World Cup draw: Why Scotland have bookmakers running scared

Scottish success is the result that bookmakers fear the most ahead of today’s 2026 World Cup draw, William Hill has said.

Scotland booked their return to football’s biggest event, ending a 28-year absence, with a dramatic win over Denmark last month.

Steve Clarke’s team are 125-1 outsiders to lift the World Cup but that hasn’t stopped patriotic punters from backing them – to the extent that it would be betting firms’ biggest payout.

New Zealand, who are 750-1 shots, 100-1 priced Sweden, who must still come through a play-off to qualify, and well-backed England and Spain can also bash the bookies.

“Scotland being our biggest outright liability shows just how optimistic their fans are feeling going into the World Cup draw, with New Zealand and Sweden also proving popular with those looking for a high-priced nation,” William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps.

Teams to learn fate at 2026 World Cup draw

Scottish and English fans will discover who their teams face at the World Cup in Friday’s draw, with the full match schedule set to be released on Saturday.

Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland all have a chance of joining them at the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico via the play-offs. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, England are William Hill’s most-backed team, ahead of favourites Spain. Thomas Tuchel’s side breezed through qualifying without dropping a point or conceding a goal.

“In the outright betting itself, Spain currently lead the market at 4/1, with England next in at 6/1 and France close behind at 7/1. However, it’s the Three Lions that lead their shorter-priced Spanish rivals in terms of highest percentage of total stakes placed,” added Phelps.

“Brazil sit at 15/2 and Argentina at 8/1, so while Europe dominates the very top of the betting market at the moment, there’s still strong interest in the traditional South American powerhouses.”

The longest-priced team is New Caledonia, at 4,000-1, who must navigate a play-off tournament to reach the World Cup for the first time.