Wales have made just one appearance in the finals, and that was in 1958 in Sweden. It wasn't that they qualified solely on merit either! Politics reared its ugly head, and Egypt, Sudan, and Indonesia had serious issues with facing Israel. FIFA didn't want Israel to qualify without playing a match, so did a draw from the second-placed teams in the other qualifying groups to select an opponent. Belgium were picked, but also refused to play. So, then it was Wales who were drawn, and they proceeded to beat Israel in a two-legged playoff!
In Sweden, the Welsh drew their group matches against Hungary, Mexico, and the host nation, before beating Hungary in a playoff. This put them in the quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Brazil by a solitary goal.
Northern Ireland have reached the finals on three occasions, in 1958, 1982, and 1986. Their last appearance in Mexico) was the least successful. After drawing their opening game against Algeria 1-1, they lost to Spain by the odd goal in three, and then finished with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil.
In 1958, they emerged from a tough group of West Germany, Argentina, and Czechoslovakia, winning a playoff against the latter. In the quarter-final they faced a very strong French side, and went down by a score of 4-0.
It was 24 years before the Northern Irish qualified again, and this time they topped their group. A win against Spain followed draws against Yugoslavia and Honduras. This time, the second round was another round-robin group, and they finished bottom against France and Austria.
Scotland Grunge Flag by Nicolas Raymond is licensed under CC BY 2,0
Scotland have reached the World Cup Finals on eight occasions, and have yet to make it out of their first round group. In 1954, they lost to Austria and Uruguay, and four years later, lost to France and Paraguay after drawing against Yugoslavia.
In 1974, despite an unbeaten record, the Scots again failed to reach the second round. After draws against Brazil and Yugoslavia, they beat Zaire, but went out on goal difference. Qualifying for the next World Cup, Scotland lost to Peru and drew with Iran, before sealing a famous victory against the Dutch. Again, this wasn't sufficient, and they were out as a result of goal difference.
1982, and again it was inferior goal difference that cost Scotland a place in Round 2. An opening win against New Zealand was followed by a loss against Brazil, and a 2-2 draw with the Soviet Union.
Scotland's road to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico was marred by the tragic death of their manager, Jock Stein. As the players and fans celebrated a draw against Wales, which put them into a playoff against Australia, Mr Stein suffered a fatal heart attack. After beating the Aussies to reach the finals, Scotland picked up just one point (a goalless draw against Uruguay) in their group with West Germany, Denmark, and the South Americans.
The men from north of the border qualified for their fifth successive World Cup finals in 1990, but a 2-1 win against Sweden was their only reward. Losses against Costa Rica and Brazil were to prove costly, In 1998, Scotland made it again, and again, those Brazilians ruined the party, with a 2-1 win in their first game. A draw against Norway then paved the way for an embarrassing three-goal defeat against Morocco, and that was the last match that Scotland played at football's premier event.
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