Scotland head coach Steve Clarke had just finished his playing career with Chelsea when his country qualified for the 1998 World Cup, proving their last appearance at the finals before the former defender guided them back to the tournament by beating Denmark last November.
Clarke has particular reason to sense the feelgood factor before Scotland’s pre-finals swansong on home turf at Hampden Park against Curacao on Saturday, having signed a new deal on Thursday to stay in charge until 2030.
“It will be nice for the fans to give us a send-off,” Clarke told the Scottish FA. “We want to win. The most important thing is no injuries and minutes for a lot of players who probably need to get to minutes in their legs.
“There will probably be a few rotations and changes throughout the game, but I’ll try to utilise most of the squad.”
The third-lowest ranked team at the finals, Curacao finished ahead of Jamaica to win their qualifying group and will have the oldest head coach in World Cup history in the hugely experienced Dick Advocaat.
Miami FC’s Jurgen Locadia played for Advocaat at the striker’s first club, PSV, before becoming Brighton & Hove Albion’s then-record signing and playing for the likes of Hoffenheim and Bochum.
“It’s very special,” said the 32-year-old, who scored three Premier League goals, speaking to VoetbalPrimeur and adding that the prospect of the World Cup finals is “really starting to sink in”.
“[Advocaat] gets mad at me often. We have a nice bond and he knows what he gets from me. He can now help and support me and the younger players.”
At their first finals, Curacao’s tough group features four-time champions Germany, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Not just a 𝙨𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩…🌎
— Curaçao National Football Team (@TheBlueWaveFFK) May 18, 2026
A whole 𝘃𝗶𝗯𝗲. 🇨🇼🎬🎶
See you at the @fifaworldcup!#TheBlueWave #Curaçao pic.twitter.com/ozNEHFLAE5
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World Cup 2026 friendly: Scotland v Curacao team news
Middlesbrough forward Tommy Conway will miss the World Cup with an ankle problem but Southampton striker Ross Stewart could feature for Scotland for the first time since 2022, having suffered a string of serious injuries between his last international appearance and January this year.
Clarke is hopeful that 43-year-old Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon will stay fit for Scotland’s campaign, which starts with games against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil, having returned this month from a long-term shoulder injury.
Alongside Locadia, Curacao’s squad features numerous players who may be familiar to fans in Scotland and England.
Captain Leandro Bacuna’s former clubs include Aston Villa, Reading, Cardiff City and Watford. Sontje Hansen is a Boro winger, Tahith Chong is a Sheffield United midfielder and Ar’jany Martha is a Rotherham United defender.
Full-back Joshua Brenet played for Livingston, midfielder Gervane Kastaneer had a loan spell with Hearts from former club Coventry City and winger Kenji Gorre was a youth prospect at Swansea City.
Former Swansea City trainee winger Kenji Gorre is with Maccabi Haifa and former Brighton & Hove Albion forward Jurgen Locadia is with Miami.
Scotland v Curacao 2026 World Cup friendly predicted line-ups
Scotland starting XI: Angus Gunn, Nathan Patterson, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Kieran Tierney, Billy Gilmour, Lewis Ferguson, Ryan Christie, George Hirst, Lawrence Shankland, Ross McCrorie
Curacao starting XI: Eloy Room; Ar’jany Martha, Roshon Van Eijma, Armando Obispo, Sherel Floranus, Leandro Bacuna, Gervane Kastaneer, Juninho Bacuna, Tahith Chong, Jurgen Locadia, Sontje Hansen
Where to watch Scotland v Curacao: TV channel, live online stream
Kick-off on Saturday is at 13:00 BST (08:00 ET / 05:00 PT). In the UK, live TV coverage is on BBC One Scotland.
Online live streaming on a vast range of devices is available on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
World Cup 2026 international friendly: Scotland v Curacao stats
- This is the first meeting between Scotland and Curacao, making the visitors the sixth different North or Central American nation Scotland have faced
- Scotland have failed to win any of their last six meetings with nations from those regions (D3 L3) since a 4-1 friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago in 2004
- They have lost three of their last four matches across all competitions (W1), which is as many defeats as they suffered across their previous 12 matches
- Clarke’s side could lose three in a row for the first time since 2024, when they lost four straight games
- Nine players have scored Scotland’s last 10 goals across all competitions, with Scott McTominay the only player to score more than once during this run
- The Tartan Army have failed to find the back of the net in each of their last two matches, losing 1-0 to both the Ivory Coast and Japan
- Lawrence Shankland, who recently completed a switch from Hearts to Rangers, has scored 48 goals in the Scottish Premiership since the beginning of the 2023/24 season, which is 11 more than any other player. After netting on his last appearance for Scotland against Denmark in November 2025, the 30-year-old will be looking to score in back-to-back appearances for his nation for the first time
- Curacao have never beaten a European nation, losing five of their previous six matches against those sides and only avoiding defeat with a 0-0 draw against the Netherlands in June 1960
- They have faced three European nations previously: the Netherlands (3), Denmark (2) and most recently Kazakhstan
- Having avoided defeat in each of their previous six matches (W3 D3) – all in World Cup qualifying -Curacao have lost their last two, succumbing 5-1 to Australia and 2-0 to China
- Gervane Kastaneer was Curacao’s top scorer in 2026 World Cup qualifying, with his five goals totalling two more than any other teammate
- Kastaneer’s assist provided Curacao’s only goal in that defeat to Australia in their most recent match
Prediction for Scotland v Curacao World Cup friendly
Scotland 4-2 Curacao
Scotland are ranked 39 places above Curacao but Clarke has faced a patchy build-up to this game, with some players only just joining his squad. The manager’s emphasis on avoiding injuries gives greater cause to expect Curacao to provide a test, but those two most recent results and their record against European teams suggest a positive result is unlikely for the underdogs.
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