Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Scottish football has known long nights of disappointment, but none of them mattered on Tuesday when Hampden Park finally exhaled.
A generation of supporters who had lived their entire footballing lives without seeing their national team on the biggest stage watched Scotland qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1998.
It began with a moment that will be replayed for decades. Scott McTominay, enjoying the richest spell of his career and now a commanding presence in Napoli’s midfield, leapt into the Glasgow night to meet Ben Gannon Doak’s cross.
The overhead kick was as audacious as it was flawless, the sort of goal that draws comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous strike for Real Madrid against Juventus in 2018.
Pat Nevin, watching on for BBC Radio Scotland, spoke later of how rare it is for a match to strike so deeply.
The former Chelsea and Everton winger struggled to recall another night that had touched him in the same way. The noise, the togetherness, the rawness of it all. For Nevin, the indelible image was Steve Clarke’s face at full time, buried under the embrace of his players and reflecting the joy pouring from the stands.
McTominay’s opener did not settle the contest. Rasmus Hojlund, his club teammate at Napoli and formerly at Manchester United, levelled from the penalty spot just before the hour.
A draw was useless to Scotland and ideal for Denmark. But Rasmus Kristensen’s sending off, gave the home side renewed impetus. Lawrence Shankland, summoned from the bench, dragged Scotland ahead.
Relief turned to dread when Patrick Dorgu equalised, only for Kieran Tierney to restore the advantage yet again. Kenny McLean, replacing the injured Gannon Doak, added a fourth as Hampden dissolved into ecstasy. The final scoreline of 4-2 captured the turmoil, resilience and release of the night.
The celebrations even spilled south. Keir Starmer on Wednesday opened Prime Minister’s Questions by congratulating Scotland on their achievement, prompting cheers loud enough for Speaker Lindsay Hoyle to joke that the Commons chamber had become a gathering of Scottish MPs.
Starmer also highlighted Tierney’s goal, calling the former Arsenal defender a favourite of supporters.
Scotland were not the only nation ending a long wait. Norway also secured their first World Cup appearance since 1998 with a 4-1 victory over Italy at a drenched San Siro on Sunday.
Erling Haaland, who had predicted in a Time Magazine interview that his team had only a 0.5 per cent chance of winning the 2026 tournament, struck twice in as many minutes to complete a perfect qualifying campaign of eight wins from eight.
Norway needed to avoid a nine goal defeat to guarantee their place, but Stale Solbakken’s side approached the night with composure and authority.
Haaland’s 16 goals in qualifying have underlined his devastating form for club and country, and he enters the World Cup as one of the most formidable players on the planet.
There was symbolism too in the achievement. Haaland’s father, Alf Inge, was still representing Norway the last time they graced the finals, a tournament won by Zinedine Zidane’s France.
Now the son arrives as the face of a golden generation with Norway looking like a team writing a new narrative, one that makes them genuine dark horse contenders next summer.
Italy will have to navigate the play offs in March after finishing six points behind Norway. Their qualifying campaign was punctuated by defeats to Solbakken’s side, and the whistles that chased them from the pitch on Sunday told the story of a nation once again grappling with familiar failings.
For Scotland and Norway, qualification ends decades of absence. But this is what World Cup qualifying does. It exposes flaws, tests belief and then, when the chance is grasped, offers moments that will be told and retold long after the final whistle.
