal a 4-2 victory over Denmark at Hampden Park, Scotland ended a 28-year absence from the World Cup. That stoppage-time winner — and Scott McTominay's early overhead kick that now adorns a mural near the stadium — reduced an entire nation to tears, then euphoria, and the smiles have barely faded since.

The basic highlights clip on the Scotland National Team's YouTube channel has accumulated 6.5 million views, a figure that speaks to how universally captivating that November night in Glasgow was. Even neutral observers could not look away.

Boston bound

The Tartan Army will descend on Boston and Miami in enormous numbers for the FIFA World Cup 2026, with Steve Clarke's squad drawn into a group alongside Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil — the same Brazil side Scotland faced in their last World Cup group back in 1998.

Beating Haiti in the opening fixture would immediately relieve pressure on a squad still carrying scars from a dismal Euro 2024 campaign, where Scotland failed to do themselves justice. Reaching the knockout stage — something no Scotland side has ever managed at a senior tournament — remains the ultimate ambition, and eight third-placed teams advancing to the round of sixteen improves the odds.

Goalkeeping questions loom large

Clarke faces genuine selection headaches, particularly between the posts. Craig Gordon, now 43 and nursing a shoulder injury sustained in February, finished the qualification campaign as Scotland's first choice — a remarkable story in itself, though hardly an ideal platform heading into a World Cup. His deputy, Angus Gunn, has been reduced to the bench at Nottingham Forest, featuring in just one competitive start up to mid-March. Clarke has called upon nine different goalkeepers in the past year as he searches for answers.

Outfield concerns exist too. Aaron Hickey has struggled to stay fit, winger Ben Gannon-Doak only returned to training in March after a lengthy absence, and the heavy workloads of Scott McTominay and John McGinn at club level always raise questions about freshness come tournament time.

Clarke's collective beats individual brilliance

Yet for all the individual doubts, Scotland's true strength has consistently been their team spirit. This is a group that plays for each other and for their manager, bound by mutual respect and a shared sense of purpose. Clarke's detractors argue he is overly loyal and conservative, but his record — more Scotland games managed than anyone in history — silences most criticism.

Captain Andy Robertson, the Liverpool stalwart who turns 32 this summer, will lead Scotland at a major tournament for the third time, setting the tone with the leadership and experience the squad demands.

There will also be the inevitable amusement when a bewildered Carlo Ancelotti is asked, somewhere in North America, about his son Davide's long-ago links to the Rangers job. Scotland, though, will have far more important things on their minds. They have earned the benefit of the doubt — now they must seize the moment.