Who Scotland could face if 2026 World Cup fate lies via play-offs as potential opponents become clearer
Steve Clarke’s side have guaranteed a World Cup play-off spot with a victory over Belarus at Hampden Park on Sunday
A first men’s World Cup appearance since 1998 looks to be within Scotland’s grasp after a 2-1 victory over Belarus combined with Denmark’s win over Greece ensured Steve Clarke’s side clinched a play-off place at the very least.
Whether the Tartan Army are booking their flights to next summer’s finals in North American or not, one thing Clarke and his players will know is that performances have to be much better.
It was ultimately a case of ‘job done’ at Hampden Park on Sunday evening, but the manner in which Scotland struggled to put the game to bed against lowly-ranked opposition remains a cause for concern.
Anyway, enough of that negativity. Amid the doom and doom, a positive outcome had been achieved. So just how close are the Scots from breaking a 27-year hoodoo by reaching the World Cup now that things have become a little clearer.
Scotland’s fate could lie in a high-anxiety play-off
Given the current goal difference disparity between Group C leaders Denmark (+11) and Clarke’s men (+5) already heading into the final two games, Scotland’s fate could well lie in a play-off.
The two nations will now go head-to-head to determine who finishes in top spot and enters November’s draw and who will have to wait a while longer to learn their fate. Scotland travel to face Greece in Athens up next, while the Danes host Belarus, before they reconvene at Hampden for what could be a winner-takes-all showdown.
A second-placed finish still offers a route to the finals. 16 nations will go into the hat consisting of the 12 runners-up from their World Cup qualifying sections plus the four best group winners via Nations League, who failed to achieve a top-two finish.
They will be drawn into four play-off semi-final paths that will take place over just ONE LEG - with the seeded team at home - on March 26 before advancing to a final on March 31.
As things stand, here are the list of nations currently sitting in second spot ahead of next month’s final international break:
GROUP A
Northern Ireland (level on 6 points with leaders Germany & third-placed Slovakia after three games)
GROUP B
Kosovo (4 points after three games - Slovenia and Sweden are still in contention)
GROUP C
SCOTLAND
GROUP D
Ukraine (4 points after three games - likely to be a straight shoot-out with Iceland)
GROUP E
Turkey (6 points after three games - Georgia remain in the mix)
GROUP F
Hungary (4 points after three games - Armenia and Republic of Ireland still in contention)
GROUP G
Poland (13 points after six games - likely to be a straight shoot-out with Finland)
GROUP H
Bosnia & Herzegovina (13 points after six games - Romania still in the mix)
GROUP I
Italy (12 points after five games - Israel still in contention)
GROUP J
Belgium (11 points after five games - locked in battle with North Macedonia and Wales)
GROUP K
Albania (11 points after six games - a straight shoot-out with Serbia)
GROUP L
Czech Republic (13 points after seven games - likely to be a straight shoot-out with Faroe Islands)