The road to the 2026 World Cup in North America begins as Denmark hosts Scotland at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Friday, September 5. Both teams are in Group C, alongside Greece and Belarus, and are looking to get their qualifying campaigns off to a strong start.
Match Details
The match kicks off at 7:45 pm BST. For fans in the United States, the game starts at 2:45 pm ET.
How to Watch
In the UK, the match will be broadcast live on BBC Scotland and BBC Two. Coverage will also be available on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Kelly Cates, daughter of Scottish legend Kenny Dalglish, will present the BBC coverage.
In the US, the match will be shown live on fubo, VIX, Amazon Prime Video, and Tubi. Live updates can also be found on GOAL.com.
Team News
Denmark:
Brian Riemer, the Denmark coach, has a squad filled with experienced players, including goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, defenders Jannik Vestergaard and Joachim Andersen, and captain Pierre Emile Hojbjerg. However, Christian Eriksen has been omitted from the squad, as he is currently without a club after leaving Manchester United. Anton Gaaei could make his debut for Denmark after his impressive form earned him his first call-up. Rasmus Hojlund is included in the squad following his loan move to Napoli. Victor Jensen is sidelined with an injury.
Possible Denmark starting XI: Schmeichel; Mæhle, Christensen, Andersen, Kristensen; Hjulmand, Højbjerg; Grønbæk, Damsgaard, Dolberg; Biereth.
Scotland:
Steve Clarke welcomes back several key players from injury, including Aaron Hickey, Ryan Christie, Ben Doak, and Lyndon Dykes. Scott McTominay, a Ballon d'Or nominee, will feature in midfield alongside Billy Gilmour. Angus Gunn is expected to start in goal, though Zander Clark is also in contention. John McGinn will provide leadership in midfield. Anthony Ralston and Kieran Tierney have withdrawn from the squad.
Possible Scotland starting XI: Clark; Tierney, McKenna, Porteous, Patterson; McGinn, Gilmour; Robertson, McGregor, Hickey; Dykes.
Odds and Predictions
Bookmakers favor Denmark to win the match. Denmark has a strong home record, winning eight of their last nine home fixtures at Parken Stadium. Scotland, however, has won three of their last four meetings with Denmark.
Betting odds:
One prediction suggests a Denmark win with under 3.5 goals in the match. Scott McTominay is tipped as a potential anytime goalscorer for Scotland.
Recent Form
Denmark: DWLWW
Scotland: WWLLW
Denmark reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League, losing to Portugal. In June 2025, they secured friendly wins against Northern Ireland and Lithuania. Scotland were relegated from the UEFA Nations League A after losing to Greece in the play-off. They beat Liechtenstein in a friendly in June. Scotland has not qualified for a World Cup since 1998.
Head-to-Head
The two sides shared 2-0 home wins in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Scotland have won three of the past four meetings, but the other two victories were friendlies in 2016 and 2011, respectively. In their last head-to-head encounter, Scotland triumphed 2-0 at Hampden Park.
