Scotland at the World Cup 2026

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America fast approaching, featuring Scotland's first trip to the tournament since 1998, we asked our panel some of their opinions surrounding the World Cup and Scottish football.

We asked about interest in the tournament, Scotland's chances, their favourite legend and more...

Interest in the World Cup

95% of Scots are interested in the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA this summer. 51% say they are very interested, and just 4% aren't interested at all!

Looking at interest in watching the Scotland team specifically, this rises to 96% being interested, with 63% very interested.

Late kick-offs and where Scots are watching

Furthermore, with Scotland (and other matches) kicking off as late as 2am, we asked what panellists' plans of action were. Among those interested in either the World Cup or Scotland, the most common plan of action for late kick offs is to stay up late and watch the match, with 46% planning to.

20% say they will catch the highlights later and 13% say they will sleep through and watch it in the morning, while 8% will set an alarm to get some sleep before game.

In terms of watching the tournament in general, among the same group as above, 87% say they will watch the World Cup at home during the tournament, with 21% saying they will watch at the home of someone else (e.g. friends/family). 22% plan to watch it at a pub, bar or entertainment venue.

4% say they will watch from a fanzone in the UK, while 2% say they will be in the stadium live for at least one match. Among those aged over 65, 92% say they will watch at home, higher than any other age group, while 16-34s are the most likely to head to a pub or bar, at 39%.

Scotland's hopes

As above, more than three quarters of all fans (78%), think that Scotland will make it out of the group stage, while 22% do not. 

Broken down, 43% think our best hope is the round of 32, 18% the last 16 and 6% saying the quarter finals or further without winning. A very optimistic 8% say Scotland are going to win!

Legend

And finally, we asked respondents who the one Scotland legend they would bring back for this World Cup would be... shown above are the top five choices. 324 respondents (33%) named Kenny Dalglish, an overwhelming first choice.

Completing the top three - 13% named Denis Law (133 responses) and 13% named Ally McCoist (125 responses) – certainly highlighting fans' desire for goals!

Let's hope the team does us proud, COME ON SCOTLAND!

Methodology

1. The survey was sent to a sample of individuals aged 16+ residing in Scotland through the ScotPulse panel
2. Fieldwork was conducted from 15th-20th April 2026, collecting a total of 1,144 completed responses from adults with at least some interest in football.
3.  The sample prior to screening is broadly representative of Scotland and results are unweighted