Scotland’s last finals campaign ended with a 3-0 defeat by Morocco. At the time, six more World Cups were still to come:
The scale of the absence is clear in the players preparing to face Haiti. Some were not born when Craig Brown’s side played Brazil in Paris. For younger supporters, the tournament’s defining moments have belonged to other nations and other generations.
The world that watched Scotland in 1998 had no Google, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or TikTok. Smartphones were years away, while supporters checking scores often relied on Ceefax or Teletext.
The domestic game has also moved on. Celtic had just stopped Rangers from winning a 10th successive league title, while Henrik Larsson was emerging as one of Europe’s standout forwards. Regular qualification still felt like part of Scotland’s international identity.
That makes this return about more than history. It is a chance to replace second-hand memories with a shared experience for a new generation.
The Haiti fixture will carry the weight of the wait, but it also offers Scotland a clean starting point. The players cannot change the six tournaments that passed; they can define the first chapter after them.
The next storyline is whether Scotland can turn the emotion of returning into a composed opening performance. For supporters, the important change has already arrived: the World Cup is no longer something remembered by parents and grandparents. It is theirs to watch.