Andy Robertson has made it clear he’s not interested in playing it safe. Scotland’s captain says he will give everything against Brazil in their second group stage match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, even if it means risking suspension for subsequent fixtures.

Scotland’s World Cup return and the road to Brazil

Scotland hadn’t qualified for a World Cup since 1998. That’s 28 years of watching from the couch. An entire generation of Scottish football fans grew up without seeing their national team on the sport’s biggest stage.

That drought ended when Scotland punched their ticket to the 2026 tournament. They started the competition with a 1-0 victory over Haiti on June 14, 2026, with John McGinn providing the only goal.

The match against Brazil is scheduled for June 23, 2026. Robertson called facing Brazil a “dream” during a FIFA interview on June 11, before the tournament even kicked off.

Why Robertson’s approach carries real risk

Robertson publicly declared, “100% we’re going to beat Brazil,” ahead of the fixture. That’s not hedge-your-bets language. That’s a captain telling his squad, and everyone watching, that the plan is to attack.

The emotional dimension

There’s a personal layer to this fixture that goes beyond football tactics. Robertson revealed that he received a letter from the wife of Diogo Jota, his former Liverpool teammate.