Is it 1998 again? Scotland, Austria and Norway end long droughts 🤩 | OneFootball

After Norway last Monday (18), Scotland and Austria confirmed their respective qualifications for the 2026 World Cup.

A trio that will end a long drought, as they haven't participated in the competition since 1998, in France. It will be the first World Cup of the century for all of them.

Who remembers?

Norway dominated all opponents with an eye on the World Cup in Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

They won all eight of their matches, scoring 37 goals. Sixteen of those were by top scorer Haaland.

Contributing to Italy competing in their third consecutive playoff.

Austria started with five wins. They lost to Romania and then defeated Cyprus. They reached the final round with the advantage of a draw against Bosnia.

It was an emotional match, as they were behind and only equalized at 77', thanks to Gregoritsch. But they confirmed themselves as the best team in the group.

Scotland gave everything and more in the "final" against Denmark.

They reached the last match with the possibility of direct qualification thanks to their competitor's stumble against Belarus.

What was a draw until the 93rd minute turned into a historic victory with another goal - scored from midfield. And they had already scored a bicycle kick goal.

Norway and Scotland were in Group A of that 98 World Cup, the same as the Brazilian National Team, the then world champion.

Tore André Flo punished Brazil, making the difference for Norway's 2-1 victory. Which helped lead the Nordic team to the round of 16.

They were the only ones to advance past the group stage.

Will they go far in 2026?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

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