When is the World Cup 2026 qualifying draw? Scotland's best and worst possible draws as seeding pots confirmed
Everything you need to know about World Cup qualifying
Scotland have been confirmed as pot three seeds for 2026 World Cup qualifying following the conclusion of the 2024/25 Nations League campaign.
Wins over Croatia and Poland in the past week gave Steve Clarke’s side the chance to move far enough up the FIFA rankings to get into pot two after a 14-month wait for a competitive victory saw them drift down. Scotland could even have jumped in amongst the top seeds but needed Croatia to lose to Portugal on Monday.
After other results went against them in previous days, a 1-1 draw in Split left the Scots looking for either the Czech Republic or Slovakia to drop points at home in their last Nations League games. But both sides won their respective games, the Czechs coming out on top in a 2-1 victory over Georgia while Slovakia beat Estonia 1-0, leaving Scotland to have to settle for a place in pot three.
With all the seeding pots now confirmed, the Tartan Army can start to plan out the best and worst possible draw scenarios as Scotland look to end a 26-year wait for an appearance at the World Cup finals.
Here is everything you need to know about 2026 World Cup qualifying for UEFA nations:
When is the 2026 World Cup qualification draw?
The draw will take place in Zurich, Switzerland on Friday, December 13, 2024, with teams placed into groups of four or five, where they will play each other home and away. Teams drawn in groups of five will begin qualifying in March and teams drawn in groups of four start their campaigns in September. All groups conclude in November 2025.
What are the seeding pots for 2026 World Cup qualifying?
Pot 1 - Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, England, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria.
Pot 2 - Ukraine, Sweden, Turkey, Wales, Hungary, Serbia, Poland, Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway.
Pot 3 - Scotland, Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, North Macedonia, Georgia, Finland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel.
Pot 4 - Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Kosovo, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Lithuania.
Pot 5 - Moldova, Malta, Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino.
What are Scotland's best and worst possible draws?
As a Pot 3 side, Scotland can only draw nations from Pots 1, 2, 4. Steve Clarke's side are guaranteed to be in a four-team group due to their involvement in the Nations League play-offs in March. This means Scotland cannot draw the six teams in Pot 2 who aren’t involved in play-offs, namely Sweden, Wales, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic and Norway. This leaves Scotland facing a worst possible draw (based on seeding) of Spain, Ukraine and Bulgaria. The least difficult draw on paper would be Austria, Slovakia and Lithuania.
How many European teams qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
A total of 16 UEFA nations will qualify for the tournament - an increase of three from the previous edition in 2022. The 12 group winners qualify directly for the World Cup while the four remaining berths are determined by play-offs involving the 12 group runners-up and the four-best ranked group winners of the 2024/25 Nations League that do not finish in first or second place in their World Cup qualifying section. Play-off games will be played over single-leg semi-finals followed by single-leg finals within the March 2026 international window.
The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico and will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.