Scott McTominay Misses Training Before Haiti Match at 2026 World Cup
Scott McTominay missed Scotland training at the 2026 world cup because of an upset stomach, leaving Steve Clarke with one less senior player in the build-up to the opener against Haiti. Scott McKenna trained on the same day, while another player was also away from the group.
That absence comes before Scotland’s first Group C match against Haiti, with Brazil and Morocco also in the section. It is a small disruption rather than a squad crisis, but it arrives at the point when Clarke is trying to settle his team for a third major tournament in charge.
McKenna trains as McTominay sits out
McKenna’s involvement offered one clear positive for Scotland on the same day McTominay was missing. The difference matters because it shows the session was not wiped out by a wider illness problem, even though one of the team’s central midfield options was unavailable.
Clarke has already taken Scotland to Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, after a finals absence of more than two decades ended in 2020 and play-off heartache followed in 2022. This tournament is the next test of that run, and the first team selection decisions now sit against that backdrop.
Group C and the opener
Scotland’s schedule opens against Haiti, with Mexico and South Africa having started the tournament in Mexico City at 20:00 BST and South Korea meeting Czech Republic at 03:00 on Friday in the early match slate. Group C also includes Brazil and Morocco, so the margin for a slow start is thin.
Craig Gordon is the oldest player at the World Cup at 43 years old and remains an out-of-contract Hearts goalkeeper, a reminder of how much experience Clarke has carried into the tournament. Gordon said, “Oh, without a doubt I thought this opportunity would pass me by on more than one occasion,” as Scotland moved toward their first match. McTominay’s illness is a short-term setback; if he is cleared in time, the bigger issue for Clarke is making sure the XI is sharp from the first whistle against Haiti.
