Potential 2nd round

[Ally Bongo]

2 hours ago, Toepoke said:

 Yes there will be the bizarre start in South America but hardly anyone will be inconvenienced by that. 

 

Surely there will be a European team involved because of the way FIFA do the draw 

You can't be in a group with teams from the same continent with the exception of UEFA countries 

 

[AAAfather]

4 hours ago, Toepoke said:

2030 will be much better for the fans (especially European). Yes there will be the bizarre start in South America but hardly anyone will be inconvenienced by that. The majority of the games will be played in Iberia.

 

They might use the South America aspect to justify the round robin format.  5 matches for all qualifying teams, one each in South America (unless a host country where all are at home).  Then last 16, 8, 4, final....so 9 games for finalists. Sounds do-able  and profitable. 

[PSJ84]

14 hours ago, romanticscot said:

goodness knows the thinking of playing on three continents.

If you’re cynical enough, then you can make the leap pretty easily. 

[Toepoke]

13 hours ago, Ally Bongo said:

Surely there will be a European team involved because of the way FIFA do the draw 

You can't be in a group with teams from the same continent with the exception of UEFA countries 

 

It's not a full group getting played in South America, it's one game from each of the three groups featuring Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

 

[Ally Bongo]

28 minutes ago, Toepoke said:

It's not a full group getting played in South America, it's one game from each of the three groups featuring Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

 

Again 

In each of their three groups there will be a UEFA team so it is likely that one or more of the 3 matches in South America will involve a European nation 

 

[Orraloon]

1 hour ago, Toepoke said:

It's not a full group getting played in South America, it's one game from each of the three groups featuring Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

 

Have those 3 teams already qualified?

[Toepoke]

1 hour ago, Ally Bongo said:

Again 

In each of their three groups there will be a UEFA team so it is likely that one or more of the 3 matches in South America will involve a European nation 

 

Indeed, all three games could feature a European team, or none of them.

Don't get me wrong I think it's a shambles of a schedule, but it's only 3 games out of 104.

 

18 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

Have those 3 teams already qualified?

Yes...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2030_FIFA_World_Cup

[biffer]

On 4/5/2026 at 11:48 AM, Toepoke said:

Indeed, all three games could feature a European team, or none of them.

Don't get me wrong I think it's a shambles of a schedule, but it's only 3 games out of 104.

 

Yes...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2030_FIFA_World_Cup

I can understand Uruguay, and maybe stretch to Argentina, but why the fuck are Paraguay involved?

[DoonTheSlope]

What are the kick off times (BST) for our potential 2nd round fixtures?

[Toepoke]

1 hour ago, biffer said:

I can understand Uruguay, and maybe stretch to Argentina, but why the fuck are Paraguay involved?

💰💰💰💰

[Ally Bongo]

1 hour ago, biffer said:

I can understand Uruguay, and maybe stretch to Argentina, but why the fuck are Paraguay involved?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguay–Argentina–Chile–Paraguay_2030_FIFA_World_Cup_bid

[Toepoke]

On 3/28/2026 at 12:28 AM, DoonTheSlope said:

What are those kick off times? Our time 

 

On 4/1/2026 at 10:47 AM, DoonTheSlope said:

What are the BST kick off times for these fixtures?

 

3 hours ago, DoonTheSlope said:

What are the kick off times (BST) for our potential 2nd round fixtures?

I must be the only person who's not got you on ignore 😜

 

From the OP:-

Finish	Date	Venue	Opponent	KO BST
1st	June 29th	Houston	Group F runner up	6PM
2nd	June 29th	Guadaloupe	Group C winner	2AM
3rd	June 29th	Foxborough	Group E winner	9:30PM
3rd	June 30th	East Rutherford	Group I winner	10PM
3rd	June 30th	Mexico City	Group A winner	2AM

 

[DoonTheSlope]

10 minutes ago, Toepoke said:

 

 

I must be the only person who's not got you on ignore 😜

 

From the OP:-

Finish	Date	Venue	Opponent	KO BST
1st	June 29th	Houston	Group F runner up	6PM
2nd	June 29th	Guadaloupe	Group C winner	2AM
3rd	June 29th	Foxborough	Group E winner	9:30PM
3rd	June 30th	East Rutherford	Group I winner	10PM
3rd	June 30th	Mexico City	Group A winner	2AM

 

Some say they have but forget and then quote reply me

I’ll not need to worry about taking a dive at work then. Cheers!

[Toepoke]

12 minutes ago, DoonTheSlope said:

I’ll not need to worry about taking a dive at work then. Cheers!

I was due to see Neil Young at Bellahouston on June 29th and fully expected us to be playing then, but he kindly cancelled the tour.

Of course we'll now not qualify when I've got a free night 😖 

 

[DesiScotsman]

Hopefully USA & Iran both finish 2nd in their respective groups.

[Flying Fish]

17 hours ago, Toepoke said:

 

 

I must be the only person who's not got you on ignore 😜

 

From the OP:-

Finish	Date	Venue	Opponent	KO BST
1st	June 29th	Houston	Group F runner up	6PM
2nd	June 29th	Guadaloupe	Group C winner	2AM
3rd	June 29th	Foxborough	Group E winner	9:30PM
3rd	June 30th	East Rutherford	Group I winner	10PM
3rd	June 30th	Mexico City	Group A winner	2AM

 

Table slightly wrong.  If we are second we play the group F winners.

[Flying Fish]

Just now, Flying Fish said:

Table slightly wrong.  If we are second we play the group F winners.

 

Just now, Flying Fish said:

Table slightly wrong.  If we are second we play the group F winners.

Sorry, meant to quote the post with the fixtures.

 

[Orraloon]

17 hours ago, Toepoke said:

 

 

I must be the only person who's not got you on ignore 😜

 

 

He is a wee bit repetitive, so it's not surprising some folk want to ignore him. 😉

Edited April 11 by Orraloon

[calum83]

This is all jumping the gun out habit of never getting out of a group we’re famous for it. I hope we do but let’s not get carried away before a ball has been kicked 

[Bristolhibby]

On 4/4/2026 at 6:56 PM, Ally Bongo said:

Suppose 

Getting to Morocco is still a pain involving ferries or flying 

As opposed to flying Boston to Miami?

J

[bdgsct]

On 4/10/2026 at 12:38 PM, Toepoke said:

 

 

I must be the only person who's not got you on ignore 😜

 

From the OP:-

Finish	Date	Venue	Opponent	KO BST
1st	June 29th	Houston	Group F runner up	6PM
2nd	June 29th	Guadaloupe	Group C winner	2AM
3rd	June 29th	Foxborough	Group E winner	9:30PM
3rd	June 30th	East Rutherford	Group I winner	10PM
3rd	June 30th	Mexico City	Group A winner	2AM

 

Now that it looks like our most likely route to the next round is via 3rd place, I had a look at the other groups to see if Boston is still the most likely destination.

Clearly there a load of matches to play and anything can happen, however looking at the opening results in groups D, E and F. It looks likely that all could have a top 8 3rd place finisher. If that is the case and we join them as such, it is far more likely to be Mexico City rather than Boston.

 

Group D

Australia already have 3 points and +2GD. I expect Turkey will beat Paraguay, so a decent win and even a narrow defeat to USA or draw might well see them through in third.

 

Group E

Ecuador we're decent in a narrow loss. With Curacau in the group. I expect they will have at least 3pts and a positive GD which should be enough to go thru in third.

 

Group F

Sweden hammering Tunisia puts them in a strong position. If Dutch and Japan both beat a poor Tunisia, they will all likely qualify.

If the above occurs, there are 55 scenarios to end up in Mexico City and 15 scenarios where we would head back to Boston. Feel free to correct me if I've misunderstood anything.

 

[del_boy1]

Not sure how accurate this is. Seems to suggest Boston is currently the most likely. 

Edited June 15 by del_boy1

[bdgsct]

1 hour ago, del_boy1 said:

Not sure how accurate this is. Seems to suggest Boston is currently the most likely. 

Yes, these stats were correct before the tournament. It all depends which groups have a third place qualifier. As it becomes clearer which groups will have one, it changes the likelihood of each 2nd round destination.

[NorthSeaToRockies]

So, who's making plans for the knockout rounds already? 👀

The Athletic has a pretty useful tool that tracks Scotland's chances of reaching the Round of 32 in real time. It even breaks down the potential opponents and host cities.

After last night's results, we're sitting at a 79% chance of progressing. As things stand, there are essentially three routes:

• Beat Brazil, finish 2nd, and head to Monterrey (most likely against the Netherlands).
• Draw with Brazil, or lose narrowly and qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. In that scenario, there's roughly a 50% chance of facing Mexico in Mexico City and a 50% chance of returning to Boston (against Germany/Ivory Coast).

One of the best features is seeing how matches outside our group affect our odds. Most don't move the needle much, but a few can give us a wee boost. For example, if Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Qatar ends in a draw, Scotland's chances increase by around 10%. As more Matchday 2 fixtures are played, those numbers will keep updating.

Obviously our destiny is still in our own hands, but it's nice to have a bit more insight into the permutations—and a reason to take an interest in some of the other matches as a neutral.

As much as I'd love another Tartan Army invasion of Boston, my gut feeling is that Mexico City is slightly more likely...

[ceudmilefailte]

Mexico in Mexico City🤣🤣🤣