Scotland World Cup qualifying draw curveball as FIFA announce significant rule change
dailyrecord.co.ukScotland have been thrown a curveball which could result in a three-way home nations battle for World Cup qualification. Steve Clarke's men thought they had been given somewhat of a reprieve from fixture overload as it was initially confirmed they would be in a four-team qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup with their Nations League play off in March 2025 clashing with the first qualifying matchdays.
The draw for European teams will be held at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland on December 13, 2024. The draw will begin at 11am UK time (accompanied by the usual FIFA pageantry).
Sixteen UEFA nations will descend on the 48-team FIFA World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Sixteen cities will host games with the final earmarked for the Big Apple, New York City, on July 19.However, FIFA boffins have moved the goalposts when it comes to the European qualifying draw protocols and it could have a big impact on who Scotland could face.
Join Record Sport as we attempt to make sense of it all.The Scots are the top seed in Pot 3 for the European World Cup qualifying draw and are involved in the Nations League play offs.
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