Scotland to host Curaçao friendly at Hampden Park

Scotland will conclude their World Cup preparations at home on Saturday afternoon, hosting fellow tournament-bound nation Curaçao in a friendly at Hampden Park. The match will serve as a final send-off for Steve Clarke’s squad before they depart for their training base in North Carolina ahead of the 2026 finals.

The fixture marks the first-ever meeting between the two nations. Scotland, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, will enter Group C against Haiti, five-time champions Brazil, and 2022 semifinalists Morocco. Their pre-tournament form has been mixed, with a thrilling 4-2 qualification victory over Denmark in November followed by two consecutive 1-0 friendly defeats to Japan and Ivory Coast in March. Manager Steve Clarke, who recently signed a four-year contract extension, stated he was "truly honoured" to lead his country back to the world stage and will be seeking a positive result ahead of a final warm-up match against Bolivia next week.

Curaçao will be making their historic World Cup debut this summer as one of the smallest nations ever to qualify, with a population of approximately 156,000. They have been drawn in Group E alongside Germany, Ivory...