Any fan of Scottish football could be forgiven for being a little fed up with Qatar 2022 already. Losing in the qualifiers is something we could have lived with – after all, the team has fallen short at every World Cup since the turn of the millennium.
Even losing in the playoffs having come so close would not have been so bad had it meant Ukraine qualified. The most die-hard fans would not have begrudged them the spot, and most would have happily waved yellow and blue flags come November. No, the galling part was that the loss to Ukraine only served to let Wales in through the back door.
A World Cup boycott?
Right now, there are some who say they will have better things to do in November and December than watch the World Cup. Of course, league games will all be on hold while the rest of the world is focused on the Middle East. However, those wanting a complete change could always look across the Atlantic.
The new NFL season just got underway, and the LA Rams week one demolition by the Buffalo Bills has got the Super Bowl betting sites in a spin. In fairness, the Bills were always going to be one of the strongest teams this season, but the ease with which they brushed aside the defending Super Bowl champions took everyone by surprise. Yes, ignoring the World Cup entirely and swapping pie and Bovril for burgers and Bud, at least for a month or so, is definitely a possibility.
An event like no other
When it comes down to it, however, no true football fan can ignore a World Cup – and the level of media coverage will make it impossible to do so anyway. Alex Salmond caused a stir when he got behind England’s campaign in 2014, and there is talk that Nicola Sturgeon might do the same – but she is likely to be in a minority if so.
With both England and Wales in Group B, many Scottish supporters will be hoping USA and Iran can cause some upsets. The USA turned in some lacklustre performances during the qualifiers, but bookies fancy them to have the edge over Wales and Iran to proceed to the knockout stage. As for the Lions of Persia – don’t rule them out. Iran is now arguably the strongest team in Asia and they lost only one game in the qualifiers.
Beyond Group B, Scotland has always had a close relationship with The Netherlands, and it would be no surprise to see a good many Scottish fans going Dutch and swapping their blue shirts for orange ones during Qatar 2022. Drawn alongside the hosts, Ecuador and Senegal, Netherlands are the pre-tournament favourites to win Group A and most bookies have them at around 6/1 to feature in their third World Cup final.
Alternatively, those looking for a dark horse could do worse than to support Switzerland. Here’s a team that has a habit of exceeding expectations on the largest stage, and could easily proceed from Group G to the knockout stages on Brazil’s coat tails.