World Cup Draw How it works

Scotland will be one of 52 UEFA countries in tonight’s draw and there will be seven groups of six teams and two of five.

The nine group winners advance directly to the final tournament and the eight runners-up with the best record against the teams first, third, fourth and fifth in their groups proceed to play-offs to decide the remaining four European berths. The runner-up with the worst record will miss out.

Six seeding pots will be formed as per the FIFA world rankings for this month, with Scotland in Pot Three.

All groups will contain one team from each of the top five seeding pots. Each of the seven sides in the sixth pot will be allocated to a six-team group.

FIFA have stated that due to the centralisation of media rights for European Qualifiers, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Holland will all be drawn into six-team groups and Scotland cannot play these teams if they are in a five-team group.

Azerbaijan and Armenia will be kept apart due to their political instability.

Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Holland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Wales.

Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Slovakia, Switzerland. Albania, Greece, Hungary,

Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine.

Bulgaria, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Israel, Montenegro, Norway,

Slovenia, Turkey. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cyprus, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova.

Andorra, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, San Marino.