For most football fans around Europe, the 2026 World Cup marks the first summer tournament in eight long years. With the 2022 edition held in winter to avoid Qatar’s heat, not since 2018 have supporters been able to spend their evenings soaking up the sun and football alike.
For Scotland, though, the wait has been even longer. Both the team and fans have had an agonising 28-year World Cup drought to endure. That wait is about to come to an end, though, with Scotland heading to North America for the 2026 World Cup.
Steve Clarke’s men secured their spot with victory in a dramatic 4-2 winner-takes-all final match against Denmark. The win was so monumental that star midfielder Scott McTominay’s overhead kick has even been immortalised on a special edition banknote.
Celtic will provide two of Scotland’s wingbacks once the World Cup gets underway, with Kieran Tierney and Anthony Ralston both making Clarke’s final squad. The tournament officially begins on 11th June, with co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa in a rematch of 2010’s opening game.
Scotland have been drawn in Group C at the World Cup alongside Haiti, Morocco and Brazil, and will begin their campaign a few days later. These are all the key dates to remember to follow the team’s, along with Tierney and Ralston’s, progress.
Escape from tough group possible
Any Scotland fan wanting to watch the team’s return to the World Cup will be due a late night, with the first game against Haiti kicking off at 2am UK time on Sunday, 14th June. The match is being held at Boston Stadium, which will also play host to Scotland’s second game.
That second fixture is at a slightly more humane time of 11pm on Friday, 19th June, ensuring fans can start their weekends off with a bang. They can also choose to back Scotland, or any team, at the World Cup by using a UK Betfred promo code.
Scotland’s final game is the big one, with the team travelling to Miami to take on Brazil. This game kicks off at 11pm in the UK, though Scotland may have done enough to progress before facing the South American titans.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup features a new and expanded format, with 48 teams taking part. This means that for the first time, 3rd place in the group stage can be good enough to progress.
Along with the top two teams in each of the 12 groups, the eight best third-placed finishers will also go through to the knockout stage. If Scotland can get a good haul of points against Haiti and Morocco, they could be set to progress without needing to get points off Brazil.
All-new Round of 32 awaits
If Scotland are able to live up to the hopes of their fans and progress to the knockout phase, they’ll be faced with the all-new Round of 32. This is a new knockout game for the expanded format, meaning the eventual winner will now need to navigate five elimination rounds.
Should Scotland beat out Morocco to finish second in Group C, the team will have their Round of 32 match at 2am on Tuesday, 30th June. They’ll take on the winner of Group F, likely the Netherlands. Group F is closely contested, however, so Japan or Sweden could also await.
Should Scotland finish third, then things get tougher, as the third-placed teams have a wider range of potential opponents.
The first path is facing the Group E winner, likely Germany, at 00:30am on Tuesday, 30th June. Scotland could also be placed against the Group I winners, which should be France, at 10pm on 30th June.
The third option would see Scotland go up against the winners of Group A, which is predicted to be either Mexico or South Korea. This game is scheduled for 2am on Wednesday, 1st July.
It’s hard to predict Scotland’s games after the Round of 32. With the new expanded format meaning even a third-place finish being enough to progress, though, it’s certainly not hard to see Scotland reaching the knockout stage this summer.
