Brazil secured top spot in Group C with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Scotland in Miami, as Vinicius Junior continued his impressive FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with two goals.
The five-time world champions advanced to the Round of 32 with seven points and will face the runners-up of Group F on 29 June. Scotland, meanwhile, finished third in the group on three points and must now wait to discover whether their World Cup journey will continue.
Brazil took control almost immediately after a costly mistake from Scotland. Making his first appearance of the tournament, Scott McKenna’s attempted clearance was blocked by Rayan and fell kindly for Vinicius, who rounded goalkeeper Angus Gunn before slotting home in the seventh minute.
The Real Madrid forward thought he had added another midway through the first half after dispossessing Jack Hendry, but the effort was ruled out following a VAR review for a foul in the build-up.
Scotland briefly settled into the contest but suffered another blow deep into first-half stoppage time. Bruno Guimarães delivered a dangerous cross that evaded Gunn and allowed Vinicius to head home his second goal of the evening.
Brazil continued to create chances after the break and extended their advantage on the hour mark when Guimarães turned provider again, setting up Matheus Cunha to fire past Gunn at the near post.
Despite the scoreline, Scotland continued to search for a breakthrough. Lewis Ferguson tested Alisson Becker with a free-kick, while Scott McTominay was denied twice by the Brazilian goalkeeper as the South Americans completed a second consecutive clean sheet.
The evening also saw Neymar make a late cameo appearance, marking his fourth successive World Cup participation.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke admitted his side had contributed to their own downfall.
“We made it difficult for ourselves, that’s it. We gave them the goals, we gave them the game they wanted. Disappointing.”
Brazil captain Marquinhos said, “We’ve achieved our first objective, but we have to keep going. It was a difficult group. Now the real competition begins.”
