World Cup 2026: Big players must step up as Scotland pursue history against Brazil

Facing Brazil at a World Cup? Football doesn’t get any sexier than this. In six decades, Scotland have faced so many of their immortals – Tostao and Rivellino, Brito and Clodoaldo, Zico and Falcao, Romario and Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Cafu, Rivaldo and Neymar.

They’ve never beaten them, not in four meetings at World Cups and not in six friendlies – that draw in 1966 and another in 1974 and that’s been Scotland’s lot.

A nation that owes its football existence to the son – Charles Miller, the founding father of Brazilian football – of a man from Fairlie in North Ayrshire is targeting a sixth World Cup.

Vinicius Junior is the one they look to now, the heir apparent, the winger most likely to propel them forward. And Brazil are in need of some propelling.

It’s been 24 years since they last won this tournament, a veritable eternity for them. In the years since – four losing quarter-finals and a losing semi-final against Germany; 7-1, the horror of Belo Horizonte.

This vintage has not shown itself to be genuine contenders. Not yet. Their qualification was sloppy; played 18, won eight, drew four, lost six. Of their victories, they took until the 89th minute to beat Chile, the 90th minute to beat Peru and the 99th minute to beat Colombia. They lost to Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina (twice).

This game could see the return of Neymar after an absence of two and a half years. The prodigal will play a part, it seems.

Even a glancing look at the Brazilian media reveals their fascination with him, the microscopic detail about his calf injury, the almost hourly updates on what he’s been doing in training and what role he might be deployed in – a false nine seems to be the consensus, maybe off the bench if things are going Brazil’s way.