Scotland travel to Copenhagen to take on Denmark in their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier on Friday night.

The Scots have not qualified for the finals of the competition since France hosted the tournament back in 1998, when Craig Brown's side faced Brazil in the opening fixture in Paris.

Now, all eyes are on heading to North America, with the US, Canada and Mexico set to host the tournament where Argentina will defend their crown.

But there's a long way to go before thinking about another trip of a lifetime for the Tartan Army , and here, the PA news agency has taken a look at the opening matches in every World Cup qualifying campaign since 1998.

2002

Scotland began their 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign on September 2, 2000, winning 1-0 in Latvia with Neil McCann scoring

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