The road to the 2010 World Cup begins in Airdrie tomorrow evening. The timing of a B international, just after one of the most traumatic days in recent Scottish football history, is questionable but the message is clear: the future starts here.

The visit of the Republic of Ireland for a second-string friendly could have been the platform for several fringe players to bolster their chances of appearing at next summer's European Championship Finals in Austria and Switzerland.

Alas, that door is now closed. Instead, the focus has been retrained on two years further down the line when South Africa will host the next World Cup finals.

For those players involved tomorrow night, that change of perspective may prove beneficial, giving them a longer period in which to oust the current incumbents of Alex McLeish's squad who travelled so far in qualifying Group B only to come up short at its dramatic denouement on Saturday.

A B squad that includes several Old Firm regulars, a steady performer in the Barclays Premier League in Ross Wallace and several intriguing new names - most notably Chris Iwelumo, once of St Mirren - can only augur well for the future of Scottish football, as does the 4-0 thumping of Slovenia dished out by the under-21 side just hours before their senior colleagues fell to Italy.

"We've got experience as well but the majority of the team are young and are ready for another couple of campaigns," was Darren Fletcher's view on the future of Scottish football.

"It's been quite a settled team, there hasn't been much chopping and changing throughout the campaign.

"The more you play together, the better you get. You can see the confidence we've shown in keeping possession against these top sides.

"We're getting better and better with each game we play and there's a definite improvement."

The conclusion of any qualifying campaign usually sparks a raft of international retirements but, with the age of the current squad averaging around 27, Scotland's transitional disruption should be kept to a minimum.

The end is almost certainly nigh for David Weir. The Rangers defender continues to defy the call of Old Father Time but will be 40 by the time the World Cup comes around and unlikely to be still involved.

The other 30-somethings in McLeish's squad - Christian Dailly, Graham Alexander and Paul Hartley - can only hope for the same sort of footballing longevity enjoyed by Weir if they are to be still featuring for the national side in three years' time.

For the rest, a week of mourning and gloomy contemplation will dissipate when the World Cup draw is made in Durban on Sunday.

The progress made under the tutelage of first Walter Smith and then McLeish may not have resulted in a place at Euro 2008, but there were ancillary benefits to be had from Scotland's swashbuckling swagger throughout the qualifying campaign.

UEFA's decision to base the seedings for the draw on the FIFA world rankings instead of using the coefficient from results in the two previous qualifying tournaments earns Scotland an elevation from the fourth to second pot.

That would mean being drawn alongside only one of world football's superpowers and would substantially improve Scotland's chances of reaching their first World Cup Finals since 1998.

The 53 European entrants will be sorted into eight groups of six and one of five from which the nine group winners automatically qualify.

The eight best runners-up enter into a two-legged play-off with the four winners progressing to the finals to be held in South Africa between June 11 and July 11, 2010.

Fletcher believes the portents look good for Scotland. "We've got ourselves in a better pot for the World Cup qualification which is a positive. We could still end up in a horrible group as there are some good teams in there, but we've given ourselves every chance of qualifying by getting into a higher pot than before.

"From Pot 4 - the so-called "Group of Death" - where we hadn't expected to do anything in the European Championship qualifiers we took it to the last game.

"Hopefully we will get a bit of luck in the next World Cup group although we know it will still be difficult to qualify for the finals.

We'll let the pain settle and then we'll look forward to the draw on Sunday."

The qualifying ties begin in September 2008 although a slot for friendly matches, against opposition yet to be decided, has been pencilled into the calendar for February and March of next year.

Five for the future: players who could shine at the World Cup Christophe Berra Hearts The name suggests both French and Italian lineage but it is Scotland who are benefiting from the burgeoning talent of Christophe Berra.

The 22-year-old assumed the Hearts captaincy following the departure of Craig Gordon to Sunderland in the summer and has put in a series of steady performances at the centre of the Hearts defence. Included in the Scotland B squad for tomorrow's match with the Republic of Ireland.

Steven Naismith Rangers It seems almost inconceivable that Steven Naismith is still only 21.

The attacker took on the mantle of Kilmarnock's talisman following the departure of Kris Boyd to Rangers, his goals and performances earning him a string of individual awards. Has struggled to nail down a regular place since moving to Ibrox in the summer but his versatility - he can play either as striker, winger or attacking midfielder - remains his greatest asset. Captain of the Scotland under-21s.

Steven Fletcher Hibernian English-born but Scots bred, Steven Fletcher is becoming an increasingly influential figure for both club and country. The departure of a number of senior strikers from Easter Road in recent years, including Garry O'Connor, Derek Riordan and Chris Killen, has heaped further responsibility on Fletcher's shoulders and he has responded emphatically with a hatful of goals, including seven this season alone.

Scored in the under-21's 4-0 win in Slovenia at the weekend.

John Kennedy Celtic After three years on the sidelines following a horrific injury suffered playing for Scotland in March 2004, Kennedy has returned to the Celtic side this year to growing acclaim. With Bobo Balde now a peripheral figure at Celtic Park, the 24 year-old has struck up a successful and consistent defensive partnership with Stephen McManus. Tipped by many to become David Weir's eventual long-term successor for Scotland, Kennedy is expected to start for Scotland B tomorrow night.

Ross McCormack Motherwell Jettisoned by Rangers despite scoring a vital Champions League goal against Porto in November 2005, Ross McCormack has found a new lease of life at Motherwell. Injuries and illness curtailed his involvement in his first season at Fir Park but he has blossomed this year under new manager, Mark McGhee. A deadly threat from free-kicks, McCormack can operate either as an out-and-out striker or as a wide attacking midfielder.