What Scotland need to qualify for World Cup as play-off draw and possible opponents explained

The nervy 2-1 victory over Belarus at Hampden - coupled with Denmark's 3-1 win over Greece in Copenhagen - has ensured that Steve Clarke's side are guaranteed a top two finish in Group C.

Scotland sit second in the table with 10 points, the same tally as Denmark, who lead the section on goal difference, with just two qualifiers remaining. Greece remain third on three points and can no longer overtake the top two.

Only the group winners will secure direct entry to the World Cup finals taking place in USA, Canada and Mexico next summer. The team that finishes second will enter the play-offs, where a semi-final and final awaits.

What Scotland need for automatic qualification

It will now be a straight battle between Denmark and Scotland to finish top of the group with the two set to go head-to-head in a potential group decider at Hampden Park on November 18.

The penultimate group matches which take place three days earlier will have a huge bearing on what is at stake in the final showdown in Glasgow.

Denmark host Belarus on November 15 and will be expected to claim the win that will move them onto 13 points as well as extending their goal difference advantage, which currently stands at +11 compared to Scotland's +5.

On the same night, Scotland travel to Greece knowing that they will almost certainly require at least a point to keep automatic qualification in their own hands. A draw would move Scotland onto 11 points and mean that a victory over Denmark on home soil would take them above the Danes and claim their place in a World Cup for the first time since France 1998.

A defeat in Piraeus, however, would likely condemn Scotland to the play-offs given Denmark would be three points ahead with an unassailable goal difference going into the final group match, barring an unlikely result for Belarus in Copenhagen.

Even a victory against the Greeks would still require Scotland to beat Denmark at Hampden due to the goal difference factor, which is the first tiebreaker for teams that finish level on points rather than head-to-head record, meaning a draw against the Danes would not be enough.

World Cup play-off draw and potential opponents explained

Should Scotland finish second they will discover their play-off semi-final opponent when the draw is made on November 22. The 12 group runners-up will be placed in pots one to three based on their Fifa world ranking while the four qualifiers from the Nations League will be in pot four.

Scotland would face a one-legged semi-final - with the seeded team at home - on March 26 before a one-off final five days later on March 31. As things stand, Scotland are projected to be in pot 2, which would mean a semi-final at Hampden against a pot 3 team - currently Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania or Bosnia.

Turkey, Italy, Ukraine and Wales would be among the possible opponents waiting in the play-off final, with the home team determined at the time of the draw. However, the projected seeding pots and potential opponents could all change depending on results next month.

Scotland will find who they would face in the World Cup finals before the play-offs commence with the draw held on December 5 in Washington DC with spaces assigned to the six play-off winners - four from UEFA and two others from the inter-confederation play-offs.