Scotland captain Andy Robertson accused Spain’s players of “going down a little bit easily” and “rolling around” in an ill-tempered encounter at Hampden Park on Tuesday night.

Robertson was part of a backline which limited Spain to precious few chances as Scott McTominay bagged a brace to secure a famous 2-0 victory for the hosts. Referee Sandro Scharer whistled for 28 combined fouls, although Spain – despite their protestations – were adjudged to have committed more offences (15) than Scotland (13).

The Liverpool full-back was not impressed with the behaviour of Luis de la Fuente’s side, telling Viaplay after the match: “I think they were going down a little bit easily. We were trying to say that [to the referee]. We were always going to try and be physical; we wanted to be in their faces, we wanted to win our headers and we wanted to win our challenges. I think we done that and I don’t think we crossed the line.

“I think they were, especially in the first half, rolling around a wee bit much,” Robertson added. “They used their experience and they got a couple of us booked which is fair enough to them. I think we did win that battle and I think we got under their skin a wee bit, especially the first half. And then they made a couple of subs in the second half, bringing on a wee bit more experience in [Dani] Carvajal, who doesn’t really get caught up in these things.”

Spain’s skipper on the night, Rodri, accused Scotland of play-acting as well. “It’s the way they play…for me it’s a bit rubbish,” the Manchester City midfielder sniffed. “Because it’s always wasting time. They provoke you. They always fall. For me, this is not football.”

Robertson, unaware of that criticism, was keen to praise his team – which he described as “an absolute joy” to captain.

“It was an all-round top performance from us all and we’re really happy tonight. But, like I said, we need to go back to our clubs now and we can’t wait for June. But we have to put the same commitment, the same determination, the same quality in. If we do that, then it will put us in a good position,” he added.

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Scotland kicked off their qualification campaign for the 2024 European Championships with a 3-0 victory over Cyprus on Saturday, putting Steve Clarke’s side top of the early standings in their five-team group – two of which will automatically qualify for the finals in Germany.

After seeing Scotland endure a 23-year absence from major international football, Robertson was quick to downplay his nation’s fast start. “It’s important we all don’t get carried away,” he stressed. “We’ve got six points, which is a great start but unfortunately six points doesn’t qualify us for the Euros.

“We’ve got two massive games in June,” the left-back continued. “If we come out of those games with the points we think we need, it’ll put us in a fantastic position.”

McTominay broke the deadlock against Spain after just seven minutes, setting Scotland on their way to the nation’s third-ever competitive victory against La Roja. “We knew we had to try to get off to a good start, put them under pressure, get the fans with us – and I think we did a really good job of that,” Robertson explained.

“When you score so early, you kind of fall back a bit, and we were defending too deep at the end of that first half. But I thought the second half was a really professional performance and shows how far we’ve come.

“The gaffer and his team set us up so well tonight, we knew we had the game plan and could cause them problems.

“We had belief. When the gaffer took over that was what was lacking. There was a disconnect between players and fans. Playing in front of a full crowd makes a massive difference, but you’ve got to back it up with performances.”

On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Julian Nagelsmann’s future and links to the vacant Tottenham head coach role, Barcelona’s ambition to bring Lionel Messi ‘home’, Brighton teenager Evan Ferguson, Florian Wirtz, Kalvin Phillips and more!

If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has challenged himself to score more goals after a prolific couple of games for Scotland during the international break.

Three days after scoring twice in the closing stages of Scotland’s 3-0 victory over Cyprus in the nation’s opening match of the qualifying campaign for the 2024 European Championships, McTominay bagged another brace at Hampden Park against Spain in a famous triumph for Steve Clarke’s hosts.

McTominay had scored a grand total of one international goal in his first 36 caps for Scotland – several of which were spent at centre-back, admittedly – before these goal-laden few days. Only Denmark’s Rasmus Hojlund has scored more goals across the opening week of European qualifiers than McTominay – whose tally of four draws him level with former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Basking in the glow of Scotland’s first victory against Spain in almost 40 years, McTominay reflected on his goalscoring past to Viaplay: “As a kid, I was an attacking midfielder and then I stretched a little bit, I got a little too big for that – the little ones in between the lines – but then I was more of a sitting midfield player. But I like to do both; I like to get in the box and obviously help my teammates defend as well.”

In just two years, McTominay grew 14 inches as a teenager and currently stands at a towering 6’4 (1.93m). The 26-year-old is yet to score a Premier League goal this season and has found the net once in England’s top flight across the previous two years.

However, McTominay is targeting an increased end product in the weeks ahead, pledging: “For me, I’ve got to keep doing that. I know I can add more goals and assists to my game and I think the last two games have been an example of that.”

Following the late summer arrival of Casemiro, McTominay has endured a struggle for playing time under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United. The free-scoring Scotland international has been afforded one Premier League start since playing the opening 59 minutes of a 6-3 derby defeat to Manchester City in October, the last game before Casemiro made his full debut. Yet, if McTominay can live up to his ambition of reproducing his international goalscoring form at club level, there’s every chance he could play in advance of United’s Brazilian stopper.

McTominay will return to Carrington with a bounce in his step after a memorable night in front of a deafening Hampden Park crowd which left the midfielder in awe. “Look at this place!” McTominay gushed. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Incredible. Incredible.”

Relaying Clarke’s prematch team talk, McTominay revealed: “The manager said this is our chance to create legacies as Scotland players and these are the nights in 20, 30 years that people remember and obviously they’ll watch back the games and say I was there or I had little children who came and watched the game. That’s what the game’s about.”

On this edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Toby Cudworth discuss Julian Nagelsmann’s future and links to the vacant Tottenham head coach role, Barcelona’s ambition to bring Lionel Messi ‘home’, Brighton teenager Evan Ferguson, Florian Wirtz, Kalvin Phillips and more!

If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

Following the success of the unprecedented winter World Cup, FIFA will once again make history in 2026 when, for the first time ever, three nations will host football’s showpiece event.

The United States, Canada, and Mexico will play host to the next World Cup which is poised to be the biggest in the tournament’s history after FIFA announced that 48 teams will now be competing.

Supporters are in for a summer festival of football with over 100 games being played across 16 stadiums in 16 cities in North America.

Here’s everything you need to know about the stadia being used for the 2026 World Cup.

City: New York/New Jersey, USA
Capacity: 82,500

MetLife Stadium sits among the biggest stadiums that will host games at the 2026 World Cup and is the leading contender to host the final on 19 July.

Home to two NFL franchises, MetLife opened in 2010 and is situated just 8km west of New York City. The Jets and Giants, outside of the latter’s Super Bowl success in 2012, have struggled to bring much joy to the stadium since its recent opening.

City: Dallas, USA
Capacity: 80,000

Jerry Jones’ pride and joy. The AT&T Arena in Dallas, home to the notorious Cowboys, is regarded as one of the most aesthetically impressive arenas in the US.

While its capacity is officially listed at 80,000, the stadium can actually hold up to 90,000.

Dallas also hosted games at the 1994 World Cup, although it was the slightly less impressive Cotton Bowl that was used as the city’s hosting stadium.

City: Kansas City, USA
Capacity: 76,416

Patrick Mahomes has lit up Arrowhead in recent years, and some of football’s brightest stars will have the chance to display similar virtuosity in 2026.

Arrowhead seats approximately 76,000, making it the sixth-largest NFL stadium, and it holds the Guinness World Record for noise level by a crowd at 142.2 decibels.

The excitement is already palpable in Kansas City.

City: Houston, USA
Capacity: 72,220

NRG Stadium is a versatile, multi-purpose arena which opened in 2002. Football, proper football, and even a bit of rodeo are held here.

Home to the NFL’s Houston Texans, this isn’t an arena associated with glory. Although, it did host Super Bowl LI which saw Tom Brady’s New England Patriots mastermind the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history against the Atlanta Falcons.

City: Atlanta, USA
Capacity: 71,000

Speak of the devil, this is one of three NFL-MLS stadiums that will be used in 2026. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the aforementioned Falcons and Atlanta United, hosted the Super Bowl LIII in 2019 after its opening in 2017.

The state-of-the-art arena features a retractable roof and seats around 71,000.

City: Los Angeles, USA
Capacity: 70,240

SoFi’s official capacity is listed at a rather modest 70,000, but this stunning complex can hold upwards of 100,000 spectators. That makes it bigger than any stadium in Europe.

The recently-built arena, which is a sure bet to host several knockout matches at the tournament, does require a few logistical surgeries to ensure it’s ready for World Cup action, however.

If Qatar can do it, the Americans should be able to find a way.

City: Philadelphia, USA
Capacity: 69,796

Another 21st-century arena, Manchester United and Barcelona competed in the first-ever event at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

Home to the Eagles, this stadium also hosted the 2015 Gold Cup final between Mexico and Jamaica.

City: Seattle, USA
Capacity: 69,000

Lumen Field is revered for its fervent atmosphere with the fanbase of the Seattle Seahawks being described as the “12th Man”. Seattle’s MLS franchise, the Sounders, is one of the best-supported in the country as well.

The stadium holds just shy of 70,000.

City: San Francisco, USA
Capacity: 68,500

The San Francisco 49ers moved out of their beloved Candlestick Park to Levi’s Stadium in 2014.

The more modern San Fran arena still has a long way to go until it even comes close to matching Candlestick’s legacy, but it did host Super Bowl 50 in 2016.

City: Boston, USA
Capacity: 65,878

Bostonians have been treated to nothing but success since the opening of Gillette Stadium in 2002. The uniquely-designed stadium is home to the New England Patriots and Revolution, with the former lifting six Super Bowls in the 21st century.

The frosty temperatures of Massachusetts, even in June, will be a far cry from the scorching atmospheres of Mexico and the West Coast.

City: Miami, USA
Capacity: 64,767

The heartbeat of ‘football’ in Miami, Hard Rock Stadium is the home stadium of the University of Miami and the Miami Dolphins.

Miami has plenty of experience in hosting major sporting events. Six Super Bowls have been held at Hard Rock, including Super Bowl LIV in 2020.

A party atmosphere will descend over South Florida in the summer of 2026.

City: Vancouver, Canada
Capacity: 54,500

Vancouver’s answer to the O2 Arena. BC Place holds over 50,000 and already has World Cup pedigree.

The stadium hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the US and Japan.

BC Place is also the home of MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps.

City: Toronto, Canada
Capacity: 30,000 (rising to 45,000 for the tournament)

Every stadium hosting games at the 2026 World Cup is, well, massive. The one anomaly is Toronto’s BMO Field which currently holds 30,000.

Although, the stadium’s capacity will be bolstered to 45,000 for the tournament.

The European-esque arena is home to Toronto FC, and its tight-knit feel helps facilitate a raucous atmosphere.

City: Mexico City, Mexico
Capacity: 87,523

An amphitheatre synonymous with the greatest sporting event the planet has to offer.

The Estadio Azteca has twice hosted the World Cup final and twice has the stadium seen two all-time greats cement their respective legacies. Pele’s Brazil were triumphant in 1970, while Diego Maradona inspired Argentina over the line in 1986.

The Azteca will become the first stadium to host matches at three World Cups in 2026, although it’s not expected to host the final this time around.

City: Monterrey, Mexico
Capacity: 53,500

Some might consider attending a match at Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA a spiritual experience.

It’s not the biggest, nor is it the most modern arena, but there are only a few stadiums in the world that can offer similar otherwordly views.

City: Guadalajara, Mexico
Capacity: 49,850

Guadalajara’s World Cup history is iconic, but this will be the first time the Estadio Akron has been used for such a major event following its opening in 2010.

Home of Chivas, the modest modern arena will not host any games beyond the round of 16.