Draw specifics for World Cup qualifying and the Nations League playoffs
Scotland’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup were severely damaged after they were relegated to third place for the forthcoming qualifying tournament.
Steve Clarke’s team moved into pot two for the draw next month after defeating Poland 2-1 in Warsaw on Monday, but their ability to stay there hinged on the outcome of Tuesday’s Nations League games.
Scotland needed either Slovakia or the Czech Republic to lose or draw, but Slovakia defeated Estonia 1-0 in Trnava, while the Czechs defeated Georgia 2-1 at home.
Due to these outcomes, Scotland has fallen to third place and will likely face two higher-ranked countries in its World Cup qualifying group when play begins the following year.
In any case, following an outstanding conclusion to their Nations League A campaign, Clarke and his team will be certain of clinching their spot in the tournament that is jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
After losing their first three games, Scotland looked doomed to drop down to League B, but they managed to secure a third-place finish behind Portugal and Croatia with an outstanding seven-point haul from their last three games.
Scotland will now play a play-off match to keep their League A standing against one of the League B runners-up, which is now certain to be either Ukraine, Greece, Austria, or Turkey. The draw will take place in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday at 11 a.m. The two-leg League A/B play-off games are scheduled for March 20 and 23 of the following year.
Scotland’s World Cup qualifying opponents will be revealed at the draw, which is scheduled for Friday, December 13 at 11 a.m. in Zurich, Switzerland, next month. There are only 16 UEFA spots available, with the runners-up moving on to the play-offs and the 12 group winners receiving immediate access to the World Cup. The draw, which will take place in Zurich, Switzerland on Friday, December 13, 2024 at 11 a.m., will reveal Scotland’s World Cup qualifying opponents.
Clarke said his team was prepared for the World Cup qualifying campaign after Andy Robertson’s header in injury time sealed the win in Poland.
“We want to go to another major tournament,” he stated. “We’re prepared for a challenging World Cup campaign, but we’ll start next year with a difficult play-off to try to maintain our position at the top of the Nations League. We have demonstrated that we are prepared for it.
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