Scotland denied World Cup Pot 2 seeding as we learn Nations League playoff draw opponents

Get the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info

Join us on WhatsApp

Scotland have narrowly missed out on a spot in Pot 2 of World Cup qualifying. And we know who is joining us in the Nations League playoffs.

The step up to the top tier of the Nations League looked like one too far after a hattrick of defeats to open the campaign. A comeback against Poland was dashed with the final kick of the game at Hampden in the opener as a sickeningly late penalty gave the visitors a 3-2 win. A shock looked on the cards in Lisbon when Scott McTominay headed us in front, but Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo's late strike turned things around to inflict more misery on Steve Clarke's side, before the same outcome in Zagreb meant things looked bleak.

But the tide turned on a goalless draw with Portugal in Glasgow, which saw Ronaldo leave the pitch in a cream puff. An improved Scotland display and a clean sheet offered hope, which was ramped right up thanks to John McGinn's winner against ten-man Croatia last Friday. We still needed a favour from the Portuguese and a three-goal swing with Croatia to finish second, and a 1-1 draw in Zagreb put paid to that.

However, Andy Robertson's stoppage time header has left Nations League survival in our own hands, and gave us a shot at second seeds for the World Cup draw. That was reliant on either the Czech Republic failing to beat Georgia or Slovakia being held at home by Estonia. The Czechs raced into a 2-0 first half lead in Prague and kept a second half comeback at bay. Estonia failed to hold up their end of the bargain with a 1-0 defeat across the border, leaving us in an unexpectedly much better position for the draw than was first feared.

Our Nations League playoff opponents have also been confirmed. We already knew Greece and Austria were in the mix, and they have been joined by fellow League B runners up Turkiye and Ukraine.

We'll discover who we are up against in Friday's draw. That takes place at 11am in Nyon, Switzerland.

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.