Scotland’s road to the World Cup: How they clinched a spot after 30 years

Scotland

It was touch and go for the "Bagpipe country", Scotland, as it prepared to qualify for a slot in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Part of the United Kingdom, a country known for great cities like Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow, Scotland had to bring down Denmark to book its place in the global event, which it had not been seen in action for almost three decades.

As part of a four-team group, Scotland played six matches - two each against Denmark, Greece and Belarus - won four, drew one and lost one. It clinched a berth for the 23rd edition with a decisive 4-2 win against the Scandinavian country in November last and celebrated Christmas and New Year in style.

Luckily, Greece and Belarus played a goalless draw, and this outcome necessitated a straight win for Scotland against Denmark at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Could there have been a better way than to play a crucial match with the home crowd behind you?

It was dramatic as it could have been, with hopes for both teams hanging by a slender thread. Fortunes fluctuated like a pendulum. Scotland led 1-0 and 2-1, but a 2-2 score took the match to extra time, and Scotland got its heroes - Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean, who shot in to put their team 4-2 ahead for a place in the grand finals in the Americas.

ALSO READ: FIFA World Cup 2026: The Complete List of Qualified African Teams

Scotland has figured in the FIFA World Cups eight times; it was a regular feature from 1974 in West Germany to 1990 in Italy. And yet, it failed to make the cut after 1998. With the competition being so strong in Europe, Scotland missed the bus on six occasions while 31 other nations made their presence felt. A generation lost out on playing in a World Cup.

After the successful campaign in its group, the team manager, Steve Clarke, told the media: “The number of people that come up to you and just want to shake your hand to say ‘thank you and well done’, it’s pretty special to feel that. You’re walking through the airport and every second person wants to shake your hand.”

Scotland will have to get the better of Haiti in the opening match at Gillette Stadium. It will be an underdog against Brazil and Morocco. It has not faced Haiti before, but lost 0-3 to Morocco in 1998, and it has lost four of the five against Brazil, with the last match happening fifteen years ago.

So Scotland, an experienced side, can, with some luck, progress to the round of 32. It's man below the woodwork will be the 43-year-old Craig Gordon, who has played 69 matches. Head coach Clarke has been in the dugout for 77 matches since 2019; he has won 34, drawn 16 and lost 27. Scotland has won in friendlies against Croatia and Poland, but it lost to Japan and the Ivory Coast. World Cup matches are never easy, and Scotland will find that out very soon.

ALSO READ: Can the host trio USA, Canada and Mexico reach Round of 16?

Haiti

It's one of the countries with a Caribbean flavour that does not practice cricket in a serious way. It has embraced football, and it played in the 1974 competition in Germany. Its match against Italy became famous because of its striker Emmanuel Sanon ending goalkeeper Dino Zoff's 1143-minute record of not letting a ball beat him. Haiti lost that match to Argentina and Poland and conceded 14 goals.

Haiti has returned to the World Cup finals after 52 years and after playing its home matches at Curacao because of violence in Port-au-Prince. It has featured in eight World Cup qualifiers and progressed twice to the finals.

It played ten qualifying matches in its group, scored 20 goals and conceded 13, with striker/ midfielder Duckens Nazon scoring six to take his tally to 13 in three World Cup qualifiers. He has played 51 matches and scored 34 goals, a player to watch for this month in the group matches.

Haiti is grouped with Morocco and Scotland, against which it has not played and Brazil, which has pumped in 22 goals and conceded in matches between 1959 and 2016.

Coached by Frenchman Sebastien Migne, all remotely since his appointment 18 months ago. The gang wars in Haiti have prevented him from travelling to the Caribbean nation, but he has built a good record, winning many matches. He has coached Congo, DR Congo, Cameroon and Kenya.

ALSO READ: FIFA World Cup 2026: Previewing Egypt, Tunisia, and Ghana

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic's new head coach, Miroslav Koubek, did not lose the opportunity to choose Tomas Soucek for the national team for the World Cup. The 31-year-old midfielder has been with West Ham for seven seasons and started in 204 of the 229 matches he has played in the EPL.

Soucek played in ten matches of the UEFA World Cup qualifiers, including the playoff final against Denmark. His team beat Ireland and Denmark in a penalty shoot-out to confirm its passage to the finals.

A delighted Soucek told EuroFoot: " When you dream, dream big. You can’t even imagine how many times, as a little boy, I went to bed wishing to be like those I had plastered on the wall next to me. There was the whole team from the 2006 World Cup. Now, twenty years later, we’re finally building on their legacy. And I, who still sleeps in that same bed when visiting my parents, can suddenly be one of them."

"Through the qualifiers and two penalty shootouts, we (have) marched all the way to secure our ticket to Mexico. Couldn’t be prouder. Of us. Of you. Of the whole country. That we pulled it off together and put Czechia back among the best. Where it belongs. Thank you for that, your Suk."

The Czech Manager Koubek, at 74, is set to become the oldest manager in a World Cup. He has been in the job for only three matches. He succeeded Ian Hasek, whose contract was terminated after the team's defeat against Face Islands 1-2 last October. Koubek has picked a lot of experienced players, including the 35-year-old Vladimir Darida, who has played 68 international matches. He was fielded only in two qualifiers. "He is the pillar of strength in the dressing room," said Koubek.

The team is drawn in a group that has South Africa, South Korea and Mexico.

ALSO READ: FIFA World Cup 2026: Major VAR and Rule Changes Explained

South Korea

The Asian nation has competed in every World Cup from 1986, 11 in all, which, as a matter of fact, mirrors its consistency and the national association's commitment to promote the game from junior level to the seniors: It has played 38 matches in the competition, won 7, lost 21 and drawn ten.

For the first time, the country advanced to the second stage, and the team managed by Hong Myungbo will try to improve upon it. He has managed the team for three plys years, the current one being close to two years.

As the results suggest, South Korea finds it difficult to keep pace with the European and American countries. It has a one win, one loss, one draw against the Czech Republic, and it has a 2-4-3 record against Mexico, including a 2-2 draw in a FIFA friendly last September.

It has had a good run, winning 25 matches after the Qatar World Cup, but recently it was thrashed 4-0 by the Ivory Coast, and it went down 0-1 to Austria. The odds are against South Korea coming unscathed from the group.