April 14, (THEWILL) – Scotland will play Ukraine in a Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup play-off semi-final on June 1, with the winner facing Wales on June 5 for a berth in the first ever global football fiesta in the Arab world.
The matches were supposed to take place in March, but they were postponed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Wales defeated Austria 2-1 to get to the play-off final.
The match between Scotland and Ukraine will be held at Hampden Park, with the victor going on to play Wales in Cardiff.
THEWILL recalls that Ukraine has not played an international match since November, but they are expecting to get friendlies against France and North Macedonia ahead of the play-off.
At the World Cup, which runs from November 21 to December 18, Scotland, Ukraine, or Wales will be in the same group as England, Iran, and the United States based on the draw for the first world cup scheduled in winter.
Commenting on the confirmation of the Ukraine fixture, Ian Maxwell, the Scottish FA Chief Executive, said: “Firstly, it will be great to be able to welcome to Ukraine to Hampden Park in June.
“While, understandably, there will be two sets of competitive players who are committed to taking another step closer to World Cup qualification, we also understand and appreciate the wider context in which the match will take place.
“We have been consistent throughout that postponing the original tie was the right and only thing to do and look forward to hosting Ukraine at Hampden Park in June.”
Scotland and Ukraine have both had their Nations League openers rescheduled as a result of the play-off postponement. Scotland’s first match against Armenia has been rescheduled for June 8, while Ukraine will face Republic of Ireland on the same day.
On September 21 and 27, Steve Clarke’s squad will face Ukraine in the Nations League.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
