FIFA World Rankings: Scotland make big leap in table - how it affects potential World Cup play-off opponents
Scotland are amongst the highest risers in the FIFA rankings
Scotland has taken a big leap in the Fifa world rankings table after their back-to-back World Cup qualifying wins at Hampden Park earlier this month.
Steve Clarke’s side booked themselves at least a spot in the World Cup play-offs after following up their 3-1 win over Greece with a narrow 2-1 victory over Belarus, and will focus their attention on November’s final two qualifiers against the Greeks and current Group C leaders Denmark. Currently behind the Danes on goal difference, Scotland have 10 points after their first four games.
Having broken their major tournament hoodoo by qualifying for the last two European Championship finals, Clarke’s squad is now aiming to end a near three-decade exile from the world stage by snatching a spot at next summer’s World Cup, which would be their first since the tournament was held in France way back in 1998.
Placed in 43rd position prior to their last two fixtures, Scotland’s wins against Greece and Belarus mean they will be one of the highest risers under the UEFA nations in the FIFA world rankings this month. Their second successive jump up the table, Scotland have now moved from 47th to 38th over the last two months.
Their highest ranking in the table for over 18 months, when Scotland sat in 36th place, they still remain slightly short of their best position since the appointment of Clarke, where they sat in 30th position back in September 2023, following huge wins over Spain, Norway, and Georgia.
Scotland’s potential World Cup playoff opponents
The latest rankings, which will be officially announced on October 23, could have huge permutations regarding Scotland’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup in United States, Mexico, and Canada next year.
Should Scotland fail to top their group, they will enter a play-off with 16 other nations. These teams will be divided into four pots of four teams each. These pots will be based on their FIFA world rankings, so the higher in rankings Scotland are, then they better chance they have of being placed into a higher pot.
Each of the four play-off paths pairs Pot 1 vs. Pot 4 and Pot 2 vs. Pot 3 in the semi-finals on March 26, 2026, with winners advancing to finals on March 31.
As it is currently stands, Scotland would be highly liked to land a spot in Pot 2, meaning they would be guaranteed a one-legged semi-final against a pot three 3 team at Hampden Park. Pot 4 teams will be all nations who have qualified for the play-offs via the Nations League route.
Currently, it is hard to gauge exactly who Scotland would likely face in a potential World Cup play-off due to the many permutations, and games remaining in the UEFA qualifying route. However, as it currently stands, Scotland would face one of Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or North Macedonia in the semi-final round. It is important to remember that this could easily change depending on the results of next month’s final qualifying games.
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