Denmark and Scotland get their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaigns underway when they meet at Parken Stadium on Friday 5th September at 7:45pm (UK time). The pair are in one of the four-team groups in World Cup qualifying, with all fixtures played across three months. This game will be broadcast live on BBC Two and BBC Scotland.
Denmark to win & under 3.5 goals (6/5 with SBK)
Denmark have made Parken Stadium a fortress, winning eight of their last nine home fixtures. The only blemish came in a narrow 2-1 defeat to Spain, while the likes of Switzerland, Serbia and Portugal have all been beaten there in the past year and a half by a 2-0 scoreline and one by a 1-0 margin.
With that in mind, backing a Danish victory combined with under 3.5 goals looks a strong play at 6/5 for our opening Denmark vs Scotland prediction.
Scott McTominay to score anytime (7/2 with SBK)
Scott McTominay often takes up a more advanced role for his national side than he does at club level, and he’s found plenty of joy in front of goal over the last few years. In his previous 19 competitive internationals, he has scored 11 goals, and still makes appeal at the current prices with SBK.
How both teams go into Denmark vs Scotland
Denmark have appeared at the past two World Cups and are looking to make it to three tournaments in a row for the first time. They won nine of their 10 qualifying games ahead of 2022, but bowed out of the group stage with just one point from three matches. Denmark have had a mixed year in 2025 so far. They started with a UEFA Nations League quarter-final defeat to Portugal, despite winning the first leg 1-0. Brian Riemer’s men did bounce back in June, though, claiming two friendly wins over Northern Ireland and Lithuania. But it’s now back to serious business.
Scotland suffered heartbreak in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. They finished second in their qualifying group behind Denmark, but lost in the play-off semi-finals. It extended Scotland’s absence from the World Cup to at least 28 years, since their group-stage exit in 1998. Steve Clarke’s men have had an interesting year so far. They suffered relegation from the UEFA Nations League A, after losing the play-off to Greece, even after winning the first leg away from home. Scotland then lost in a friendly against Iceland, before beating Liechtenstein in June.
Denmark team news
Christian Norgaard will miss out on the international break due to injury, while Christian Eriksen also isn’t included in Denmark’s squad. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Mikkel Damsgaard, Matt O’Riley and Morten Hjulmand are among Riemer’s midfield options.
Scotland team news
There were no real surprise exclusions in Scotland’s squad for the September internationals. Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams will fight to be the striker, unless Clarke decides to stick with the two-man attack he used against Liechtenstein.
Denmark vs Scotland head-to-head
These sides shared 2-0 home wins in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, finishing in the top two spots. Scotland have won three of the past four meetings, but the other two victories were friendlies in 2016 and 2011, respectively.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 15/11/21 | Scotland 2-0 Denmark | World Cup qualifying |
| 01/09/21 | Denmark 2-0 Scotland | World Cup qualifying |
| 29/03/16 | Scotland 1-0 Denmark | Friendly |
| 10/08/11 | Scotland 2-1 Denmark | Friendly |
| 28/04/04 | Denmark 1-0 Scotland | Friendly |