Our match against Brazil tomorrow night is the biggest of my lifetime. I was just three years old when Scotland lost 3-0 to Morocco in our final game at the 1998 World Cup – our last appearance on football’s biggest stage.
Ever since, I’ve grown up hearing stories of that painful night in Saint-Étienne. For a generation of supporters, it remains the result that got away; the one that ended the dream and lingered long after the final whistle.
Every four years, hope has returned with another qualifying campaign. Every four years, it has ended in disappointment… until now. Some 28 years on, we finally have a chance to put that right.
Yes, defeat could still be enough if other results go our way. But that would mean days of nervous waiting, watching from behind the sofa and relying on other teams to do us a favour.
Out here in Miami, the sense is that something special could be just around the corner. If Scotland can take a point – or, dare we dream, all three – against the Samba superstars, it would rank among the greatest results in our history.
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Of course, we’ll celebrate if we reach the knockout stages even after losing to Brazil. Qualifying from a World Cup group for the first time would be an achievement worth savouring, however it comes.
But why put ourselves through the agony? The stage is set. The opportunity is there. Now we just have to seize it.
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