How has world changed since Scotland were last at men's finals?

B*Witched ruled the charts, the Scottish Parliament hadn't opened yet, and Ceefax powered the BBC's live text coverage in 1998

Published 19 November 2025

The last time Scotland qualified for a men's World Cup, the Scottish Parliament was yet to be established, Google did not exist, and a pint of lager cost roughly £1.90.

Early anxieties about the Y2K bug were beginning to emerge.

B*Witched's C'est La Vie held the number one spot in the music charts, The Wedding Singer dominated the box office, and the BBC's written updates for the opening match against Brazil were delivered via Ceefax.

As the Tartan Army tried to mend their broken hearts with a 10p Freddo following Morocco's upset in Saint-Etienne, France, they had no idea it would take 28 years to see their nation compete in a men's World Cup again.

1998 feels like an eternity ago. Far too long. Eight members of Steve Clarke's squad in the US weren't even born at the time.

An entire generation—and more—have watched enviously as their elders experienced their national team competing at the highest level.

But while Scotland has lingered in footballing obscurity, desperately clinging to memories of France, the rest of the world has continued to move forward. And then some...

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Unbelievable transfers and the largely absent internet

Back in an era when Tony Blair resided at 10 Downing Street and Bill Clinton occupied the White House, the world was not yet centered around the internet.

Although it had existed for more than ten years, it was mostly used for professional purposes rather than leisure. Its true potential—or threat—was still far from being understood.

Craig Brown's lineup wasn't being predicted, leaked, or uncovered online, and certainly no one was watching Colin Hendry and his teammates stride out at the Stade de France in their kilts on their mobile phones.

That's quite an image, actually. Only one in four people owned a mobile phone back then. Imagine the crowding...

In fact, most fans at home were watching in smoke-filled pubs—it would be nearly eight years before smoking in enclosed public spaces became illegal.

They watched Hendry bravely take on the unenviable task of marking a certain Ronaldo—the R9 version, not CR7—the world's most expensive player at the time.

The Brazilian striker had just completed a £17m transfer from Barcelona to Inter Milan. At the time, the fee was staggering, but now it might only buy you a third-choice full-back.

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Who would McGinn like to see if victory on Saturday?

Who's this Federer fella?

The Euro didn't come into use until the following year.

And it was that same year that Scotland's first First Minister, Donald Dewar, declared "today there is a new voice in the land" as the new parliament opened in Edinburgh.

There have been six First Ministers since, and one independence referendum in 2014.

Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games that same year, two summers after London welcomed the world for the Olympics. Hampden hosted several men's and women's football matches during that event.

Including the 1998 title, won weeks before the trip to France, Celtic have secured 21 Scottish top-flight titles since—that 1998 Scottish Premier Division title, as it was then known—ending nine years of Rangers' dominance.

Elsewhere in sport, a 22-year-old Tiger Woods was making his mark on the golfing world. He had just one major to his name—The Masters—but would go on to win 14 more.

Roger Federer hadn't even made his ATP debut, let alone won any of his 103 singles titles—or his 20 Grand Slams—while Wimbledon's 1998 champion, Pete Sampras, earned £43,500 more than women's winner, Jana Novotna.

Equal pay finally arrived in 2007, with last year's winners—Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek—both receiving £3m. Times have changed.

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Thompson and McFadden go WILD for late Scotland goals!

The first in a lifetime for...

This Scotland squad will feel £3m and more having achieved what they just have. They might also have spent close to that amount on the celebrations...

But this is historic. The first for a generation and then some.

Aaron Hickey, Lewis Ferguson, Ben Gannon-Doak, Nathan Patterson, Anthony Ralston, Findlay Curtis, and Tyler Fletcher were all born after 1998.

They grew up watching James McFadden, Darren Fletcher, Barry Ferguson, Scott Brown, Kenny Miller, and many others in dark blue fail to reach the promised land.

It has taken over 10,000 days to achieve this.

There won't be CDs and DVDs to capture the backdrop of these finals, and the milk needed for tea and coffees won't cost 34p either.

But, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Alexa, play We Have A Dream...