Scotland at the 2026 World Cup: When is the draw, possible opponents, tournament dates, host cities
Scotland qualify for first World Cup since 1998
Scotland have done it - and in the most remarkable way possible.
The Tartan Army will be heading to the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer for their first World Cup in 28 years after a 4-2 win for Scotland over Denmark at Hampden Park that will go down in the ages.
It was a victory that clinched top spot in World Cup qualifying Group C ahead of the Danes with Scotland finishing their campaign on 13 points to secure automatic qualification for the 2026 tournament.
It has also secured Steve Clarke the distinction of being the first and only Scotland manager in history to lead the nation to three major finals.
A game that started with a breathtaking Scott McTominay overhead kick ended with Kenny McLean netting from the halfway line to send a sold-out Hampden into raptures.
It had looked bleak for Scotland when Patrick Dorgu put the 10-man Danes ahead with eight minutes left after Lawrence Shankland had stepped off the bench to put the hosts 2-1 in front. The Danes had earlier levelled the match with Rasmus Hojlund converting from the penalty spot but the match turned on a red card for visiting defender Rasmus Kristensen on 61 minutes.
However, it was another substitute who came to Scotland's rescue with Kieran Tierney bending home a stunning strike in the third minute of injury time to blow the roof off the stadium before McLean chipped home from 50 yards with the final kick of the ball to spark wild celebrations the likes of which Hampden has never seen before.
Scotland fans can now start looking forward to a trip to North America next summer as attention turns to the World Cup draw, the tournament itself, and who Scotland could face.
When is the 2026 World Cup draw?
The draw for the World Cup is scheduled to take place at the Kennedy Center in the United States capital of Washington D.C on December 5, 2025. The draw will begin at 5pm UK time.
How to watch the 2026 World Cup draw
Supporters from around the world will be able to stream the draw live on FIFA.com.
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the USA, Mexico and Canada starting with the opening match and ceremony on June 11 at the Estadio Azteca Mexico City. The tournament will end on July 19 with the World Cup final taking place at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York City. The 16 host cities also include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Mexico City, Monterrey, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Philadelphia and Toronto.
Who could Scotland face at the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest ever, featuring 48 teams compared to the 32 that participated in the last tournament in Qatar in 2022. The teams will be divided into four pots of 12 teams with seedings based on based on Fifa world ranking. Each group will have one team drawn from each pot. The top two in each group and the eight best third-placed teams will progress to a new round of 32. At the time of writing, the following 42 nations have confirmed qualification and could face Scotland next summer:
Canada (hosts)
Mexico (hosts)
United States (hosts)
Japan
New Zealand
Iran
Argentina
Uzbekistan
South Korea
Jordan
Australia
Brazil
Ecuador
Uruguay
Colombia
Paraguay
Morocco
Tunisia
Egypt
Algeria
Ghana
Cape Verde
South Africa
Qatar
England
Saudi Arabia
Ivory Coast
Senegal
France
Croatia
Portugal
Norway
Germany
Netherlands
Belgium
Austria
Switzerland
Spain
Scotland
Panama
Curacao
Haiti
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