England, USA and Iran lie in wait if Scots make it to Qatar finals
Scotland will play England in the World Cup finals if they qualify for the tournament in Qatar later this year.
Steve Clarke’s side, who entered the draw alongside Ukraine and Wales as one of three potential teams to take the final European play-off spot, have been paired with Gareth Southgate’s men in Group B alongside Iran and USA.
Scotland have yet to qualify for the tournament after their World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine scheduled to take place on 24 March was postponed until June, at the earliest, due to the ongoing Russian invasion.
Wales await the winners of that tie in the play-off final in Cardiff for the right to participate in the World Cup.
Should Scotland make it through they will face USA in their opening fixture on Monday,21 november, the same day as the opening match between hosts Qatar and Ecuador.
Iran would be up next on Friday, 25 November before the potential battle of Britain to complete the group stage on Tuesday, 29 November.
Qualification for Scotland would mean facing England at a second successive major finals following on from their Wembley meeting at last summer’s European Championships. Scotland claimed a credible goalless draw only to exit at the group stages, while England went on to reach the final, losing on penalties to Italy.
Ex-scotland international James Mcfadden believes the prospect of facing England w ill be a major motivation ahead of the play-offs.
"Hopefully we can get through the first play-off, which sets up an unbelievable encounter against Wales," he told the BBC. "And then for either side, it's a great incentive. It's a big enough incentive in itself to get to the World Cup, but knowing that you're going into a group again with England is great and I'm sure it will motivate the players."
Scotland’s possible meeting with Iran at the tournament conjures up memories of their only previous encounter, at the 1978 World Cup finals in Argentina, where an infamous 1-1 draw in the group stages scuppered Ally Mcleod’s side’s hopes of reaching the knock-out stages. The Scots have never met the USA in a competitive fixture.