⚽ The Kick-Off - Friday 19th June 2026
Scotland v Morocco tonight. SPFL fixtures revealed. Motherwell appoint new manager. Hearts sign Malachi Fagan-Walcott. SWNT draw Czechia in World Cup Qualification.
Random Scottish Football Fact #330:
Celtic hold the record for the most Scotland men’s player appearances at the World Cup. 19 Celtic players have made 47 appearances. Aberdeen are second with 13 players making 29 appearances.
WORLD CUP
🎶 The permutations for tonight are:
A win and we will finish at least second on a head-to-head basis with Morocco, even if we suffer a big defeat against Brazil.
A draw and we should be in the next round as at least one of the third-best paced teams. A top-two finish could then still be secured with a win over Brazil.
A loss, and it comes down to the Brazil game. After this round of games, we will be in a better place to know what we need as a minimum to qualify. If tonight does end in defeat, hopefully it is a narrow defeat to help the goal difference.
👕 We are back in our home colours for tonight’s game. Morocco will play in their white away shirt. - Scotland National Team on X
🍽️ Scotland fans took part in a special “Good Night Lights” at the Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence.
The nightly tradition is known for bringing smiles to children’s faces, as children shine their torchlights back to those outside at bedtime.
⚽️ FIFA is publishing a free 52-page post-match tactical summary for every 2026 World Cup group-stage game. Each PDF shows formations, pressing phases, line breaks, and player-by-player physical data. - FIFA Training Centre website
You can see the match report from Haiti v Scotland here.
🤝 Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has announced that Boston is to be formally twinned with Glasgow.
Let’s hope Glasgow can learn a thing or two about keeping a city clean from Boston. - Andrew Learmonth, The Herald
👏 Four lucky Scotland fans won over $10,000 at a Boston Red Sox game.
🟠 Hundreds of Americans gathered in Boston Common to try Irn-Bru. - Lucy Jackson, The National
🍽️ Despite it being widely reported that haggis was made ‘legal’ in the state of Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey has clarified it was a joke. - Governor Maura Healey on X
OTHER NEWS
🆕 Motherwell have appointed former Rosenborg boss Alfred Johansson as their new manager. - Motherwell FC website
🆚 The SPFL announced the fixtures for the new season. - SPFL website
As always, the SPFL has published a Q&A that explains what goes into producing the fixture list. - SPFL website
Celtic are not happy about their home game on the opening weekend being on a Monday night. - Matthew Fulton, STV
✍️ Hearts have made their fifth signing of the summer. Defender Malachi Fagan-Walcott has joined from York City for an undisclosed fee. - Craig Cairns, Hearts Standard
🏆 Scotland Women’s National Team has been drawn against Czechia in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-off Round One qualifier.
Should we beat them over two legs, it will then be a tie against Sweden or Lithuania for a place at the World Cup in Brazil. - Graham Falk, The Scotsman
🔴 Aberdeen youngsters Alfie Bavidge and Alfie Stewart have extended their deals. Both had previously been told their contracts would not be renewed while they were on loan at Inverness. - Aberdeen FC website
📝 It was a busy day for Dunfermline Athletic yesterday.
The Pars signed midfielder Kian Corbally from Ballymena United. - Dunfermline Athletic website
Club captain Kyle Benedictus has signed a new deal with the club. He will primarily take on the role of development coach; he will still be registered as a player and available for selection. - Dunfermline Athletic website
Defender Keiran Ngwenya has rejected a contract offer from Dunfermline and departed the club. - Dunfermline Athletic website
🔵 Queen of the South have signed goalkeeper Trevor Carson after he left Dundee. - Queen of the South website
♦️ Airdrieonians confirmed the departure of Chris Mochrie following the end of his contract. - Airdrieonians on X
🆕 Dundee released their new away shirt.
🆕 Celtic unveiled their new third kit. It is inspired by the tiles of the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon, where Celtic won the European Cup.
🆕 Ross County launched their new home shirt.
🟢 Hibernian have announced a new ‘landmark’ partnership with Reebok following five years with Joma. - Ryan McGinlay, Hibs Observer
🔵 Rangers have made Stig Inge Bjornebye their new Performance Director. The Norwegian had previously been a football advisor at the club. - Christopher Jack, Rangers Review
❤️🩹 Stranraer are offering fans a free health screening tomorrow morning at Stair Park, with the first 100 participants receiving a free ticket to their Larne friendly that afternoon. - Stranraer FC website
WORLD CUP FOOTBALL ON TV THIS WEEKEND
📺 Friday
USA v Australia (BBC One: 8pm)
Scotland v Morocco (STV/ITV: 11pm)
📺 Saturday
Brazil v Haiti (STV/ITV: 2am)
Turkiye v Paraguay (STV/ITV: 5am)
Netherlands v Sweden (BBC One: 6pm)
Germany v Ivory Coast (STV/ITV: 9pm)
📺 Sunday
Ecuador v Curacao (BBC One: 1am)
Tunisia v Japan (BBC One: 5am)
Spain v Saudi Arabia (BBC One: 5pm)
Belgium v Iran (STV/ITV: 8pm)
Uruguay v Cabo Verde (BBC One: 11pm)
New Zealand v Egypt (STV/ITV: 2am - Monday)
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