Scotland’s 28-year wait to qualify for the World Cup was finally ended last month when their memorable 4-2 win over Denmark saw them top their group and gain a direct passage to next summer’s tournament.
Set to take place across USA, Mexico, and Canada, Steve Clarke’s side won’t have to wait anywhere near as long to discover who they will face at the competition, with the draw set to take place at the Kennedy Center in the American capital of Washington DC on Friday, December 5.
With Scotland placed in pot 3 of the draw, they know they will face a nation from pot 1, pot 2, and pot 4 - but which nations would be the most difficult to face?
Here, The Scotsman rank every pot 2 team in the World Cup 2026 draw ranked on difficulty, from easiest to most difficult. Do you agree with our rankings?
5. Iran (Difficult level: 5)
The Iranian national team are not to be sniffed at. Ranked 20th in the world, they narrowly missed out on a place in the knockouts at the last World Cup. That said, Scotland could face more difficult opponents in pot 2, meaning Iran would be one of the more favourable opponents. | KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images Photo: KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images
6. Austria (Difficulty level: 5)
They shocked everyone at Euro 2024 by topping the group of death that included both the Netherlands and France. They qualified for the tournament with relative ease, topping their qualification group, but dropped points against both Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, while they toiled against Cyprus. Scotland has a good recent history against them too, winning 1-0 in Vienna just a few short years ago. | APA/AFP via Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
7. Japan (Difficulty rating: 5)
Celtic fans will attest to the technical quality this Japanese side has, with current and former Hoops stars littered across the national team. Ranked 18th above the likes of Denmark, they would produce a different type of challenge for Scotland, though Steve Clarke's side should hold zero fear with the type of talent they have in their own squad. | Getty Images Photo: Getty Images
8. Uruguay (Difficulty rating: 6)
On paper, this would be a tough match-up for Scotland, but recent results have been poor under Marcelo Bielsa. Under pressure before the tournaments even started, Scotland may look more favourably on this type of draw than many others. | AFP via Getty Images Photo: Getty Images