How can Scotland qualify for 2026 World Cup?

So now things have become a little clearer.

Scotland will finish either first or second in their World Cup qualification group. And they will either earn an automatic place in the finals or will have to endure the tension of March's play-offs.

Victory for Steve Clarke's side against Belarus, combined with Denmark's win over Greece, means those two sides will now go head-to-head to determine which will be in November's draw for the finals and which will have to wait.

Scotland travel to face Greece next month, while Denmark welcome Belarus. Then the sides reconvene at Hampden for a winner-takes-all encounter.

Scotland and Denmark are both on 10 points.

The Danes have a handsome goal difference advantage of six goals, and that is the first deciding factor if teams are level on points - not head-to-head.

However, Scotland will be hoping they can get the job done without the need for such messiness.

We can probably assume Denmark will beat pointless Belarus at home in November - having thrashed them 6-0 last week - which would move them to 13 points.

If Scotland beat an already-out Greece in Athens, they would match that tally, setting up an angst-ridden decider at Hampden.

A draw in that one on 18 November would almost certainly favour the Danes, given the goal difference disparity.

Should the Scots draw in Athens, victory over Denmark would still be enough to win the group.

However, defeat in Greece would require an extraordinary victory in that final game to give Clarke's side any chance of automatic qualification.

Scotland would need to wait until March for the two games that will decide whether they will be in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

The 12 runners-up in these current qualifying groups - plus the four best Nations League group winners who fail to finish top two in their sections - will be drawn into four different paths in November.

Each path will have one-legged semi-finals on March 26 - with the seeded team at home - and a final on March 31.

So, basically, two games to decide which four teams join the World Cup party.

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