World Cup 2026: Can Scotland Stun the Danes?

Scotland vs Denmark

Brian Riemer’s Denmark are one step away from qualification for the World Cup 2026 finals in Canada, Mexico and the USA…but then so are Steve Clarke’s Scotland.

And when World Cup: Scotland vs Denmark plays out at a rocking Hampden Park on Tuesday there will be nothing left on the pitch in this sudden death clash. The Danes are the best side in qualifying Group C and have led from the outset and, when Scotland lost to Greece on Saturday, the door was wide open…but somehow Denmark failed to beat bottom-dwellers Belarus.

And that means that these two teams will finish first and second. One will book their tickets for the finals and the other will await a nerve jangling play-off.

The Scotland vs Denmark betting odds say it will be the Scandinavians gleefully planning their trip on Tuesday night but the margin is fine, Denmark have 11 points and Scotland have ten.

Should the Scots, backed by a raucous home crowd, win the game then they are on their way. Denmark simply need to avoid defeat to a nation 18 places lower in the FIFA World Rankings, but with everything at stake over 90 plus minutes they can’t afford to be below their best.        

 

Talking Points

Scotland the Brave  

Clarke’s men are still one game from their first World Cup since 1998, despite falling short in a 3-2 defeat in Greece, after Belarus did them a favour against Denmark. Scotland fought hard against the Greeks after falling to a three goal deficit within an hour. Goals from Ben Doak and Ryan Christie gave the Scots a chance and, when Greece captain Tasos Bakasetas was sent off, they threw everything at it but couldn’t quite get the leveler.

This is a team which will never fail for the want of trying and, despite having few household names, the players will run through a wall for each other, particularly when they are at home. The star qualitycomes from skipper Andrew Robertson and midfield ace Scott McTominay. Liverpool wingback Robertson has 89 caps and has led Scotland with distinction in recent years. Meanwhile McTominay has reached new levels since his switch to Napoli and has scored 13 goals in 66 games for Scotland. After winning the Scudetto with I Partenopei the former Manchester United man is at the forefront of their title defence; they have been at the top of the pile again this term but were recently upset by Bologna. McTominay doesn’t like losing and he won’t want to make it three in a row for club and country!      

 

Denmark the Cool

The visitors will have to withstand a torrent of hostility in Scotland as the Hamden Roar tries to unsettle the Scandinavians. But Danes are nothing if not cool and they will be uber focussed to see the job through in Glasgow. Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard, who scored the opener against Belarus, will be a key part of the Denmark midfield which will do all it can to negate the powerful runs of McTominay. His former club-mate Christian Noorgard, now at Arsenal, is the anchor while Christian Eriksen provides the creativity.

Eriksen moved to Vfl Wolfsburg in the summer and his club-mate Jonas Wind will push for a strikers’ place, alongside Rasmus Hojlund, who moved to Napoli to rejoin his former Manchester United team-mate McTominay.

The visitors are sure to have some defending to do and the last line of defence is Kasper Schmeichel, who plays his football in Scotland with Glasgow Celtic, so he knows how hot the atmosphere can be at Hampden, while Barcelona’s Andreas Christensen is another cool customer at the heart of defence.  

 

History

Denmark are six times World Cup finalists, and quarter finalists in 1998, and they have been at the world showcase in three of the last four finals, while Scotland are hoping to make the finals for the first time this century.   

The Scots have had the better of the head to head Scotland vs Denmark results in their long history, winning 11 of their 19 meetings with the Danes, losing seven and there has been one draw, the 0-0 result when the two nations met in Copenhagen in September.  The Scots dominated the earliest exchanges but, since 1986, Denmark have won six, drawn the one and lost three.    

With four wins and two draws from their last six outings the Danes have been in fine form, until the frustration against with Belarus, while Scotland have been on their best run for some years, winning four, drawing one and losing one.   

 

Betting Tip

Scotland are priced at SBOTOP odds of 3.70 to win this huge clash with the Draw at 3.10 and the visitors the favourites at 2.05.  

Denmark have been racking up the goals in this competition and Scotland can have a leaky defence, so I’m anticipating goals and, for a Correct Score-line, a 2-2 Draw is priced at 14.00.

   

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