Scotland’s World Cup third-place standings and what it will take to qualify

need to know

Scotland still have a chance to reach the last 32 of the World Cup despite losing 1-0 to Morocco and losing 3-0 to Brazil after beating Haiti.

Everything you need to know about how Scotland qualify for the World Cup Round of 32…

Despite losing 3-0 to Brazil, Scotland still have a place in the World Cup’s round of 32. They also lost 1-0 to Morocco, but beat Haiti by the same scoreline and finished third in Group C. Eight of the 12 third-place teams will advance to the final tournament, where 10 countries will compete to determine their ranking. Scotland are currently seventh in the table with a -3 goal difference, but none of the teams below them have played their final group stage game yet. Belgium, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador and Senegal are the five countries currently performing worse than them, albeit with two matches played. Four countries – Algeria, Croatia, Paraguay and Sweden – suffered heavy defeats in their last matches and could fall down in the standings. Paraguay will play Australia, and if Australia wins by two goals, Scotland will be ahead of the South American team. Alternatively, both teams in Group D have three points, and if Paraguay wins with four goals, Australia will drop to third place, while Ecuador, who are below Scotland on goal difference, are currently third in Group E with one point, so Scotland will have to avoid losing to Germany and Ivory Coast will have to avoid defeat against Curaçao. The latter beat their African rivals by four goals, and when combined with the fact that they are unbeaten by four-time champions Ecuador, Ivory Coast end up in third place on goal difference, worse than Scotland. In Group F, Scotland is hoping that Japan will win 4-0 against Sweden, who lost by a narrow margin to the Netherlands last time out. It would be bad news for Japan to lose to Sweden and finish in third place, as both countries already have four points. Group G is one to watch, with Belgium and Iran currently level on two points with group leaders Egypt. There is a similar situation in Group H, with Scotland hoping Saudi Arabia and Spain win against Cape Verde and Uruguay. This result leaves them in 3rd place with a difference of 2 points. Scotland will be supporting Iraq in Group I. A win for Senegal would mean Steve Clarke’s side are the only team to reach the finals of the African Cup of Nations. In Group J, second place Austria will face third place Algeria. Scotland will be hoping to beat the Europeans by two goals and move far enough down the table. Uzbekistan could play a key role in helping Scotland reach the knockout stages. If they narrowly beat the Democratic Republic of Congo, the African nation would not only drop to fourth place, but also third place on goal difference, worse than Scotland. England’s presence in Group L cannot affect Scotland’s qualification. Clark and the others need to move down the standings after Ghana beat Croatia by three goals.