Scotland v Denmark: World Cup 2026 qualifying – live

9.00pm GMT GOAL! Wales 4-1 North Macedonia (James 57) All over, surely, in Cardiff, where Dan James has finished off a lovely move to make it 4-1. 8.58pm GMT 49 min The corner is half cleared and then hoofed over the bar, I think by Isaksen. Denmark have taken on way too many shots from 20-30 yards tonight. 8.57pm GMT 48 min Isaksen wins a corner off Robertson. Scotland can’t do this for another 45 minutes. If nothing else, I’m starting to fear for the well being of Simon McMahon, James Humphries and Scott Murray. 8.56pm GMT 47 min: Good save by Gordon! Denmark have picked up where they left off. Hojlund receives a sharp pass from Hojbjerg just inside the area, works the angle and forces a low shot through the crowd with his left foot. Gordon sees it late but does very well to get down and push the ball round the near post. 8.54pm GMT 46 min Denmark get the second half underway. In around 50 minutes time, one of these teams will be in the 2026 World Cup. Updated at 8.55pm GMT 8.38pm GMT Half-time reading Related: Football Daily | Gattuso goes on the offensive with Italy at risk of unwanted World Cup hat-trick 8.38pm GMT “I realise it’s a vital qualifier for Scotland and Denmark but it’s also entertaining for Napoli fans,” writes Colum Fordham. “Watching in (rain-sodden) Naples, I’m interested in the contest between McTominay and Hojlund. The former seems to be edging it thus far with a stunning bicicletta or bicycle kick. Also have a vested interest in Andy Robertson, as a Liverpool fan, so come on Scotland!” 8.37pm GMT The half-time scores Group B Kosovo 0-0 Switzerland Sweden 0-0 Slovenia Group C Belarus 0-0 Greece Scotland 1-0 Denmark Group E Spain 1-1 Turkey Bulgaria 2-0 Georgia Group H Romania 3-1 San Marino Austria 0-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Group I Belgium 3-0 Liechtenstein Wales 3-1 North Macedonia 8.37pm GMT Half time: Scotland 1-0 Denmark Tense, nervous headache? You must be a Scotland fan. The euphoria of Scott McTominay’s astonishing early goal slowly evaporated as Denmark dominated the rump of the first half at Hampden. They didn’t create many chances, but it’s a big ask for Scotland to maintain that level of defensive discipline and concentration for another seven hours 45 minutes. 8.36pm GMT 45+3 min Christensen,the centre-back who scored a violent screamer at Euro 2021, moves forward and shapes a nice first-time shot from 25 yards. It deflects off a defender and flies a few yards wide. 8.32pm GMT 45 min Rasmus Kristensen is booked for an unashamedly cynical foul on McGinn, who nicked the ball high up the field and was making for the penalty area. 8.30pm GMT 44 min There will be four minutes of added time. 8.30pm GMT 42 min For all Denmark’s pressure, Craig Gordon hasn’t had much to do. Denmark are snatching at quarter-chances rather than waiting for something more clear-cut. 8.27pm GMT 40 min Excellent defending from Hanley, who steps in front of Hojlund to win the ball and waits for the inevitable foul. 8.26pm GMT 40 min Take away one of the most outrageous goals ever scored on a football field in Great Britain and it’s been a pretty uneventful half of football. Updated at 8.41pm GMT 8.25pm GMT 39 min “How long left?” weeps Simon McMahon. “I would imagine McTominay’s early goal has only added to the feeling of sick dread James Humphries referred to before kick off. In a way, this is the nightmare scenario for all Scots, scoring early and then hanging on for grim death for almost the full 90 minutes. Have one for me, James.” One. 8.25pm GMT 38 min A long-range shot from Hojbjerg takes a deflection and whistles not far wide of goal. Gordon had it covered though. The resulting corner eventually leads to Froholdt bothering Air Traffic Control from the edge of the area. 8.24pm GMT GOAL! Wales 3-1 North Macedonia (Johnson 37) Brennan Johnson scores with a deflected shot after a terrific solo run; Wales’ lead is back to two. Updated at 8.27pm GMT 8.23pm GMT 36 min McTominay’s goal remains the only effort on target at either end. 8.21pm GMT 35 min It’s a statement of the bleedin’ obvious but, with the way the game is unfolding, Scotland are really missing Gannon-Doak’s pace. They could dump any old filth in behind the Denmark defence, safe in the knowledge he would chase and probably retrieve it. 8.21pm GMT 34 min A lamentable long-range shot from Hjulmand has just appeared on Air Traffic Control. 8.20pm GMT 33 min “Like Kim Thonger, I’m watching in solidarity with our Scottish contingent,” says Phil Sawyer. “But I actually stood up and punched the air when that McTominay goal went in. I don’t get this invested in England qualifiers.” 8.20pm GMT 32 min Scott McTominay did score that goal, didn’t he? It feels a long time ago because Scotland can’t get out of their own half. 8.17pm GMT 29 min: Chance for Hojlund Dorgu’s cross is fractionally behind Hojlund, who twists a header over the bar. It was a good, improvised effort, though I suspect he was offside. More pertinently, it’s all Denmark now and Scotland urgently need half-time. Which is 16 minutes away, plus added time. 8.15pm GMT 28 min The ever willing Hojlund wins a corner for Denmark. Damsgaard’s wicked inswinger brushes Robertson’s head and flashes just wide of the far post. Isaksen’s corner is headed a few yards wide by Hojlund. Gordon waves it away but it was pretty close. 8.13pm GMT 25 min Denmark are dominating possession now. It’s human nature to retreat when you have what you need, but Scotland need to do more when they get the ball. They’ve stopped playing. 8.11pm GMT 23 min: Disallowed goal for Denmark Rasmus Hojlund finishes from close range but is penalised for either handball or a push on Aaron Hickey, I think the former. Either way, VAR have upheld the on-field decision so the goal is ruled out. Updated at 8.17pm GMT 8.10pm GMT GOAL! Wales 2-1 North Macedonia (Miovski 23) Bojan Miovski gets one back straight away for North Macedonia. Meanwhile… 8.10pm GMT 22 min: Scotland substitution Poor Ben Gannon-Doak, the most reliable source of electricity in this side, is stretchered off. Kenny McLean replaces him and Ryan Christie moves out to the right wing. 8.09pm GMT GOAL! Wales 2-0 North Macedonia (Brooks 21) Bang bang! Two goals in barely three minutes for Wales, who are on course to finish second in their group and have a better seeding for the playoffs. David Brooks, who was fouled for the penalty, has scored the second with a deflected shot. Updated at 8.13pm GMT 8.08pm GMT 20 min “An hour ago I told my childhood friend Kelvin MacDonald Fraser, that in his honour, I would be supporting Scotland tonight,” writes Kim Thonger. “We grew up together, you know, the usual stuff, pretending to be Regan and Carter in The Sweeney, throwing innocent people down stairs in police stations. “Anyway, I feel as though I’ve delivered for him. He’s somewhere on the west coast of Scotland, watching the game after hooking golf balls into the sea on a links golf course all day, and I want him to know that that McTominay goal went in because I was watching and making it happen. Could you tell him, eh pal?” I mean, I can try. I had a similar thought about some old friends in Orkney when the goal went in. Updated at 8.11pm GMT 8.06pm GMT 19 min This is very bad news for Scotland. Ben Gannon-Doak, who made the goal, is holding his hamstring after stretching to try to block a cross from Patrick Dorgu. He can barely stand up and his night is surely over. Updated at 8.12pm GMT 8.05pm GMT GOAL! Wales 1-0 North Macedonia (Wilson 18 pen) A clumsy tackle by Andrej Stojchevski on David Brooks gives Wales a penalty. Harry Wilson takes it expertly, arrowing a left-foot shot into the bottom-left corner. Updated at 8.11pm GMT 8.04pm GMT 17 min “Cyprus v Scotland, WCQ, 1989,” begins Tony Hughes. “Arguably one of my favorite games of all time. Scotland, expecting to win, find themselves losing to a bunch of guys who had to take the afternoon off to play the game. Luckily, a Russian referee, six minutes of time added on and Richard Gough popped up to get us over the line.” 8.03pm GMT 16 min Hojlund blasts a dangerous ball across the face of goal, the kind he wants to be on the end of, then has a header blocked by a defender. Good spell this for Denmark. 8.03pm GMT 14 min Hojbjerg shoots over from distance after an extended spell of possession for Denmark, who are trying to take the sting out of the game. This is a key period, potentially Scotland’s best chance to get the job done. 8.00pm GMT 12 min “I haven’t felt that good since Scott McTominay scored against Denmark in 2025,” writes David Manby. 7.58pm GMT 10 min Joachim Andersen is booked for a cynical foul on John McGinn. Scotland are a model of controlled aggression and Denmark look rattled. 7.56pm GMT 8 min I still can’t spake. MCTOMINAY!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿UNBELIEVABLE! 😲#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/F0IFFjU49e— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) November 18, 2025 7.55pm GMT 7 min Rasmus Hojlund strolls through one on one and is denied superbly by Craig Gordon. The flag goes up for offside as soon as the ball is dead, but it was pretty tight – probably just offside. 7.53pm GMT 5 min I can’t spake. Updated at 7.54pm GMT 7.53pm GMT What a goal! What an unbelievable goal from Scott McTominay! Gannon-Doak intercepted an attempted clearance on the right, turned aaway from a defender and lifted a routine left-foot cross towards McTominay. He was 10 yards out, facing away from goal, with the ball at head height – and then he launched into an outrageous overhead kick that bounced into the corner of the net. The ball was head height, maybe even higher. McTominay did well to reach the ball, never mind guide it past the diving Schmeichel. That’s one of the greatest goals in Scottish football history. Updated at 7.57pm GMT 7.51pm GMT GOLAZOOOOOOOO! Scotland 1-0 Denmark (McTominay 3) Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Scott Effing McTominay! Updated at 7.55pm GMT 7.50pm GMT 3 min “Pessimism might just have the edge – at least in Duncan Hunter’s case; he got soundly done by a cleverer opponent and was sent off to sit out the action for many years,” writes Charles Antaki. “As it happens, he was morally righteous, and deserved better, but that didn’t seem to count. No allegories there.” 7.49pm GMT 2 min McGinn turns smartly but then overhits a chipped pass down the left to Robertson. It’s a pig of a night in Glasgow, cold and wet. 7.48pm GMT 1 min To a huge roar from the assembled masochists home support, Scotland kick off from right to left. Updated at 7.49pm GMT 7.40pm GMT “The voices in my head today,” begins Justin Kavanagh, “are having this conversation…” DI Jimmy Perez I’m not gonna lie to you, Duncan. Watching you live your life is like watching Scotland try to qualify for the World Cup, It’s frustrating. Embarrassing. At times excruciating. But ultimately, I live in hope that you’ll get there in the end. Duncan Hunter How many World Cups do you think we’ve got left at our age? Three? DI Jimmy Perez Away you go. We’ve got six or seven at least. Duncan Hunter That’s the difference between me and you. You’re an optimist at heart. “But can you be an optimist as a Scot?” Erm, depends if you’re a football fan? 7.39pm GMT A reminder of the teams There’s been a late change for Scotland: John Souttar has been injured in the warm-up and Grant Hanley has been restored to the side. Scotland (4-2-3-1ish) Gordon; Hickey, Hanley, McKenna, Robertson; Christie, Ferguson; Gannon-Doak, McTominay, McGinn; Dykes. Subs: Kelly, Bain, Tierney, Irving, Adams, Hendry, Barron, Hirst, Shankland, Ralston, McLean. Denmark (4-2-3-1ish) Schmeichel; Kristensen, Andersen, Christensen, Dorgu; Hjulmand, Hojbjerg; Isaksen, Frohold, Damsgaard; Hojlund. Subs: Hermansen, Jorgensen, Vestergaard, Hogsberg, Nartey, O’Riley, Eriksen, Norgaard, Billing, Wind, Biereth, Bruun Larsen. Referee Szymon Marciniak (Poland) Updated at 8.29pm GMT 7.37pm GMT Steve Clarke's pre-match thoughts [On his team selection] A little bit of freshness. The striker one is pretty straightforward – we ask a lot of the lone striker and Che [Adams] got the hard shit the other night. At the back I was looking for a bit more balance; Scott being a left-footer gets the nod. It’d be nice to start well. That’s something we’ve discussed. When we have the chance, we have to play – be progressive, create chances. If the game has to be physical we’ve got players who can do that. I’m ready, the players are the ready. The fans: I hope they’re ready and that they get behind thee team from the first minute to the last. 7.30pm GMT “Hiya Rob,” writes James Humphries. “You might call the atmosphere of the pub I’m in ‘nervous anticipation’, but I think ‘sick dread’ is probably more accurate. Had the horrifying realisation after Ireland’s result that things are now falling into place for us to once again be on the wrong end of someone else’s feelgood story in the playoffs. “Anyway, we all know what happens when I email in during games (see eg Celtic-Motherwell), so you’ll just have to imagine my pained howls as the disaster unfolds.” I’m only 450 miles away so I’d imagine I’ll hear them. 7.29pm GMT “Evening Rob,” writes Simon McMahon. “I’ve avoided the build up to tonight’s winner takes all showdown at Hampden all day, but no longer. June 1998 is etched into my memory as not only the month that Scotland last played a game in the World Cup finals, but also when, what was it, oh yes, my first child was born. Twenty seven years of hurt since. And the football hasn’t been much fun either. But all that could change tonight…” You’re going to reveal you became a father in June 1990? 7.11pm GMT 'At least this wee fella loves me' This piece by Scott Murray is 13 years old, yet it’s somehow timeless. There’s no need to be raking over the ashes of the 1978 campaign again, other than to recall one of the great press conferences, poor Ally MacLeod bending down to stroke a stray dog in attempt to dodge the brickbats aimed at his noggin in the wake of Scotland’s miserable draw with Iran. “At least this wee fella loves me,” he simpered, nanoseconds before the cur sank its gnashers into the hand of the Souness-shunning sadsack. Related: Self-sabotage and self-hate: Scotland's relationship with success 7.04pm GMT This is great fun. Since you asked, 14/15. Related: Football quiz: test your recall of World Cup qualifying shocks and drama 6.44pm GMT Thirty-four teams have qualified for the World Cup. Read all about ‘em Related: World Cup 2026: which countries have qualified and how did they do it? 6.44pm GMT Wales v North Macedonia team news Harry Wilson captains Wales in the absence of the suspended Ethan Ampadu. Josh Sheehan, Brennan Johnson and Liam Cullen all come into the side. Wales Darlow; Williams, Lawlor, Rodon, Dasilva, Sheehan, Wilson, D James, Cullen, Brooks, Johnson. Subs: King, A Davies, Mepham, Koumas, I Davies, Kpakio, Norrington-Davies, J Colwill, R Colwill, Harris, Thomas, Broadhead. North Macedonia Dimitrievski, Ilievski, Velkovski, Zajkov, Askovski, Kostadinov, Bardhi, Alimi, Stojchevski, Miovski, Elmas. Subs: Iliev, Aleksovski, Serafimov, Babunski, Trajkovski, Churlinov, Despotovski, Rastoder, Qamili, Ristovski, Ramadani, Atanasov. 6.30pm GMT Fancy some goosebumps? If you haven’t seen the celebrations after Troy Parrott’s third goal for Ireland on Sunday, I implore you to watch this irresistible slice of life-affirmation. Updated at 6.33pm GMT 6.26pm GMT Denmark team news: Hojlund returns Four changes from the Denmark from the XI that started their potential costly draw at home to Belarus. Joachim Andersen, Morten Hjulmand, Victor Froholdt and Rasmus Hojlund replace Jannik Vestergaard, Christian Norgaard, Christian Eriksen and Jonas Wind. Denmark (4-2-3-1ish) Schmeichel; Kristensen, Andersen, Christensen, Dorgu; Hjulmand, Hojbjerg; Isaksen, Froholdt, Damsgaard; Hojlund. Subs: Hermansen, Jorgensen, Vestergaard, Hogsberg, Nartey, O’Riley, Eriksen, Norgaard, Billing, Wind, Biereth, Bruun Larsen. Updated at 7.06pm GMT 6.20pm GMT Scotland team news: Dykes and McKenna start Steve Clarke has made two changes from the madcap defeat in Greece on Saturday. Scott McKenna replaces Grant Hanley and Lyndon Dykes is preferred up front to Che Adams. Interesting. Very interesting. Scotland (4-2-3-1ish) Gordon; Hickey, Souttar, McKenna, Robertson; Christie, Ferguson; Gannon-Doak, McTominay, McGinn; Dykes. Subs: Kelly, Bain, Hanley, Tierney, Irving, Adams, Hendry, Barron, Hirst, Shankland, Ralston, McLean. Updated at 8.28pm GMT 6.13pm GMT Wounding events in modern history mean Scotland can not be a football country that expects. It is, however, one on tenterhooks as the prospect of long‑awaited World Cup qualification looms so large. On paper, the task is simple: beat Denmark at Hampden Park and the Scots will take a place in next summer’s tournament. It is the significance of progress that matters far more than the fact the Danes are ranked 18 places higher in the world. Scotland have not played in the World Cup since 1998. You must go back to 1989 for the last time they qualified for anything in front of a Hampden audience. This ranks as a game for the ages. Potentially. The testimony of Andy Robertson is fascinating in this context. The Liverpool full-back and Scotland captain knows a thing or two about marquee achievement. He has 89 caps. What would leading his country to a World Cup mean? “I don’t like thinking about it and that’s the honest answer,” he said. “I’m excited and looking forward to a one-game shootout for the World Cup. If it happens, I’ll tell you how I feel about it.” Related: Scotland approach one-game World Cup shootout with excitement and focus 6.00pm GMT The last time Scotland qualified for a World Cup was 11 October 1997, when Sunchyme by Dario G – it’s okay, you can admit you like it now – was second in the charts, William Hague was all over the front pages and some of us had more hair then him. Scotland beat Latvia 2-0 that night and qualified automatically as the best runner-up across nine groups. Tonight’s task is tougher, but then the reward is greater. If Scotland beat Denmark at Hampden, they will be among the chosen 48 for next summer’s World Cup; if they draw or lose, they will go into the playoffs. It’s mercifully simple, terrifyingly so if you’re a Scotland fan. Scotland v Denmark is our main focus but we’ll have goalflashes from Cardiff, where Wales need to beat North Macedonia to improve their seeding for the upcoming playoffs, and half-time/full-time updates from the other matches. Here’s the full list. Group B Kosovo v Switzerland Sweden v Slovenia Switzerland will qualify automatically unless they lose by six goals to Kosovo, who along with Sweden are guaranteed a playoff place. Group C Belarus v Greece Scotland v Denmark See above Group E Spain v Turkey Bulgaria v Georgia Spain will qualify unless they lose by seven goals at home to Turkey, who are guaranteed a playoff place. Spain could join England in winning every game without conceding a goal. Group H Romania v San Marino Austria v Bosnia and Herzegovina This group is a bit tighter. Bosnia and Herzegovina will steal the automatic qualification spot from Austria if they win in Vienna. Romania are guaranteed a playoff spot along with Austria or Bosnia and Herzegovina. Group I Belgium v Liechtenstein Wales v North Macedonia Belgium need to win at home to Liechtenstein to guarantee automatic qualification, though a draw should be enough and we feel a bit silly acknowleding this as a live prospect. Assuming Belgium win, Wales and North Macedonia – both guaranteed a playoff place – are fighting for a better seeding in that draw. They are level on points but Wales have an inferior goal difference so they need to win. 6.00pm GMT Preamble Preamble? There are no preambles. Who needs preambles when Scotland are one win away from reaching their first World Cup since 1998. Kick off 7.45pm.