The tournament takes place next year and will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. It is not yet known where Scotland will play their group matches, with games taking place across the regions.
There's a Western region, comprising Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Vancouver. The Central region includes Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Mexico City and Monterrey, while the Eastern region features Atlanta, Boston, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia and Toronto.
Full details will be confirmed on 5 December when the draw takes place.
Thorne Travel boss Shona Thorne said she was already in talks with a tour operator about offering a charter flight. “We will wait to find out [where the games take place]," she told TTG hours after Scotland's historic 4-2 victory over Denmark on Tuesday night (18 November) which sealed their qualification.
"If it’s the US or Canada, we’ll be happy with that. If it’s Mexico, we won’t do it."
Thorne added she was confident she could fill a flight. “The sheer volume of people looking to go I think means it will be very good for business," she said.
Nearly 60% of respondents to a BBC poll said they would like to see Scotland play their matches in Canada, with 22% stating their preference for the US and 19% for Mexico.
Thorne said her team had received a lot of enquiries after Scotland’s qualification. “A lot were asking if we knew where the games were being played. We’re taking their numbers and have told them we’ll call them as soon as we know.”
Highlands agents Murray Travel was another to seize on Scotland's qualification. "The Tartan Army is officially marching across the Atlantic to the US, Canada and Mexico," it said in a Facebook post. "This could be the summer we’ll talk about for decades."
Murray will put packages on sale once the draw is made on 5 December. "Set your alarms, warn your bank card, alert the group chat – we're doing this properly," the agency added. "And hey, if you’re not Scottish, don’t worry, we’ve got packages for you too!"
'Busy, busy, busy!'
Barrhead Travel said it was “busy, busy, busy” the morning after the game. “It’s been almost three decades since Scotland qualified for a World Cup – so last night’s victory is historic and the demand for travel is already reflecting this," said president Jacqueline Dobson.
“Our World Cup landing page on the website had the highest traffic last night across our entire web estate, which gives an indication of how significant the appetite to travel will be.
"We launched our World Cup packages last year and we’d already been taking bookings from football fans who just wanted to enjoy the tournament, irrespective of teams. Now that Scotland and England have qualified, the pace of enquiries has accelerated.
"Some Scotland fans are telling us this morning that they just want to get to North America, so are already booking up travel to ensure they’re in the region for at least a week or two.”
She added Barrhead’s partner Roadtrips, part of parent company Internova Travel Group, specialised in sports experiences, offering World Cup Match Day experiences. “Our teams are incredibly excited to be supporting fans and we’ve got some brilliant product on offer.”
Flights no problem
The Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association said travellers faced a very different experience from 1998 when Scotland last qualified.
“Scotland’s in the best travel position it’s ever been with routine direct flights from Scotland to the US and Canada from Edinburgh and Glasgow, with hubs like New York, Chicago, Toronto and Boston providing straightforward onward connections to almost all host cities,” said a spokesperson.
“Services to Mexico are indirect, but vastly easier than in previous decades, with same-day connections and none of the 1970s 'go via everywhere' approach.
“Scotland’s travel professionals are already planning tailored packages to all host cities, multi-centre itineraries for those following Scotland across North America; advice on visas, entry requirements and the quirks of three host nations; and protection for fans booking complex, multi-flight World Cup trips.”
