Scotland's best moments at the FIFA World Cup

Scotland's best moments at the FIFA World CupScotland's World Cup story is one of the most bittersweet in football. Eight appearances. Eight group stage exits. Three eliminations on goal difference. And yet, threaded through that tale of near misses and heartbreak, there are moments of genuine brilliance that the Tartan Army hold dear to this day.

With Scotland set to return to the World Cup stage in North America this summer after a 28-year absence, and with those monitoring World Cup betting odds taking note of their favourable group draw, there is real optimism that Steve Clarke's side could finally write a new chapter. Before they do, here is a look back at the five greatest moments Scotland have produced on football's biggest stage.

0-0 draw with Brazil, 1974

The 1974 Brazil side were not just any Brazil side: they were the defending world champions, the tournament's most illustrious team, and the heavy favourites to reach the latter stages again. Scotland, in their first World Cup since 1958, held them to a goalless draw in the group stage in one of the most disciplined defensive performances the tournament had seen.

Willie Ormond's side were compact, organised and refused to be overawed. It remains one of the most creditable results in Scottish football history, and set the tone for a group stage campaign that would see them become the only unbeaten team at that tournament, including the eventual champions, West Germany.

2-0 win over Zaire, 1974

The context around this match has grown richer with time. Zaire were the first sub-Saharan African nation to qualify for the World Cup and faced extraordinary off-field pressures throughout the tournament, including threats from the country's dictator Mobutu if they conceded more than four goals against Brazil.

Scotland's 2-0 win over them was ultimately the match that cost the Scots qualification: Brazil beat Zaire 3-0, leaving Scotland's goal difference one short. Had Scotland pressed for more goals rather than playing out the result, the story might have been very different.

3-2 win over Netherlands, 1978

If any one moment captures the paradox of Scottish football, it is the 1978 campaign in Argentina. Manager Ally MacLeod had built extraordinary national expectation, and the tournament began in disaster: a defeat to Peru and a draw with Iran left Scotland needing to beat the Netherlands by three goals to progress.

What followed was one of the great individual performances in World Cup history. Archie Gemmill, in the 68th minute, collected the ball on the edge of the area and dribbled past three Dutch defenders before chipping a left-footed finish over goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed.

It is one of the most replayed goals in the competition's history. Scotland led 3-1, and the dream lived for minutes. Then the Netherlands scored. They finished 3-2, but it was not enough, and Scotland went home. The goal, however, is immortal.

5-2 win over New Zealand, 1982

Jock Stein's Scotland arrived in Spain for the 1982 World Cup in a group that also contained Brazil and the Soviet Union. The New Zealand match offered the chance to build a cushion, and Scotland took it emphatically. John Wark scored twice, with further goals from Kenny Dalglish, Steve Archibald and Alan Brazil, in the kind of attacking display the Tartan Army had long been waiting for.

It remains Scotland's biggest victory at a World Cup finals and provided a springboard for what should have followed: a result against Brazil or the Soviets to progress. Ultimately, a 4-1 defeat to a magnificent Brazilian side and a 2-2 draw with the USSR left Scotland out on goal difference for the third consecutive World Cup. The New Zealand win, however, stands as a reminder of what this team was capable of when it clicked.

2-1 win over Sweden, 1990

Perhaps the most dramatically satisfying result of Scotland's World Cup history, the win over Sweden in Italy 1990 came at a moment when the campaign appeared to be falling apart. A shock 1-0 opening defeat to Costa Rica had left the tournament hanging by a thread. Against Sweden in Genoa, Scotland needed to respond.

Stuart McCall gave them the lead after just 10 minutes, and when Mo Johnston converted a penalty in the 81st minute, it looked like they had done enough to keep their hopes alive. Sweden pulled one back through Glenn Stromberg with five minutes to go, but Scotland held on for a famous 2-1 win. The result ultimately could not save them: a late defeat to Brazil ended the campaign. But that afternoon in Genoa, for just a short while, the Tartan Army believed.

Scotland's 2026 group sees them face Morocco, Haiti, and Brazil. Three wins are far from guaranteed, but this is a different Scotland from the sides that fell agonisingly short so many times before. While the Three Lions are much more favourable of the home nations for those monitoring the World Cup England odds, the Scots will go to North America and play their hearts out, with a fantastic chance of getting out of the group for the first time.