Our path to qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will become clearer on Friday, as the play-off draw takes place in Switzerland.
Having finished second in Group F, Steve Clarke’s side not only secured a play-off spot, but also a place as one of the seeded teams – thus securing a play-off Semi-Final at Hampden Park.
Who could Scotland face in the Semi-Final?
In the Semi-Final at Hampden we will be drawn to face one of:
Turkey
Poland
North Macedonia
Ukraine
Austria
Czech Republic
How does the Semi-Final draw work?
On Friday, we’ll be drawn against one of the unseeded teams listed above in a play-off Semi-Final to be played at Hampden.
The first part of the draw will see Scotland and the five other seeded teams (Portugal, Italy, Russia, Sweden and Wales) allocated to Semi-Finals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 respectively.
The second part of the draw will see the unseeded teams drawn to face one of the seeded teams in the Semi-Finals. The first unseeded team drawn will be allocated to Semi-Final 1, the second team Semi-Final 2 and so-on until the draw is completed. Russia and Ukraine cannot be drawn against each other.
What about the play-off final?
The draw will also determine who we could face in a potential final, should we be victorious in our semi-final match:
The winners of semi-final 1 will face the winners of semi-final 2.
The winners of semi-final 3 will face the winners of semi-final 4.
The winners of semi-final 5 will face the winners of semi-final 6.
In order to determine which of the semi-final winners will play at home in their finals, the following draw will be conducted:
Two balls with ‘semi-final 1’ and ‘semi-final 2’ will be placed in an empty pot. This first ball drawn will indicate the winners of which semi-final will play the final at home.
This will also apply for semi-finals 3&4 and 5&6.
You can find out more about the full draw procedure here.
When is the draw and where can I watch it?
The draw will begin at 4pm (UK Time) and will be available to watch live on FIFA.com