Scotland learn World Cup qualifying seeding and possible Nations League play-off opponents

Scotland's hopes of reaching the World Cup in 2026 have been dealt a blow after they were consigned to third seeds for the upcoming qualifying campaign.

The 2-1 victory over Poland in Warsaw on Monday elevated Steve Clarke's side into pot two for next month's draw, however, remaining there depended on results in Tuesday’s Nations League fixtures.

Scotland needed either Czech Republic or Slovakia to lose or draw, but the Czechs secured a 2-1 home victory over Georgia while the Slovaks were 1-0 winners over Estonia in Trnava.

Those results mean that Scotland have dropped into pot three with the prospect of facing two higher-ranked nations in their World Cup qualifying group when the campaign gets underway next year.

Regardless, Clarke and his players will be confident of securing their place in the tournament jointly hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico after an impressive end to their Nations League A campaign.

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke during the 2-1 win over Poland in Warsaw. (Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Scotland appeared destined for relegation back to League B after losing their opening three matches but an impressive seven-point haul from their remaining three fixtures ensured a third place finish behind Portugal and Croatia.

Scotland now face a play-off to retain their League A status against one of the runners-up from League B - now confirmed as Ukraine, Greece, Austria or Turkey - with the draw conducted in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday at 11am. The League A/B play-off matches, played home and away over two legs, take place on March 20 and 23 next year.

Scotland will discover their World Cup qualifying opponents next month with the draw set to take place on Friday, December 13 at 11am in Zurich, Switzerland. Only 16 UEFA places are up for grabs with the 12 group winners gaining automatic entry to the World Cup and the runners-up advancing to a round of play-offs. Scotland will learn their World Cup qualifying opponents when the draw is made on Friday, December 13, 2024 at 11am in Zurich, Switzerland.

After Andy Robertson's injury-time header sealed victory in Poland, Clarke declared his team ready for the World Cup qualifying campaign.

"We want to go to another major tournament," he said. "We now start next year with a tough play-off to try to stay at the highest level of the Nations League and that will set us up for a tough World Cup campaign, but we're ready for it. We've shown that we're ready for it."