Scotland reach 2026 World Cup playoffs after 2-1 Belarus win

Scotland moved a step closer to the 2026 World Cup with a nervy 2-1 win over Belarus at Hampden Park on Sunday, a result that, coupled with Denmark's victory over Greece, guaranteed Steve Clarke's side at least a place in next spring's playoff round. Che Adams opened the scoring early on and Scott McTominay added a late second as Scotland held on despite a stoppage-time strike from Belarus that left the home crowd tense before the final whistle.

Adams scored on 15 minutes after Jack Hendry's pass split the defence, a goal that stood after an extended VAR check. Belarus thought they had levelled on 63 minutes through Evgeni Malashevich, but that strike was ruled out following a VAR review that flagged a foul in the build-up on McTominay. McTominay then sealed the win with an 84th-minute finish from Andy Robertson's cross. Belarus substitute Hleb Kuchko reduced the arrears deep into added time, but the visitors' late push proved insufficient.

The result leaves Scotland and Denmark level on points at the top of Group C with 10 points each, while Greece sits third on three points and can no longer catch the pair with two qualifiers remaining. That means Scotland have secured at...