Scotland's 10 previous tournament heartbreaks as Euro 2024 side bid to break the cycle

Scotland may have never made it beyond the group stages of a major finals but they are no strangers to the situation they find themselves in against Hungary on Sunday evening. A final group game decider – where a particular result, or sequence of results would keep them in the tournament – is a scenario Scotland have played out no fewer than ten times, only to end in disappointment on each occasion.

Steve Clarke's side can become the first to break the cycle with a victory in their final Euro 2024 Group A match likely to send them into the last 16 of the competition as one of the four best third-placed sides. A position they have put themselves in thanks to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Wednesday on the back of a dispiriting 5-1 defeat to hosts Germany in the opening match. A draw against the Hungarians in Stuttgart will almost certainly not be enough.

The start of Scotland's long history of group stage heartbreak can be traced all the way back to their inaugural World Cup appearance in Switzerland in 1954 and a 7-0 defeat to Uruguay that stands to this day as their heaviest international loss. Scotland were back at the World Cup four years later, this time in Sweden, where a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia and a 3-2 defeat to Paraguay left Dawson Walker's side requiring a win over France to stay in the competition. Instead a 2-1 defeat meant another early exit for Scotland.

Scotland concede to Morocco in a 3-0 defeat in the final group fixture at the 1998 World Cup in France.(Photo by GERARD MALIE/AFP via Getty Images)

It would be another 16 years before Scotland made it back to the World Cup in West Germany in 1974. A team full of legends including Danny McGrain, Billy Bremner, Kenny Dalglish and Denis Law got off to a winning start, beating Zaire 2-0, but it was the goalless draw against Brazil that set pulses racing as Willie Ormond's side held their own against the defending world champions. Scotland required a victory over Yugoslavia to reach the next round but the 1-1 draw wasn’t quite enough. The tournament was anything but a failure - Scotland had only conceded one goal and were undefeated - but they were sent packing on goal difference.

If Scotland thought group stage exits couldn't get any more agonising, then the 1978 World Cup proved otherwise. Ally McLeod's men travelled to Argentina with great expectations but a shock 3-1 defeat to Peru and a 1-1 draw with Iran left them up against it, requiring a three-goal margin victory over Netherlands to progress. When Archie Gemmell put his side 3-1 ahead in the second half with a solo effort widely regarded as Scotland's greatest ever goal, the dream was on. But the Dutch would score again, the match ended 3-2, and Scotland went out on goal difference for the second tournament running despite a notable victory over the eventual finalists.

Scotland were becoming accustomed to such dejection with the same fate befalling Jock Stein's side in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. After opening with a 5-2 win over New Zealand, Scotland's goal difference took a hit with a 4-1 defeat to Brazil, despite David Narey's spectacular toe-poked opener. To qualify, Scotland had to beat the Soviet Union but a 2-2 draw meant exiting the tournament on goal difference once again. Mexico ‘86 provided yet more disappointment as Scotland were unable to negotiate through a tough group. A 1-0 defeat to Denmark was followed by a 2-1 defeat to West Germany after Gordon Strachan had given Scotland the lead. Victory against Uruguay could still have sent Scotland through, but the best Alex Ferguson's side could muster was a goalless draw despite the opposition playing almost the entire match with 10 men following a first-minute red card.

Another opportunity had been missed and so it would prove again four years later under Andy Roxburgh at Italia ‘90 as Scotland ultimately paid the price for a shock 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica in their opening game. Redemption came courtesy of a 2-1 win over Sweden which left Scotland requiring a draw against Brazil to make it to the knockout stages for the first time. They were 10 minutes from doing so when Jim Leighton spilled a shot and Muller scored. Scottish heartbreak at major tournaments, it seemed, was becoming inevitable.

18/06/96 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL 1ST RNDSWITZERLAND V SCOTLAND (0-1)VILLA PARK - BIRMINGHAMScotland captain Gary McAllister (right) with winning goalscorer Ally McCoist after the match.

Scotland qualified for their first European Championships two years later but instead of anguish, Scotland suffered an early exit after defeats to Netherland and Germany. Ironically, with nothing at stake, Scotland won their final group game against the CIS comfortably 3-0.

Failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in USA meant that Euro 1996 was Scotland's next chance to go beyond the group stages of a major tournament. Craig Brown's side opened with a credible 0-0 draw against the Netherlands before a 2-0 defeat to England at Wembley - where Gary McAllister missed the chance to equalise from the penalty spot - meant everything rested on the final match against Switzerland. Ally McCoist's goal earned Scotland a 1-0 win but, incredibly, it was a late consolation goal for the Netherlands in a 4-1 defeat to England that knocked Scotland out on goal difference.

Scotland returned to the World Cup at France 98 and followed a 2-1 defeat to Brazil in the tournament opener with a 1-1 draw against Norway. A victory over Morocco in the final group game was required to have any chance of progressing but a 3-0 defeat sent Scotland home with their tail firmly between their legs. As it transpired, the Scots would have gone out regardless after Norway's shock 2-1 win over Brazil saw them clinch second place in the group. Small mercies.

That defeat in Saint-Étienne proved Scotland's final match at a major finals for 23 years, until the delayed Euro 2020, which took place a year later due to covid, and saw matches hosted at Hampden. Again, Scotland made it hard for themselves with a disappoitning 2-0 defeat to Czech Republic in their group opener. A credible goalless draw against England at Wembley followed and meant a win over Croatia on home soil would have put Scotland through. Steve Clarke's side were outclassed and lost 3-1 but they can now look to make amends against Hungary and finally put an end to 70 years of hurt.