The route to the final Scotland could take at World Cup 2026

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The Independent

·24 de junio de 2026

The route to the final Scotland could take at World Cup 2026

Scotland can secure knockout football at the World Cup when they play Brazil in game 3 of Group C.

The Scots earned their spot at the tournament finals in the most dramatic fashion when they scored two stoppage-time stunners to pip Denmark to top spot in their final qualifier.

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With victory over Haiti, The Tartan Army watched their nation win a game at a major tournament for the first time in three decades, having experienced only losses and draws at the past two Euros.

And while such an outcome might satisfy the travelling fans, Scotland’s participation at the World Cup means they have a theoretical route to the biggest match in the four-year football calendar, should Steve Clarke’s side blow all expectations out of the water.

Steve Clarke leads Scotland into their first World Cup since 1998 (PA)

Should they top the group they will face the nation that finishes as runner-up in Group F in the round of 32. If they finish as a runner-up, they will take on the winner of that group, which contains the Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia and Sweden.

If Scotland are of the eight best third-placed teams come the end of the group stage, they will face one of the winners from Groups A, E or I in the first knockout stage.

For ease of projection, let us assume that Scotland finish second in their group and the Netherlands top theirs, as the highest-ranked Group F side, setting up that round of 32 meeting.

They would then face the winner of a meeting between the runner-up in Group A and runner-up in Group B. Beyond that, a tough quarter-final may loom against France or Germany should each top their Groups (E and I respectively).

Should England win their group in our scenario, the earliest that they could encounter Scotland would be the final. Below is our projection using the current Fifa rankings to form a possible bracket.