Scotland to face Belarus, Greece and Portugal or Denmark in World Cup qualifying

Scotland will face Belarus, Greece and Portugal or Denmark in World Cup qualifying.

The loser of Portugal and Denmark’s two-legged Nations League A quarter-final in March will be in Scotland’s section, which is Group C.

The Scots last featured at a World Cup tournament in 1998 during Craig Brown’s tenure as manager.

The team that wins Group C will progress to the 2026 finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States, with the runner-up entering the play-offs, which will feature semi-finals and finals.

Steve Clarke’s Scotland reached the play-offs for the last World Cup in Qatar but were eliminated by Ukraine.

Scotland will face Greece in March’s Nations League play-offs, aiming to remain in League A. The men’s team last faced Greece in competitive fixtures as part of the Euro 96 qualifying campaign, with the home side winning 1-0 on both occasions.

Portugal beat visitors Scotland 2-1 in their recent Nations League group, with the return fixture at Hampden finishing 0-0. Denmark beat Scotland at home in the last World Cup qualifying campaign but lost by the same 2-0 scoreline at Hampden.

Belarus won the last of four meetings with Scotland in 2005, a World Cup qualifier. The Scots won two and drew the other of the previous encounters.

Group C fixtures will be played between September and November 2025.