It has finally happened. After 28 long years of near-misses, heartbreak, and playoff agony, Scotland are going to the World Cup. Steve Clarke’s side sealed their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup — held across the United States, Canada and Mexico — by topping their qualification group with two stunning injury-time goals in their final qualifier against Denmark. It was the kind of night that Tartan Army fans will be telling their grandchildren about, and now the serious business begins.
The last time Scotland graced a World Cup stage was France 1998, where they faced Brazil in the opening game and narrowly lost 2–1. A generation of Scottish football fans have grown up never seeing their national side at the tournament. That 28-year wait is finally over, and Scotland have been handed a tough but deeply exciting Group C alongside five-time world champions Brazil, semi-finalists Morocco, and debutants Haiti.
This post covers everything you need: Scotland’s fixtures, the full group stage schedule for all 12 groups with UK kick-off times and TV channels, and — because this is a tech blog — the best apps, websites and data tools to follow every stat, every heatmap and every xG value throughout the tournament.
🏴 Scotland’s Group C Fixtures
Scotland are in Group C alongside Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. All three of Scotland’s group games will be late-night viewing for UK fans, due to the North American time zone difference. Here’s the full breakdown:
| Date | Match | Venue | UK Time (BST) | TV Channel | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 14 Jun | Haiti v Scotland | Gillette Stadium, Boston | 2:00am | BBC One / BBC Scotland | BBC iPlayer |
| Fri 19 Jun | Scotland v Morocco | Gillette Stadium, Boston | 11:00pm | ITV1 / STV | ITVX / STV Player |
| Wed 24 Jun | Scotland v Brazil | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami | 11:00pm | BBC One / BBC Scotland | BBC iPlayer |
The Haiti opener — technically kicking off on Saturday night in Boston — is Scotland’s best opportunity to hit the ground running. Morocco, who reached the semi-finals in Qatar 2022, will provide a stern second test, and the Brazil showdown in Miami on June 24 is the sort of occasion that comes around once in a generation. Fittingly, Scotland faced Brazil in the very first game of France 1998. History has a funny way of repeating itself.
If Scotland progress from the group stage, their potential knockout schedule is as follows:
- Round of 32: Mon 29 June, 6pm BST — ITV1 / STV / ITVX / STV Player
- Round of 16: Sun 5 July, 9pm BST — ITV1 / STV / ITVX / STV Player
- Quarter-final: Sat 11 July, 10pm BST — BBC One / BBC iPlayer
- Semi-final: Wed 15 July, 8pm BST — BBC One / BBC iPlayer
- Final: Sun 19 July, 10pm BST — BBC One & ITV1 / BBC iPlayer & ITVX
📺 How to Watch in the UK
Every single one of the 104 matches at the 2026 World Cup will be shown free-to-air in the UK, split between the BBC and ITV. There is no pay wall, no subscription required. The BBC’s coverage is available via BBC One, BBC Two (for some matches), and the BBC iPlayer app. ITV’s coverage runs on ITV1 and ITVX, with some fixtures also appearing on ITV4. In Scotland specifically, STV acts as the local ITV broadcaster, and STV Player mirrors the ITVX stream. Both iPlayer and ITVX are available on smart TVs, phones, tablets, and desktop browsers.
📅 Full Group Stage Schedule — All 12 Groups
With 48 teams across 12 groups, the 2026 World Cup is the biggest in history. All times below are in British Summer Time (BST). Many late-night matches kick off between midnight and 5am due to the North American time zones. Scotland’s matches are highlighted.
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Czech Republic
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 11 Jun | Mexico v South Africa | 8:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Fri 12 Jun | South Korea v Czech Republic | 3:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Sat 18 Jun | South Africa v Czech Republic | 5:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Sun 19 Jun | Mexico v South Korea | 2:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Wed 25 Jun | Mexico v Czech Republic & South Africa v South Korea | 2:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
Group B: Canada, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Qatar, Switzerland
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 12 Jun | Canada v Bosnia & Herzegovina | 8:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Sat 13 Jun | Qatar v Switzerland | 8:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Tue 17 Jun | Switzerland v Bosnia & Herzegovina | 8:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Tue 18 Jun | Canada v Qatar | 11:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Mon 24 Jun | Canada v Switzerland & Bosnia v Qatar | 8:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland 🏴
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 13 Jun | Brazil v Morocco | 11:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Sun 14 Jun | Haiti v Scotland 🏴 | 2:00am | BBC One / BBC Scotland | BBC iPlayer |
| Thu 19 Jun | Brazil v Haiti | 2:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Fri 19 Jun | Scotland v Morocco 🏴 | 11:00pm | ITV1 / STV | ITVX / STV Player |
| Wed 24 Jun | Scotland v Brazil 🏴 | 11:00pm | BBC One / BBC Scotland | BBC iPlayer |
| Wed 24 Jun | Morocco v Haiti | 11:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Turkey
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 13 Jun | USA v Paraguay | 2:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Sun 14 Jun | Australia v Turkey | 5:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Sun 19 Jun | USA v Australia | 8:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Mon 20 Jun | Paraguay v Turkey | 5:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Thu 26 Jun | USA v Turkey & Paraguay v Australia | 3:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
Group E: Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 14 Jun | Germany v Curaçao | 6:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Sun 15 Jun | Ivory Coast v Ecuador | 12:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Thu 19 Jun | Germany v Ivory Coast | 9:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Fri 20 Jun | Curaçao v Ecuador | 1:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Wed 25 Jun | Germany v Ecuador & Curaçao v Ivory Coast | 9:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 14 Jun | Netherlands v Japan | 9:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Mon 15 Jun | Sweden v Tunisia | 3:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Thu 19 Jun | Netherlands v Sweden | 6:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Fri 20 Jun | Japan v Tunisia | 5:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Thu 26 Jun | Japan v Sweden & Netherlands v Tunisia | 12:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 15 Jun | Belgium v Egypt | 8:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Tue 16 Jun | Iran v New Zealand | 2:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Sat 21 Jun | Belgium v Iran | 8:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Sun 22 Jun | Egypt v New Zealand | 2:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Sat 27 Jun | Egypt v Iran & New Zealand v Belgium | 4:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 15 Jun | Spain v Cape Verde | 5:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Mon 15 Jun | Saudi Arabia v Uruguay | 11:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Sat 21 Jun | Spain v Saudi Arabia | 5:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Sun 21 Jun | Cape Verde v Uruguay | 11:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Fri 27 Jun | Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia & Uruguay v Spain | 1:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, FIFA Playoff 2
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 16 Jun | France v Senegal | 8:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Wed 16 Jun | Norway v FIFA Playoff 2 | 11:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Sun 22 Jun | France v FIFA Playoff 2 | 10:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Mon 23 Jun | Senegal v Norway | 1:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Thu 26 Jun | France v Norway & Senegal v FIFA Playoff 2 | 8:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 17 Jun | Argentina v Algeria | 2:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Wed 17 Jun | Austria v Jordan | 5:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Sun 22 Jun | Argentina v Austria | 6:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Mon 23 Jun | Algeria v Jordan | 4:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Sat 28 Jun | Algeria v Austria & Argentina v Jordan | 3:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
Group K: Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, FIFA Playoff 1
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 17 Jun | Portugal v FIFA Playoff 1 | 6:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Thu 18 Jun | Uzbekistan v Colombia | 3:00am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Mon 23 Jun | Portugal v Uzbekistan | 6:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Tue 24 Jun | Colombia v FIFA Playoff 1 | 3:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Sat 28 Jun | Colombia v Portugal & FIFA Playoff 1 v Uzbekistan | 12:30am | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama 🏴
| Date | Match | BST | UK TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 18 Jun | Ghana v Panama | 12:00am | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Wed 17 Jun | England v Croatia 🏴 | 9:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Tue 23 Jun | England v Ghana 🏴 | 9:00pm | BBC One | BBC iPlayer |
| Sat 27 Jun | Panama v England 🏴 | 10:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
| Sat 27 Jun | Croatia v Ghana | 10:00pm | ITV1 | ITVX |
⚽ The World Cup Final
The final takes place on Sunday 19 July 2026 at the New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Kick-off is at 10pm BST, and it will be shown on both BBC One and ITV1, with streams on both BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
📱 The Tech Side: Where to Get Your Stats Fix
If you’ve read our post on F1 Live Timing, you’ll know we love a good data dashboard. The good news is that football data in 2026 is richer than ever, with a host of apps, websites and APIs serving up everything from expected goals (xG) to player heatmaps and passing networks. Here’s the full breakdown of where to go for your stats fix during the World Cup.
🏆 The Official FIFA World Cup 2026 App
The first port of call should be the official FIFA World Cup 2026 app, available free on both the App Store and Google Play. It’s been completely overhauled for this tournament and serves as the single source of truth for official data. You’ll find live scores, match fixtures, real-time lineups and substitutions, in-depth statistics for every game, player and team profiles, and a Fan Planner that lets you organise your viewing schedule in a calendar view. It also hosts the official World Cup Bracket Challenge and Fantasy game, and for fans attending matches, it acts as a gateway to digital stadium tickets and includes 3D stadium maps and matchday logistics. One caveat worth noting is that some features still redirect to separate FIFA apps rather than keeping everything in one place — a frustration highlighted by early tournament users — but for core match data it remains the authoritative source.
📊 FotMob — The Live Score App with Depth
FotMob is arguably the best third-party app for following live football, and it goes considerably deeper than a basic score ticker. During the World Cup it provides live minute-by-minute commentary, expected goals (xG) data, player ratings updated throughout the match, shot maps, and momentum charts. The interface is clean and fast, making it ideal for the moments when you can’t watch but need to know exactly what’s happening. FotMob is free on iOS and Android, with a premium tier that removes ads and unlocks additional insights.
📈 SofaScore — The Statistics Powerhouse
SofaScore is the app to reach for when you want to go genuinely deep on data. It’s a statistics-first platform offering detailed player ratings for every match participant, performance heatmaps showing where each player operated on the pitch, passing accuracy breakdowns, duel win percentages, defensive actions, and match ratings. For the analytically-minded fan, SofaScore turns a World Cup match into something you can pore over for hours after the final whistle. It’s free on iOS and Android, and the web version at sofascore.com offers the same depth on desktop.
🎬 FIFA+ — Free Replays and Official Highlights
FIFA+ is the official streaming platform from FIFA and it’s free to use. While it doesn’t broadcast live matches in the UK (that’s BBC and ITV’s territory), FIFA+ is incredibly useful for full match replays, official condensed highlights, behind-the-scenes content, and documentary features produced around the tournament. If you miss a game in the early hours and don’t want spoilers, you can catch the full 90 minutes on FIFA+ as soon as it’s available. It’s accessible via the FIFA+ website and app on iOS and Android.
🖥️ BBC Sport and ITV Sport Websites & Apps
Don’t overlook the broadcasters’ own digital products. The BBC Sport website and app provide live text commentary for every match — incredibly useful for the 2am kick-offs — along with team lineups, goal clips, and post-match reports. The BBC iPlayer app streams all BBC World Cup coverage live and makes matches available on demand shortly after broadcast. ITV’s equivalent, ITVX, does the same for their fixtures. Both are free, require no payment, and are available on virtually every device.
🌐 WhoScored.com — Detailed Match and Player Ratings
WhoScored.com has been a staple of the football data community for years, and the World Cup is where it really shines. The site produces algorithmic match ratings for every player based on their statistical contributions — goals, assists, key passes, tackles, interceptions, dribbles — and compiles them into league-style player rankings across the tournament. If you want to know who is statistically the best player at the 2026 World Cup in real time, WhoScored will tell you. It also offers detailed heat maps and positional analysis.
📉 Understat and FBref — For the Data Nerds
For those who want to go truly granular, two websites stand above the rest. Understat specialises in expected goals models and provides xG data for every shot, rolling xG charts showing the flow of a match, and detailed shot quality analysis. FBref (Football Reference) is the encyclopaedia of football statistics — it provides comprehensive match logs, player career stats, progressive passing data, pressures, and dozens of advanced metrics. Both are free to use and are updated live during matches. They’re the websites that scouts, journalists and football analysts have open in the background during every game.
🤖 OneFootball — The Personalised News Hub
OneFootball is best thought of as a personalised football news aggregator. You set your teams and tournaments, and it pulls in all the relevant news, match reports, transfer updates and video highlights into a single feed. For the World Cup it functions as a companion app — great for keeping up with news across all 12 groups without having to visit a dozen different websites. The app is free on iOS and Android.
🎮 Fantasy World Cup — The Official Game
If you want to add a competitive edge to your World Cup watching, the official FIFA World Cup Fantasy game is built directly into the FIFA World Cup 2026 app. You pick a squad within a budget, earn points based on real player performances, and compete against friends or the global leaderboard. With 48 teams and 104 matches, there is far more scope to pick up differentials and big-scoring players from unexpected nations than in a standard club fantasy game. The Bracket Challenge feature also lets you predict the full knockout bracket and score points for correct picks — a great one to set up with friends or colleagues ahead of the Round of 32.
⚙️ For Developers: APIs and Data Feeds
If you’re a developer or data scientist wanting to build something with World Cup data, there are several solid options. TheStatsAPI provides fixtures, live scores, groups, standings, detailed match and player stats, xG, and odds through a clean JSON API — it covers the full 2026 tournament structure including knockout bracket logic. API-Football (via RapidAPI) is another popular choice offering live scores, lineups, and statistics. FIFA themselves provide public schedule and tournament data through their web platform, though it’s not structured as a developer API. For most production use cases, a specialist football data provider will give you more reliable JSON endpoints and better live-match latency than scraping FIFA directly.
🏴 Final Thoughts: This Is Scotland’s Moment
Twenty-eight years is a very long time in football. An entire generation of Scottish fans have grown up watching qualification campaigns that promised so much and delivered heartbreak. This is genuinely new territory. Scotland at a World Cup, in 2026, facing Brazil in Miami on a warm June evening — it barely feels real.
The group is tough. Brazil are among the tournament favourites, Morocco are a side capable of beating anyone on their day, and even Haiti, the supposed easy fixture, are a team with nothing to lose and everything to gain on their first World Cup appearance in half a century. But Scotland qualified on merit, and Steve Clarke’s side go to North America as a team with genuine belief, genuine pace in their attacking players, and an entire nation roaring them on.
Get the apps downloaded. Set your alarms. And if you need an excuse to be awake at 2am on a Sunday morning in June, this is probably the best one Scotland have given us since 1998.
Watp — and come on Scotland! 🏴
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