General World Cup Chat

[Spudulike]

It's so draining being fed this non-stop portrayal of cone head numpties telling us how they great they are and confidentally predicting a win against Brazil. The broadcasters must go out of their way to find them as it's rare to hear a Scottish voice giving a reasonable and thoughtful interview. Probably too much to hope the BBC has realised that you don't win WC games by marching down the road with bagpipes. 

[skolfoxes]

10 minutes ago, StanSP said:

It's just over-analysis of what was poor mistakes in a game against a very good Brazil side. 

 

In the same breath, I didn't see much of it when you only won 1-0 against Haiti. Surely you should be doing better than that against a side who hasn't even been at a World Cup in 52 years... 

Not sure I'd call it over analysis, but we can agree to disagree on that one.

 

After Haiti people absolutely got caught up in the fact it was our first World Cup win in 36 years, but you'll find no arguments from me that the performance wasn't good enough. Losing to Brazil and Morocco was no surprise, although the manor in which we conceded 3 of the 4 goals felt pretty self inflicted, 'only' beating Haiti 1-0 is what will likely cost us, although they showed last night again that they're no pushovers.

[StanSP]

3 minutes ago, skolfoxes said:

Not sure I'd call it over analysis, but we can agree to disagree on that one.

 

After Haiti people absolutely got caught up in the fact it was our first World Cup win in 36 years, but you'll find no arguments from me that the performance wasn't good enough. Losing to Brazil and Morocco was no surprise, although the manor in which we conceded 3 of the 4 goals felt pretty self inflicted, 'only' beating Haiti 1-0 is what will likely cost us, although they showed last night again that they're no pushovers.

Can agree on all of that! 

 

Think Haiti was the perfect first game and opportunity to get the goals on top of the 3pts. May have arguably had more confidence vs Morocco and less reliance on conceding fewer last night. 

 

And there's no butthurt here by the way! As amusing as it may be, I do like the atmosphere and vibe of the Scottish fans that is brought to a World Cup. Similar vein to how everyone gets caught up in what the Dutch or Norwegians do. I won't mention Mexico or South American teams as they're on a different level

 

[skolfoxes]

2 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Can agree on all of that! 

 

Think Haiti was the perfect first game and opportunity to get the goals on top of the 3pts. May have arguably had more confidence vs Morocco and less reliance on conceding fewer last night. 

 

And there's no butthurt here by the way! As amusing as it may be, I do like the atmosphere and vibe of the Scottish fans that is brought to a World Cup. Similar vein to how everyone gets caught up in what the Dutch or Norwegians do. I won't mention Mexico or South American teams as they're on a different level

 

Yeah it should have been, but we played scared and it definitely felt like it set the tone. With only +1 GD to play with it definitely affected the feeling around the next 2 games.

 

To be fair, and I am aware this does sound a bit like I'm coping, but people forget that McTominay hit the post and McGinn spooned a great chance wide in the first game, on another day one of those goes in and we're in a decent spot. But that's the way football goes sometimes.

 

Haha sorry, that may have been a bit strong! Probably still grumpy from last nights result  The fans are just there for a good time, we know we're not great, getting out of the group by hook or by crook is a result, we don't know when we'll be back! If it's the same again I'll nearly be retired next time, which is a terrifying thought. And you're right, the Mexicans and South Americans are where the real party is at. We can drink Tennants for days but whack out the tequila and the party would be over pretty quickly!

 

As someone born in Scotland, but grew up in England from a pretty young age I've always wanted to see England do well (unless they're playing Scotland), and seeing as it looks like we won't be winning the whole thing I hope you guys do. 

[Wymsey]

 

 

[Lionator]

2 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Already feeling a bit of fixture fatigue to be honest, I watched about 20 minutes total of the games overnight and then skimmed Scotland's highlights.

I think the extended knockout stage will be good. They should’ve gone with the 16x3 team groups even though you may have ended up with teams playing for draws. Would’ve meant way less group games. 

[RowlattsFox]

6 minutes ago, Lionator said:

I think the extended knockout stage will be good. They should’ve gone with the 16x3 team groups even though you may have ended up with teams playing for draws. Would’ve meant way less group games. 

Should go FA cup style straight knockout  

[Finnegan]

Just actually looked at the draw and the likely brackets for the first time. I know this won't be news to anyone but I've not really been properly paying attention.

 

Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Netherlands, Spain all on one side of the draw along with current dark-horses / major banana skins Japan and Morocco. That's the entire top six and seven of the top eight teams in the world currently.

 

Funnily enough, the USA aren't on that side of the draw.

 

They've got a Germany to worry about who went out in the group stages of the last World Cup and wobbled past the Ivory Coast and an underwhelming Portugal that just struggled with Congo. And they'll only face one of them and in the Semi Final. Other major "heavyweights" on their side of the draw include Switzerland, Bosnia and Egypt.

 

Interesting that.

 

Edited 25 June by Finnegan

[purpleronnie]

Canada must be over the moon with drawing south africa

[leicsmac]

12 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

Just actually looked at the draw and the likely brackets for the first time. I know this won't be news to anyone but I've not really been properly paying attention.

 

Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Netherlands, Spain all on one side of the draw along with current dark-horses / major banana skins Japan and Morocco. That's the entire top six and seven of the top eight teams in the world currently.

 

Funnily enough, the USA aren't on that side of the draw.

 

They've got a Germany to worry about who went out in the group stages of the last World Cup and wobbled past the Ivory Coast and an underwhelming Portugal that just struggled with Congo. And they'll only face one of them and in the Semi Final. Other major "heavyweights" on their side of the draw include Switzerland, Bosnia and Egypt.

 

Interesting that.

 

I've got France to have a very tricky run, and Spain to play the USA in the QF's (if both win their groups)? 

 

England's run doesn't actually look that hard at first glance.

[StanSP]

38 minutes ago, purpleronnie said:

Canada must be over the moon with drawing south africa

and then potentially Netherlands in R16.

[RowlattsFox]

Another impact of the stupid 3rd place rule is how fans are left in limbo, not knowing where to go and spending more money on hotels when they could've just gone home. 

[MC Prussian]

56 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

Another impact of the stupid 3rd place rule is how fans are left in limbo, not knowing where to go and spending more money on hotels when they could've just gone home. 

This has been known for months. IF you are a sensible football fan, you've already taken this into consideration.

 

That's a big if, though.

[shen]

7 minutes ago, MC Prussian said:

This has been known for months. IF you are a sensible football fan, you've already taken this into consideration.

 

That's a big if, though.

It is. "Sensible" and "football fan" rarely go together. 

[bovril]

My God some people are obsessed with Scotland, usually the same people who say the Scots are obsessed with them. 

[whoareyaaa]

Mexico looks good 

 

and the Dutch

 

 

Edited Thursday at 19:45 by whoareyaaa

[KingsX]

18 hours ago, FoxesDeb said:

Am I the only person who's still completely confused about the whole 3rd place thing? Even after reading up on it I still don't get it

No worries, you're just normal.  "World Cup third place" is the new "Belgian Pro League playoffs". 

 

[RowlattsFox]

On 24/06/2026 at 09:12, RowlattsFox said:

in the old format there are some potentially interesting last group games. 

 

Australia v Paraguay

Sweden v Japan

Ghana v Croatia 

Austria v Algeria

 

But could all play out dull draws to make sure they both go through. 

Well, 2 out of 2 so far. 

[Spudulike]

19 hours ago, whoareyaaa said:

Mexico looks good 

 

and the Dutch

 

 

Hold on, we've been told that No Scotland, no party. Think this might suggest it just might not be true. Equador fans were bonkers last night.

[theessexfox]

3 really interesting and tight group finishes in any other World Cup, instead they all have the top 3 teams going through and have little jeopardy. 

[st albans fox]

The eastern half of the USA has been well below expected temps so far but things are going to change this week 

whilst the west coast looks to stay cooler than normal, the remainder of the states and Canada is heating up so those breaks outdoors will actually be required!

If England win their group then they’ll be indoors on Wednesday!

 

[davieG]

Clutching at Straws

 

 

World Cup third-place table and how Scotland can qualify for last 32
Story by Ronan Sullivan

 

The expanded World Cup 2026 format means the introduction of a round of 32 and for some third-placed teams a chance at knockout glory.

Teams who finish fourth in their groups are eliminated immediately, but eight of the 12 third-placed teams will live to fight another day. And the battle is close.

Evening Standard

Iran: Egypt holds off Iran in 1-1 stalemate to secure place in next World Cup round.

Current Time 0:17

/

Duration 5:22

0

Scotland currently sit 10th in the third-place table after playing their three group games, which leaves their last-32 hopes hanging by a thinnest of threads

World Cup third-place teams standings

Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Sweden	3	1	1	1	0	4
2	Ecuador	3	1	1	1	0	4
3	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3	1	1	1	-1	4
4	Paraguay	3	1	1	1	-2	4
5	Senegal	3	1	0	2	2	3
6	Iran	3	0	3	0	0	3
7	Croatia	2	1	0	1	-1	3
8	South Korea	3	1	0	2	-1	3
9	Algeria	2	1	0	1	-2	3
10	Scotland	3	1	0	2	-3	3
11	Uruguay	3	0	2	1	-1	2
12	DR Congo	2	0	1	1	-1	1

How Scotland can qualify for round of 32

If Scotland do qualify in third, their reward will be a last 32 clash against a group winner and as things currently stand, it would be against tournament co-hosts Mexico.

But their chances are slim. Very slim. They have a 0.07 per cent chance of progressing, to be precise.

Scotland need three results to go their way tonight to reach the knockout stages.

They need Ghana to defeat third-placed Croatia by at least three goals, leaving both teams level on points but giving Croatia an inferior goal difference.

Scotland also require Uzbekistan to avoid defeat against DR Congo. There is a caveat though: If Uzbekistan win, the margin must be fewer than four goals, otherwise they would move above Scotland in the rankings.

Finally, Austria must beat Algeria by at least two goals, a result that would leave Algeria behind Scotland on goal difference in the table of third-placed teams and keep Scotland's qualification hopes alive.

How are the eight best third-placed teams decided?

The eight best third-placed teams are ranked based on several criteria.

First, teams are compared by the total number of points they obtained in all group matches. If teams are still level, their goal difference across all group matches is considered. If a tie remains, the total number of goals scored in all group matches is used.

If teams cannot be separated using these criteria, the Fair Play ranking is applied, taking into account the number of yellow and red cards received during all group matches. As a final tiebreaker, the FIFA World Ranking is used.

[st albans fox]

2 minutes ago, davieG said:

Clutching at Straws

 

 

World Cup third-place table and how Scotland can qualify for last 32
Story by Ronan Sullivan

 

The expanded World Cup 2026 format means the introduction of a round of 32 and for some third-placed teams a chance at knockout glory.

Teams who finish fourth in their groups are eliminated immediately, but eight of the 12 third-placed teams will live to fight another day. And the battle is close.

Evening Standard

Iran: Egypt holds off Iran in 1-1 stalemate to secure place in next World Cup round.

Current Time 0:17

/

Duration 5:22

0

Scotland currently sit 10th in the third-place table after playing their three group games, which leaves their last-32 hopes hanging by a thinnest of threads

World Cup third-place teams standings

Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Sweden	3	1	1	1	0	4
2	Ecuador	3	1	1	1	0	4
3	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3	1	1	1	-1	4
4	Paraguay	3	1	1	1	-2	4
5	Senegal	3	1	0	2	2	3
6	Iran	3	0	3	0	0	3
7	Croatia	2	1	0	1	-1	3
8	South Korea	3	1	0	2	-1	3
9	Algeria	2	1	0	1	-2	3
10	Scotland	3	1	0	2	-3	3
11	Uruguay	3	0	2	1	-1	2
12	DR Congo	2	0	1	1	-1	1

How Scotland can qualify for round of 32

If Scotland do qualify in third, their reward will be a last 32 clash against a group winner and as things currently stand, it would be against tournament co-hosts Mexico.

But their chances are slim. Very slim. They have a 0.07 per cent chance of progressing, to be precise.

Scotland need three results to go their way tonight to reach the knockout stages.

They need Ghana to defeat third-placed Croatia by at least three goals, leaving both teams level on points but giving Croatia an inferior goal difference.

Scotland also require Uzbekistan to avoid defeat against DR Congo. There is a caveat though: If Uzbekistan win, the margin must be fewer than four goals, otherwise they would move above Scotland in the rankings.

Finally, Austria must beat Algeria by at least two goals, a result that would leave Algeria behind Scotland on goal difference in the table of third-placed teams and keep Scotland's qualification hopes alive.

How are the eight best third-placed teams decided?

The eight best third-placed teams are ranked based on several criteria.

First, teams are compared by the total number of points they obtained in all group matches. If teams are still level, their goal difference across all group matches is considered. If a tie remains, the total number of goals scored in all group matches is used.

If teams cannot be separated using these criteria, the Fair Play ranking is applied, taking into account the number of yellow and red cards received during all group matches. As a final tiebreaker, the FIFA World Ranking is used.

Straws made of semolina ! 

[davieG]

[Gravel]

4 hours ago, davieG said:

Clutching at Straws

 

 

World Cup third-place table and how Scotland can qualify for last 32
Story by Ronan Sullivan

 

The expanded World Cup 2026 format means the introduction of a round of 32 and for some third-placed teams a chance at knockout glory.

Teams who finish fourth in their groups are eliminated immediately, but eight of the 12 third-placed teams will live to fight another day. And the battle is close.

Evening Standard

Iran: Egypt holds off Iran in 1-1 stalemate to secure place in next World Cup round.

Current Time 0:17

/

Duration 5:22

0

Scotland currently sit 10th in the third-place table after playing their three group games, which leaves their last-32 hopes hanging by a thinnest of threads

World Cup third-place teams standings

Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Sweden	3	1	1	1	0	4
2	Ecuador	3	1	1	1	0	4
3	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3	1	1	1	-1	4
4	Paraguay	3	1	1	1	-2	4
5	Senegal	3	1	0	2	2	3
6	Iran	3	0	3	0	0	3
7	Croatia	2	1	0	1	-1	3
8	South Korea	3	1	0	2	-1	3
9	Algeria	2	1	0	1	-2	3
10	Scotland	3	1	0	2	-3	3
11	Uruguay	3	0	2	1	-1	2
12	DR Congo	2	0	1	1	-1	1

How Scotland can qualify for round of 32

If Scotland do qualify in third, their reward will be a last 32 clash against a group winner and as things currently stand, it would be against tournament co-hosts Mexico.

But their chances are slim. Very slim. They have a 0.07 per cent chance of progressing, to be precise.

Scotland need three results to go their way tonight to reach the knockout stages.

They need Ghana to defeat third-placed Croatia by at least three goals, leaving both teams level on points but giving Croatia an inferior goal difference.

Scotland also require Uzbekistan to avoid defeat against DR Congo. There is a caveat though: If Uzbekistan win, the margin must be fewer than four goals, otherwise they would move above Scotland in the rankings.

Finally, Austria must beat Algeria by at least two goals, a result that would leave Algeria behind Scotland on goal difference in the table of third-placed teams and keep Scotland's qualification hopes alive.

How are the eight best third-placed teams decided?

The eight best third-placed teams are ranked based on several criteria.

First, teams are compared by the total number of points they obtained in all group matches. If teams are still level, their goal difference across all group matches is considered. If a tie remains, the total number of goals scored in all group matches is used.

If teams cannot be separated using these criteria, the Fair Play ranking is applied, taking into account the number of yellow and red cards received during all group matches. As a final tiebreaker, the FIFA World Ranking is used.

 

 

Scotland fans.. 

 

Edited Saturday at 20:48 by Gravel