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As a player, Strachan appeared at the 1982 and 1986 editions of the competition and led the national team as manager between 2013 and 2017.
Whilst he didn't manage to lead Scotland to a major tournament as a coach, Strachan carries the perspective of a veteran who has walked the walk.
Gordon Strachan: 'I’d love to be working with Scott McTominay'
"It's a great achievement, because we can all go and enjoy ourselves," he said. "When there’s a World Cup, if Scotland supporters are there, then it’s a better World Cup. We're not expecting anything great. We'll go along there and enjoy ourselves, the supporters."
Beneath the self-deprecating Scottish humour lies a genuine belief in the steeliness Steve Clarke has forged. Drawn in Group C alongside Morocco, Haiti, and Brazil, Scotland face a familiar path, having played Brazil and Morocco at their last Finals appearance in 1998.
Strachan, though, believes they are a match for anyone. "Steve [Clarke] has put in a team that I think, the three [other] teams [in the group] will find very hard to beat. And I'm including Brazil in that, because I think we've got the strength, the height, determination, technique in there, and organisation, they’ll make it hard for anybody to play against us."
Strachan’s confidence is evident when discussing the core of the team, some of whom he handed their first international opportunities during his tenure as manager.
"I was lucky that I gave debuts to [John] McGinn, [Andy] Robertson and [Kieran] Tierney when they were just babies, really," he recalls.
As for the current crop, Strachan is particularly fond of the squad's goalscoring engine room.
"I’d love to be working with McTominay, love Scott McTominay. [Ryan] Christie. Love Christie. All these kinds of players, as you can see, that the strength is in midfield. There's no doubt about that. Not only do they score goals, but they give great protection to the back line."
One of the primary talking points for Scotland heading into this tournament has been the forward line.
While critics often point to a lack of a prolific "number nine" at the elite level, Strachan dismisses the concern by pointing to the versatility of the squad.
"With the strikers we’ve got, [Lawrence] Shankland’s the best goal scorer. There's no doubt about that, absolutely the best goal scorer. But then Steve's got to pick what's the best for the rest of the team.
"You’ve got to remember they said, ‘Well, they don't have goalscorers at international level’. Yeah, but you have a midfield player who scores as many as a striker, you just have to facilitate your good players and try and get as many good players on the park as you can."
Shankland’s recent injury layoff at Hearts could even be a blessing in disguise.
"The good thing about Shankland is that he had a break during the season, so he'll be really fresh. He had that injury, which sometimes you can think, ‘Oh, that's a disaster’, but sometimes it can be good for the World Cup, or even for Hearts’ run-in where he's fresh."
The highlight of the group stage - and possibly Scotland's tournament - will be the clash with Brazil at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. For Strachan, it is a familiar fixture. He was on the pitch in Seville during the 1982 World Cup when Scotland took a shock lead through David Narey, only to be dismantled 4-1 by perhaps the greatest team to never win the trophy.
"I’ve got tickets for the Brazil-Scotland game. I played in ‘82 against that unbelievable side; Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Cerezo," Strachan added. "I was on the pitch but I don’t think I played. I was there, I seen it close up but I’m not really sure I played!"
Strachan was speaking as an ambassador for Coventry Building Society at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
All Together Better – To find out more about Coventry Building Society, visit thecoventry.co.uk
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