[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"football-site-config":3,"world-cup-status-en":27,"news-detail-why-scotland-s-world-cup-buzz-is-surreal-mctominay-explains":61,"news-related-why-scotland-s-world-cup-buzz-is-surreal-mctominay-explains-en":93,"news-related-match-why-scotland-s-world-cup-buzz-is-surreal-mctominay-explains-en":26},{"adSlots":4,"affiliateMode":5,"brandName":6,"contentStrategy":7,"currency":8,"friendLinks":9,"homepageLayoutKey":10,"leagueFocus":11,"locale":12,"planVisibility":13,"seoDescription":14,"seoTitleTemplate":15,"siteCode":10,"siteName":6,"siteType":10,"subscriptionMode":5,"timezone":16,"id":17,"tenantID":18,"primaryDomain":19,"countryCode":20,"logoUrl":21,"faviconUrl":21,"theme":22,"seoKeywords":24,"status":25,"ads":4,"focusLeagues":26,"affiliatePolicies":26},[],"shared","Football Prediction Platform","scores_predictions","USD",[],"main",[],"en-US",[],"Football fixtures, results, free predictions, subscriptions, and clearly labeled partner links.","{page} | Football Prediction Platform","America\u002FNew_York",323900000000000000,1,"football.easytestdev.online","US","",{"primaryColor":23},"#1677ff","football predictions, football fixtures, football results","active",null,{"active":28,"leagueId":29,"leagueName":30,"leagueImagePath":31,"seasonId":32,"seasonName":33,"startingAt":34,"endingAt":35,"daysToStart":36,"daysToEnd":37,"phase":38,"includeQualifying":39,"hostCities":40},true,"326135624916537344","World Cup","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.api-sports.io\u002Ffootball\u002Fleagues\u002F1.png","326255613308833792","2026\u002F2027","2026-06-11","2026-06-28",-38,-21,"finished_recent",false,[41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60],"Atlanta","Boston","Dallas","East Rutherford","Guadalajara","Houston","Kansas City","Los Angeles","Mexico City","Miami","Monterrey","New-York","New York New Jersey","Philadelphia","San-Francisco","San Francisco Bay Area","Seattle","Toronto","Vancouver","Zapopan",{"article":62},{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":63,"category":64,"excerpt":65,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":66,"leagueId":29,"leagueName":30,"matchId":67,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":68,"slug":69,"sourceName":70,"sourceURL":71,"teamId":72,"teamName":73,"teamIds":74,"teamNames":83,"title":92},"Scott McTominay faced the media on Tuesday to reflect on a whirlwind period that has seen the Scotland midfielder caught up in an unexpected wave of World Cup fever and a poignant reunion with a familiar face from his Manchester United past. The press conference revealed a player both grounded by his roots and carried away by the collective dream of a nation.\n\nFor Scotland, the road to the 2026 World Cup has stirred emotions not felt since their last appearance at the tournament in 1998. As Steve Clarke’s side edge closer to securing a spot on football’s grandest stage, the buzz around the country has reached a level that McTominay himself admits is hard to process. “It’s surreal,” he told reporters, encapsulating the mood of anticipation and disbelief that has gripped fans.\n\nHaving played a pivotal role in Scotland’s qualification push, the 29-year-old has become a symbol of the team’s resilience and ambition. His late-career transformation into a regular goal contributor from midfield has added a new dimension to the national side, and with each passing fixture, the sense of destiny grows stronger. The thought of walking out at a World Cup, after decades of near-misses, is something McTominay never dared to take for granted.\n\nShift focus from international euphoria to club football, however, and the story takes a more introspective turn. McTominay also recounted a recent encounter that felt like stepping into a time machine – an impromptu reunion with Michael Carrick, the former United stalwart now at the helm of Middlesbrough. Seeing Carrick in the opposing technical area triggered a flood of memories, bringing him back to his formative years at Old Trafford.\n\nCarrick, who played and later coached at United, was a guiding presence during McTominay’s early development. The pair shared a dressing room and countless training sessions, and the current Middlesbrough boss is widely credited with helping instill the discipline and tactical awareness that define McTominay’s game. To meet again in a competitive setting, with both men now key figures in different chapters of English football, was nothing short of extraordinary.\n\n“It was strange, but in a good way,” McTominay reflected of the reunion. “You spend so much time with someone, learning from them day after day, and then suddenly they’re on the other side of the line. It reminds you how quickly things change in football.” The Scotsman described the mix of competitiveness and nostalgia that colored the occasion, a feeling that resonated deeply given his enduring affection for the club where he grew up.\n\nThe juxtaposition of these two narratives – the surge of national pride and the pull of personal history – offers a rare glimpse into the emotional complexity of modern footballers. For McTominay, who has worn the Manchester United shirt since childhood, the chance to represent Scotland at a World Cup represents the pinnacle of his career, yet the sight of Carrick served as a poignant reminder of the journey he has traveled.\n\nScotland’s World Cup campaign has captured the imagination not just because of the results, but because of the sheer weight of waiting. Fans who were teenagers the last time the Tartan Army marched on football’s biggest tournament are now middle-aged, and a new generation has grown up with only stories of past glories. McTominay acknowledged the collective yearning, suggesting that the squad is acutely aware of what qualification would mean beyond the pitch.\n\nAs the press conference wound down, McTominay’s focus returned to the immediate challenges ahead, both for club and country. Yet beneath the professional composure lay an unmistakable spark – the quiet exhilaration of a player who knows he stands on the brink of something truly special. The surreal buzz, it seems, is as much about personal validation as it is about national achievement.\n\nIn a sport increasingly dominated by cynicism and commercialism, McTominay’s candid reflections offer a timely reminder of football’s capacity to forge deep, emotional connections. Whether it’s the prospect of a World Cup or a fleeting exchange with an old mentor, these moments reaffirm the human heart of the game.\n\nBased on reporting from Sky Sports.","news","Scott McTominay talks the surreal World Cup buzz for Scotland and a reunion with Michael Carrick that brought back Manchester United memories.","334819754021752833","0","2026-05-26T12:30:00Z","why-scotland-s-world-cup-buzz-is-surreal-mctominay-explains","Sky Sports","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.skysports.com\u002Fwatch\u002Fvideo\u002F13548161\u002Fscott-mctominay-on-the-surreal-scotland-world-cup-buzz-and-a-strange-reunion-with-michael-carrick-and-man-utd","326257545712766976","Manchester United",[72,75,76,77,78,79,80,81,82],"326222712429088768","326257534430089216","326257536078450688","326257808385249280","326222712462643200","326257809152806912","326257534329425920","326257546392244224",[73,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91],"Scotland","Eintracht Frankfurt","Paris Saint Germain","Sheffield Wednesday","Bosnia & Herzegovina","Milton Keynes Dons","Borussia Dortmund","Nottingham Forest","Why Scotland’s World Cup Buzz is Surreal: McTominay Explains",[94,126,158,187],{"awayTeamId":-1,"awayTeamName":-1,"body":-1,"category":64,"excerpt":95,"homeTeamId":-1,"homeTeamName":-1,"id":96,"leagueId":29,"leagueName":30,"matchId":67,"matchName":21,"publishedAt":97,"slug":98,"sourceName":99,"sourceURL":100,"teamId":101,"teamName":102,"teamIds":103,"teamNames":114,"title":125},"Guéla Doué scored and assisted as Ivory Coast beat France 2-1 in a friendly, outshining his brother Désiré who featured for Les Bleus in the sibling showdown.","338200147588550657","2026-06-05T04:00:00Z","guela-doue-downs-brother-s-france-ivorian-2-1-win","L'Equipe","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lequipe.fr\u002FFootball\u002FArticle\u002FUn-but-et-une-passe-decisive-contre-la-france-la-soiree-de-reve-pour-guela-doue-avec-la-cote-d-ivoire\u002F1681944#at_medium=RSS_feeds","326222712533946368","Ivory Coast",[101,104,105,106,107,108,77,109,110,111,112,113],"326222711447621632","326255037997125632","326257536145559552","326222711401484288","326222767416414208","326257536296554496","326257537865224192","326257686389723136","326257535994564608","326222707169431552",[102,115,116,117,118,119,86,120,121,122,123,124],"France","Strasbourg","Rennes","Belgium","Lesotho","Auxerre","Estoril","Together","Nantes","Anderlecht","Guéla Doué downs brother's France: Ivorian 2-1 win",{"awayTeamId":127,"awayTeamName":128,"body":-1,"category":64,"excerpt":129,"homeTeamId":130,"homeTeamName":131,"id":132,"leagueId":29,"leagueName":30,"matchId":133,"matchName":134,"publishedAt":135,"slug":136,"sourceName":137,"sourceURL":138,"teamId":130,"teamName":131,"teamIds":139,"teamNames":148,"title":157},"326222712622026752","South Africa","Shakira & Burna Boy sing 'Dai Dai' at 2026 World Cup opener June 11 in Mexico City, with J Balvin, Tyla. Buble, Morissette, Perry, Future lead other ceremonies.","326222711908995072","Mexico","338120887364489217","327115024327774208","Mexico vs South Africa","2026-06-04T22:48:54Z","shakira-burna-boy-to-open-2026-world-cup-in-mexico","BBC Sport","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bbc.com\u002Fsport\u002Ffootball\u002Farticles\u002Fc8939ykg3qgo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss",[130,127,140,141,142,113,143,144,145,146,147],"326222712936599552","326222713142120448","326257593007738880","326222713016291328","326257563345620992","326257565195309056","326222711623782400","326257791226351616",[131,128,149,150,151,124,152,153,154,155,156],"Paraguay","Canada","Azteca","USA","Heracles","Barcelona","Colombia","Nigeria","Shakira, Burna Boy to Open 2026 World Cup in Mexico",{"awayTeamId":159,"awayTeamName":160,"body":-1,"category":64,"excerpt":161,"homeTeamId":104,"homeTeamName":115,"id":162,"leagueId":29,"leagueName":30,"matchId":163,"matchName":164,"publishedAt":165,"slug":166,"sourceName":99,"sourceURL":167,"teamId":101,"teamName":102,"teamIds":168,"teamNames":177,"title":186},"326222711783165952","Senegal","France lose first friendly under Deschamps, 2-1 to Ivory Coast in Nantes, revealing defensive issues 10 days before World Cup start vs Senegal.","338126221931974657","327115052106649600","France vs Senegal","2026-06-04T22:34:17Z","bleus-lose-friendly-under-deschamps-2-1-to-ivory-coast","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lequipe.fr\u002FFootball\u002FArticle\u002FUne-defaite-ni-vraiment-grave-ni-completement-anodine-pour-les-bleus-a-dix-jours-de-leur-entree-en-scene-au-mondial\u002F1681936#at_medium=RSS_feeds",[101,104,159,112,169,140,108,170,171,172,110,173,174,175,176,113],"326257810885054464","326255039846813696","326255041625198592","326257536413995008","326257541157752832","326257545754710016","326257554411753472","326257789708013568",[102,115,160,123,178,149,119,179,180,181,121,182,183,184,185,124],"York","FK Partizan","Partizani","Paris FC","Galatasaray","Newcastle","Newcastle Jets","China","Bleus Lose Friendly Under Deschamps: 2-1 to Ivory Coast",{"awayTeamId":188,"awayTeamName":189,"body":-1,"category":64,"excerpt":190,"homeTeamId":104,"homeTeamName":115,"id":191,"leagueId":29,"leagueName":30,"matchId":192,"matchName":193,"publishedAt":194,"slug":195,"sourceName":99,"sourceURL":196,"teamId":104,"teamName":115,"teamIds":197,"teamNames":206,"title":215},"326222712819159040","Iraq","Lucas Hernandez: France's 1-2 friendly loss to Ivory Coast is better now than June 16 World Cup opener vs Senegal, with Northern Ireland test next.","338124609578602497","327115069915664384","France vs Iraq","2026-06-04T22:32:57Z","hernandez-france-loss-better-now-than-june-16","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lequipe.fr\u002FFootball\u002FActualites\u002FLucas-hernandez-apres-la-defaite-1-2-de-la-france-contre-la-cote-d-ivoire\u002F1681942#at_medium=RSS_feeds",[104,188,101,159,198,199,200,110,173,201,202,203,204,205],"326257664243798016","326257535885512704","326222712013852672","326257556060114944","326257565845426176","326257695210344448","326257796423094272","326222712898850816",[115,189,102,160,207,208,209,121,182,210,211,212,213,214],"Northern Ireland","Lille","Iran","Estudiantes L.P.","Mallorca","Signal","Russia","Qatar","Hernandez: France Loss Better Now Than June 16"]