Scotland at the World Cup and Beyond: Sports Betting Markets to Explore

The Tartan Army have had to be patient but, after a long 28 years, Scotland are playing at the World Cup. Last appearing at the finals back at France 98, the Scots have qualified for the summer tournament and fans across the country are delighted. In Group C with Haiti, Brazil and Morocco, Scotland will be aiming to reach the knockout stages either by finishing in the top two or, more likely, going through as one of the best third-placed teams.

Many football enthusiasts will be immersing themselves in the World Cup by predicting the outcome of matches. If you are eager to bet on Scotland matches this tournament, this article will walk you through the various markets you should check out before settling on the wagers you wish to place.

Can Scotland Advance from the Group?

It's fair to say Scotland have it tough and that the World Cup could have been much kinder. After getting the better of Denmark and Greece at Hampden Park in the European qualifiers, Steve Clarke's men will come up against the mighty Brazil and highly-rated Morocco. As it happens, the two countries were Scotland's opponents back in 1998. The Scots were also drawn against Haiti and so there is certainly a chance of the Tartan Army getting the chance to see a Last 32 fixture.

When it comes to sports betting, it is important to check out the platform before wagering so that you have a strong awareness and understanding of what is required when placing wagers. While there will be options to wager on Scotland playing individual games, searching for bets around the team getting out of the group will also be available. This option could provide extra value, particularly when it comes to later games when the picture becomes clear as to whether the nation can advance through the tournament.

Scotland Top Scorer

Another popular sports betting market to explore centres on Scotland's top scorer at the World Cup. Every four years, the player with the most goals at the tournament will be awarded with the Golden Boot. In previous years, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, James Rodriguez, Miroslav Klose and Ronaldo have claimed the prize. The victor is often a player that goes far in the competition and has a number of games in which to score. 

When it comes to wagering on Scotland players, you may decide to focus on the top scorer for the nation as opposed to backing a Scot to win the Golden Boot outright. Lawrence Shankland had an incredible season for Hearts, scoring 16 goals as the Jam Tarts pushed for the Scottish Premiership title. Scott McTominay is a key player and thriving in Serie A with Napoli while Che Adams is also playing in Italy for Torino. Premier League duo John McGinn and Ryan Christie could also get on the scoresheet and so there are plenty of options to assess.

In the Book

Looking at cards dished out at the World Cup is another betting market that is worth considering when making your gameday picks. It's possible to wager on a specific player being booked or sent off while you can also make a prediction on how many cards the referee will show Scotland and the opposition. 

In order to make a smart and informed decision, look at the statistics around the squad when it comes to fouls and cards as this will offer an indication as to which players could most likely find their name in the referee's notebook. For instance, in World Cup qualifying, Lewis Ferguson was shown three yellow cards. Meanwhile, the midfielder also saw red playing club football for Bologna this season and so this could come into your thinking when making your picks.

Corner Count

Back in the day, Scotland fans betting on the World Cup would be restricted when it came to options and would only be able to wager on how far Scotland went in the tournament, specific results and goalscorers. Now though, thanks to the mass of technology that is used in the sports betting sphere, the possibilities are endless and supporters can even make predictions around the number of corners taken by Steve Clarke's team or the total number of corners hit by both sides in the game.

There are a number of online football resources offering detailed information on the average number of corners taken by each nation and so you can gather this insight to help make a concrete decision should you decide to wager on set-pieces this tournament.

After the World Cup

Overall, it's important to assess a range of markets as this will help you to find betting value during your World Cup journey with Scotland. However, the process doesn't have to come to an end at the end of the tournament as the team will be back in Nations League action against Slovenia in September and the same strategies can be applied.