Scotland has secured its spot in Pot 3 for the 2026 World Cup draw following a thrilling 4-2 win over Denmark, marking their return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998.

In a night filled with excitement at Hampden Park, Steve Clarke’s team clinched the top position in Group C. The victory was sealed in dramatic fashion with stoppage-time goals from Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean, propelling Scotland back to the global stage after a 27-year absence.

While players and fans are sure to revel in this achievement, their focus will soon shift to the upcoming draw for the North American World Cup, set to take place in just over two weeks.

The draw is scheduled for 5 p.m. on December 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. This event will outline the path for the first-ever expanded 48-team World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Scotland’s placement in Pot 3 is determined by FIFA rankings, placing them alongside teams like Norway, Egypt, Algeria, Paraguay, and Ivory Coast.

As a result, Clarke’s squad is likely to face some of the tournament’s top contenders in the group stage. Pot 1 features football giants such as Argentina, Spain, France, England, Germany, and Portugal.

Scotland will take their place in Pot 3 for the 2026 World Cup draw after a wild 4-2 victory over Denmark

England are among the 12 top seeds in the draw and will be one of the favourites for the competition

Next summer’s tournament will be the biggest World Cup in history and will be hosted in three countries. Pictured: (L-R) US President Donald Trump, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Meanwhile, Pot 2 features established tournament sides including Croatia, Uruguay, Japan and Switzerland. One team from each pot will form a group of four, with 12 groups in total at the 2026 finals.

As ever, confederation rules apply, ensuring that teams from the same region cannot be drawn together apart from UEFA, where a maximum of two European nations can be placed in the same group.

The three host nations, Canada, Mexico and the United States, will be assigned to groups A, B and D, respectively.

Scotland’s qualification means Clarke has now led his side to three of the last four major tournaments, following Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.

Skipper Andy Robertson admitted the emotion of the night would stay with him for life, while John McGinn said he had ‘never felt anything like it in a football stadium’.

McGinn added that Scotland were ‘pretty rubbish at times’ but praised the reaction after Denmark equalised twice and after a soft second yellow card for Rasmus Kristensen swung the contest Scotland’s way.

Lawrence Shankland’s header restored the lead before Tierney and McLean settled it in stoppage time.

While Scotland can now prepare for the finals, several European nations must still fight through the play-offs.

Troy Parrott’s hat-trick helped the Republic of Ireland secure a place in next year’s play-offs

Wales will also be vying for a spot in next summer’s tournament after clinching a place in the play-offs

Italy, Denmark, Turkey and Ukraine are the top seeds, while Wales, Poland, Czechia and Slovakia sit in Pot 2. 

Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and the Republic of Ireland are in Pot 3, with Sweden, Romania, North Macedonia and Northern Ireland in Pot 4. 

Those semi-final paths will be drawn on Thursday. The World Cup play-offs will take place in March 2026 and will consist of four ‘paths’, one for each vacant spot at the finals.