Scotland achieve World Cup dream: Steve Clarke ends 28 years of hurt with victory over Denmark at Hampden Park | Football News

Scotland have qualified for a World Cup for the first time since 1998, and for the first time in my lifetime.

The same goes for nine players in the current national team squad: Aaron Hickey, Anthony Ralston, Josh Doig, Andy Irving, Connor Barron, Billy Gilmour, Ben Gannon-Doak, Lewis Ferguson and George Hirst.

This is a first in a generation achievement.

Scottish kids of the last three decades have never had the chance to turn up to school dressed in their national team’s colours or watch a World Cup game on TV in a classroom. Those same kids have also never launched a plastic cup of lukewarm beer in the air to celebrate a World Cup goal. That will change next summer.

I am too young to have been around for France ’98, but I am old enough to be eternally damaged by Scotland’s gloriously failed attempts since then.

Belgium 2001, Moldova 2004, Belarus 2005 (twice), Macedonia 2008, Norway 2009, Macedonia 2012 (again), Wales 2012 (twice), Lithuania 2016, England 2017 (Stuart Armstrong, why didn’t you just clear it?) and Ukraine 2022.

I phoned my Dad before the game, neither of us were confident. That’s nothing to do with a lack of belief in those legendary players and coaches, but rather an intrinsic Scottish survival instinct to protect ourselves from seemingly inevitable disappointment.

So at what point does youthful optimism give way for evidence-based misery and dread?

Well it’s probably immediately after your first taste of glorious failure. I remember crying in my Dad’s arms as Christian Panucci headed in Italy’s controversial injury-time winner at Hampden to knock us out of Euro 2008 qualifying, albeit I was up way past my bedtime.

I had just turned six. My Dad’s pessimism started at five.

Scotland were knocked out of the 1974 World Cup on goal difference, despite going undefeated in a group consisting of reigning world champions Brazil, Yugoslavia and Zaire. Scotland qualified for five of the next six World Cups but have never qualified since, so I’d say my Dad was spoiled.

We have always spoken about going to a World Cup together, but I’m not sure I ever believed it would happen if I’m honest.

When my Dad was diagnosed with kidney cancer last year, that little belief dwindled further.

The prognosis was good, but naturally I feared the worst. Sound familiar?

Normal people may worry about their father being absent from their wedding or the birth of their kids, weirdos like me worried I may never get the chance to share a World Cup with him.

But two and a half weeks ago he was given the all clear from his 12-month scan, no stray cells, no cancer, and now Scotland have qualified for a World Cup.

I recognise how lucky I am. A generation has passed since 1998, and thousands of Scotland fans will have lost loved ones in that time. So, I encourage all members of the Tartan Army tonight to raise a dram to their Auld Da, or whoever it is that you blame for bringing you up as a Scotland fan, whether they are still with us or not.

Dear Dad, we did it.

Get those flights booked, we’re off to North America.

Lots of love,

Adam.

The draw for the 2026 World Cup will take place in Washington on December 5.

President Trump will join FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the John F Kennedy Center – a performing arts venue where Trump is chairman – to decide the group stage fixtures.

Announcing the draw venue at the White House in August, Trump said the World Cup was “the biggest event in sports”, while Infantino declared the 104 matches would be like “104 Super Bowls”.

The draw will take place from 12pm local time (5pm UK time).

The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup takes place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

It will be the 23rd edition of the tournament.