From a 31-minute draw to a marathon show
In 1998, Scotland’s World Cup fate was decided in little more than half an hour.
Franz Beckenbauer pulled the balls, Sepp Blatter rattled through the groups and Scotland were first out: Brazil, Norway, Morocco, dates, venues – done in 31 minutes.
This Friday in Washington DC, the 2026 draw will be the opposite: long build-up, celebrity guests, and a TV event designed to break audience records rather than get quickly to the football.
Kennedy Center, glitter – and a lot of filler
The draw takes place at the Kennedy Center in Washington at 17:00 GMT.
Presidents Trump (Donald) and Mulraney (Mike, Scottish FA), Robbie Williams and even the Village People are scheduled to appear – you can almost pencil in a YMCA moment and a collective wince from viewers.
Fifa will trumpet global viewing numbers, the show will sprawl, and only after hours will most teams know their opponents – and even then, not all dates and kick-off times.
When Scotland will know their full schedule
The basics are simple amid the chaos:
- If Scotland are drawn with a host nation (USA, Canada or Mexico), they will know their complete group schedule on Friday night.
- If not, they must wait until Saturday for every detail of their group to be finalised.
Kick-off times in BST will be 17:00, 20:00, 23:00 and 02:00 – a punishing spread for travelling fans and TV audiences alike.
If Scotland draw Mexico: Azteca and a curtain-raiser
A group with Mexico would bring a spectacular opening:
- 11 June, Mexico v Scotland, tournament opener at the Azteca (Mexico City).
- 18 June, Scotland face the pot four side in Atlanta.
- 24 June, final group game against the pot two team in Guadalupe.
It would echo France ’98, with Scotland again kicking off the World Cup.
If it’s Canada: West Coast heavy schedule
Canada as host would mean:
- 13 June, opener in San Francisco against the pot two opponent.
- 18 June, Scotland v Canada in Vancouver.
- 24 June, final match in Seattle versus the pot four team.
A group built around the Pacific coast, with serious travel and serious costs.
If Scotland get USA: California and Bay Area focus
Paired with the USA, Scotland’s path changes again:
- 12 June, USA v Scotland in California.
- Two further games in San Francisco, first against pot four, then pot two.
For fans, that’s less about flowers in their hair and more about frantic online booking as flights, hotels and match tickets disappear and prices soar.
A gigantic World Cup – and gigantic costs
The 2026 tournament will be the biggest ever: more teams, more games, more miles and record revenues flowing into Fifa.
It will also be brutally expensive – travel, accommodation, food, drink and tickets will stretch even the hardiest Tartan Army budgets.
Scotland will travel regardless, with or without tickets. That part is not in doubt.
From Denmark heroics to draw-day nerves
Since Kenny McLean’s dramatic winner against Denmark at Hampden – a “moon landing” moment for Scottish football – fans have played the game of hypothetical groups.
Best-case ideas include something like USA, Australia, Cape Verde.
Worst-case chatter centres on England, Ecuador, Ghana – and the slight anti-climax of flying across the Atlantic just to face the neighbours.
Who to avoid and who to target
Supporters have dug into the pots:
- South American dangers beyond the traditional giants.
- African dark horses that could make any group brutal.
- Curacao getting an unusual Scottish mention because Dick Advocaat, ex-Rangers boss, is their coach.
Down the pub, people even joke about drawing Haiti, hoping a US entry-ban on Haitian fans might loosen up ticket availability for the Tartan Army.
Thirty years of waiting for this stage
For almost three decades, Scotland have watched World Cups from the outside.
Now they finally return to the “top table”, offering:
- A first World Cup for a new generation of fans.
- A nostalgic, emotional return for older supporters who doubted they’d ever see this again.
Draw show: gaudy, overlong – but glorious
Friday’s event in Washington will almost certainly be over-produced, cheesy and exhausting.
But for Scotland, it is also a small kind of promised land: proof that the long wait is over, that they truly are back on the biggest stage.
After 30 years, it’s not a dream any more. It’s real – and the draw is just the next step in an adventure that began the night Denmark were beaten at Hampden.
