Have all the Home Nations ever all qualified for a World Cup?

But next year, the Tartan Army will be back, with Kenny McLean’s goal from the halfway line putting the icing on the cake in a 4-2 final qualification win over Denmark on Tuesday.

Scotland’s win was enough for them to top their group and join England in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico.

This round of fixtures has concluded the group stage of the European qualifiers and those who topped their pools have now all secured passage to the main event.

However, Wales and Northern Ireland could still make it a Home Nations clean sweep as they finished second in their groups and still have a chance to progress through a play-off.

To have all four nations make it would be an incredible achievement. Here is how it can happen.

Have all Home Nations, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, ever made the same World Cup?

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland did all once qualify for the same World Cup, the 1958 edition in Sweden.

That time, Scotland were eliminated in the first round, England lost a post group stage play-off, while Wales and Northern Ireland went a stage further, but lost in the quarter-finals.

The tournament is best remembered for a 17-year-old Pele winning his first World Cup, and France’s Just Fontaine scoring a single-tournament record 13 goals.

But 70 years on, the British feat could be replicated.

How can Wales and Northern Ireland qualify?

There are 16 teams left in contention in Europe and there are four slots available.

A draw will be made on Thursday for the play-offs. To qualify, teams will need to win two matches - both will be games staged over one leg.

Teams ranked more highly have home advantage for the first round of the play-offs, while Thursday’s will assign home advantage for the “final”.

Wales have been given home advantage for their first match while Northern Ireland will be away. The first round games will be on March 26 and the second round is on March 31.

The teams who are in the draw are:

• Italy
• Poland
• Republic of Ireland
• Romania
• Denmark
• Wales
• Albania
• Sweden
• Turkey
• Czech Republic
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• North Macedonia
• Ukraine
• Slovakia
• Kosovo
• Northern Ireland

Who are all the teams who have confirmed their qualification for the 2028 World Cup?

The US, Canada, and Mexico were all automatically given passage as hosts.

The tournament has expanded from 32 teams to 48 for the first time and this has allowed nations such as Cape Verde, Curaçao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan to all qualify for the first time.

However, established giants such as Nigeria and Chile are both already out, while Sweden, Italy, and Robert Lewandowski’s Poland all face a play-off battle to make it. There are still six slots remaining; four teams from Europe and two from a play-off between various federations around the world.

The non-European teams that could still make it are: Bolivia, DR Congo, Iraq, Jamaica, New Caledonia, and Suriname.

Hosts

• Canada
• Mexico
• United States

Asia

• Japan: Top of Asia third round Group C
• Iran: Top of Asia third round Group A
• Uzbekistan: Runners-up Asia third round Group A
• South Korea: Top of Asia third round Group B
• Jordan: Runners-up Asia third round Group B
• Australia: Runners-up Asia third round Group C
• Qatar: Top of Asia fourth round Group A
• Saudi Arabia: Top of Asia fourth round Group B

Oceania (Australia plays in the Asian federation)

• New Zealand: Oceania third round winners

South America

• Argentina: Top of South America qualifiers
• Ecuador: Runners-up South America qualifiers
• Colombia: Third place South America qualifiers
• Uruguay: Fourth place South America qualifiers
• Brazil: Fifth place South America qualifiers
• Paraguay: Sixth place South America qualifiers

Africa

• Morocco: Top of Africa first round Group E
• Tunisia: Top of Africa first round Group H
• Egypt: Top of Africa first round Group A
• Algeria: Top of Africa first round Group G
• Ghana: Top of Africa first round Group I
• Cape Verde: Top of Africa first round Group D
• South Africa: Top of Africa first round Group C
• Ivory Coast: Top of Africa first round Group F
• Senegal: Top of Africa first round Group B

Europe

• England: Top of Europe Group K
• France: Top of Europe Group D
• Croatia: Top of Europe Group L
• Portugal: Top of Europe Group F
• Norway: Top of Europe Group I
• Germany: Top of Europe Group A
• Netherlands: Top of Europe Group G
• Belgium: Top of Europe Group J
• Austria: Top of Europe Group H
• Switzerland: Top of Europe Group B
• Spain: Top of Europe Group E
• Scotland: Top of Europe Group C

North and Central America

• Panama: Top of North/Central America & Caribbean Group A
• Haiti: Top of North/Central America & Caribbean Group C
• Curaçao: Top of North/Central America & Caribbean Group B