Football betting tips: World Cup
2.5pts Scotland to win and over 1.5 goals at 20/23 (bet365)
0.5pt Aaron Hickey 1+ assists at 10/1 (bet365)
Scotland's first World Cup campaign for 28 years has a remarkable sense of deja vu about it, though they'll have to wait a touch longer to reminisce.
At France '98 their group-stage opponents also included both Morocco and Brazil, but while their opener back then was against the holders, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Cafu and all, this time around they meet minnows Haiti; try naming three of their players.
For the team ranked 83rd in the world, the gap between appearances has been even longer. The Caribbean nation's only previous World Cup showing came all the way back in 1974.
Both sides will arrive in Boston equally thrilled to be back on football's biggest stage, but their expectations and ambitions will be very different.
Scotland have never progressed beyond the group stage at a World Cup, and this fixture represents their best opportunity to secure a victory that, thanks to the tournament's expanded format, would leave them within touching distance of the knockout rounds.
Haiti, meanwhile, can play with far less pressure. Qualification alone was a remarkable achievement for a war-torn nation forced to play their home matches at neutral venues.
When previewing Group C in our pre-tournament guide, I initially wondered whether they had been dismissed too quickly. Some bookmakers went as short as 1/40 on Haiti failing to qualify from the group, and wherever you look they are rated among the least likely of all 48 teams.
Haiti earned their place by topping a qualifying group that included Costa Rica and Honduras, relative powerhouses of the region.
But as their display against England in Wednesday's friendly highlighted, where the eventual 3-0 scoreline arguably flattered them, Costa Rica have fallen a long way from the team that appeared at each of the last three World Cups.
In many ways, Haiti are among the biggest beneficiaries of this expanded tournament, both because of its increased size and because the tournament being co-hosted by three of North America's strongest football nations opened the door for some CONCACAF minnows to qualify.
This will be a huge step up for Sebastien Migne's side.
Scotland may have had moments of fortune during qualification, but they still topped a tough group containing Denmark and Greece, and have quality throughout their squad, especially in midfielders Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Ryan Christie, Ben Doak and Lewis Ferguson.
The 1X2 is interesting. Money has come for Haiti, perhaps patriotic England supporters hoping for Scottish embarrassment, with SCOTLAND now 4/7 TO WIN - surprisingly generous for what is a heavily one-sided contest. Combining that with OVER 1.5 GOALS appeals at 20/23.
Contrary to popular opinion Steve Clarke's side don't rely on defence and struggle to score - the opposite in fact. After a goalless draw in Denmark they failed to keep a clean sheet in their final five qualifiers, scoring at least twice in all of those games.
That attacking form has continued in the build-up with convincing 4-1 and 4-0 victories over Curacao and Bolivia, coinciding with Clarke adopting a more adventurous 4-4-2; Lawrence Shankland and Che Adams are expected to lead the line in Boston.
Scotland are certainly capable of covering bigger lines on their own, while their defensive vulnerabilities remain a concern given the lack of quality in that area of the pitch, so I wouldn't put anyone off laddering the bet for bigger prices.
Haiti have shown plenty of attacking threat too. A 4-0 win over New Zealand last week built on a qualification campaign that produced plenty of goals, while the recent call-up of Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor - a former France youth international - has added further firepower.
However, with the importance of the Tartan Army getting their campaign off to a winning start, the safer option is to stick with the single selection.
For a longshot to smaller stakes I'm happy to instead take AARON HICKEY 1+ ASSISTS at 10/1.
The Brentford man should start at right-back in a formation where Scotland will want lots of crosses from their full-backs to provide chances for the strikers and McTominay.
Generally Hickey plays more of a supporting role to Doak, and with the left-sided midfielder tending to tuck in it is captain Andy Robertson who does more of the crossing for this team. That said, he still made three crosses and had three touches in the opposition box across 108 minutes in the warm-up matches.
With so much focus on stopping Doak and Robertson - who are 9/4 and 11/4 in this market - Hickey could be Scotland's unlikely provider.
While he may be yet to assist for his country, he showed good attacking intent in qualifying as he averaged 0.62 and 0.31 chances and big chances per 90, and 1.24 successful dribbles.
Odds correct 13:00 BST (11/06/26)
More World Cup content from Sporting Life
- World Cup Acca
- FREE World Cup wallchart
- FREE World Cup sweepstake kit
- Fixtures, results and live scores
- World Cup 2026: All you need to know
Group previews
- World Cup betting guide
- Group A: Mexico; South Africa; South Korea; Czechia
- Group B: Canada; Bosnia; Qatar; Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil; Morocco; Haiti; Scotland
- Group D: USA; Paraguay; Australia; Turkiye
- Group E: Germany; Curacao; Ivory Coast; Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands; Japan; Sweden; Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium; Egypt; Iran; New Zealand
- Group H: Spain; Cape Verde; Saudi Arabia; Uruguay
- Group I: France; Senegal; Iraq; Norway
- Group J: Argentina; Algeria; Austria; Jordan
- Group K: Portugal; DR Congo; Uzbekistan; Colombia
- Group L: England; Croatia; Ghana; Panama
Outright previews
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
