SNS GroupScotland missed out on pot two of the World Cup qualifying draw after both Slovakia and Czech Republic won their final Nations League matches.
Wins over Croatia and Poland in the past week gave Steve Clarke’s side the chance to move far enough up the FIFA rankings to get into pot two after a 14-month wait for a competitive victory saw them drift down.
Scotland could even have jumped in amongst the top seeds but needed Croatia to lose to Portugal on Monday.
After other results went against them in previous days, a 1-1 draw in Split left the Scots looking for either the Czech Republic or Slovakia to drop points at home in their last Nations League games.
But both sides won their respective games, the Czechs coming out on top in a 2-1 victory over Georgia while Slovakia beat Estonia 1-0, leaving Scotland to have to settle for a place in pot three.
The draw for the qualifiers, for the tournament that will be held across North America in the summer of 2026, will take place of Friday, December 13.
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