Why Scotland has bookmakers spooked

Friday 05 December 2025 14:03

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Scotland’s success is the outcome most feared by bookmakers ahead of today’s 2026 World Cup draw, says William Hill.

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

Steve Clarke’s side are 125-1 to lift the World Cup but that hasn’t stopped patriotic fans from backing them – to the point that it will be the biggest profit for betting companies.

New Zealand, who are a 750-1 shot, Sweden at 100-1, who still have to go through the play-offs to qualify, and well-backed England and Spain could also beat the bookies.

“It is Scotland’s greatest responsibility to show how optimistic their fans feel ahead of the World Cup draw, with New Zealand and Sweden also proving popular with those looking for high-priced countries,” William Hill spokesman Lee Phelps.

Teams will learn their fate in the 2026 World Cup draw

Scotland and England fans will find out who their teams face in the World Cup in Friday’s draw, with the full fixture list to be released on Saturday.

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

Perhaps unsurprisingly, England is the team William Hill is backing the most, ahead of favorites Spain. Thomas Tuchel’s troops got through the qualifying rounds without dropping a point or conceding a single goal.

“In live betting itself, Spain currently leads the market at 4/1, followed by England at 6/1 and France close behind at 7/1. However, it is the Three Lions who lead their cheaper Spanish rivals in terms of the highest percentage of total bets placed,” added Phelps.

“Brazil is at 15/2 and Argentina at 8/1, so although Europe dominates the top betting markets at the moment, there is still strong interest in the big countries in South America.”

The longest-priced team is New Caledonia, at 4,000-1, which had to go through a play-off tournament to reach the World Cup for the first time.