Scotland Prepares for World Cup Warm-Ups at Hampden with Japan and Curacao

Steve Clarke is eagerly anticipating a return to Hampden.

Scotland has officially announced friendly matches against fellow World Cup finalists, Japan and Curacao, as part of their final home warm-up games ahead of this summer’s tournament in the Americas.

Clarke’s team will face Japan on Saturday, 28 March, with the match kicking off at 17:00 GMT, followed by a fixture against Curacao on Saturday, 30 May, scheduled for 13:00 BST.

In a statement to the Scottish FA website, Clarke expressed his excitement about facing a top-20 team, noting that this will be Japan’s first visit to Hampden.

“We are also looking forward to welcoming Curacao to Glasgow, which should provide us with valuable experience regarding the CONCACAF federation before our encounter with Haiti,” he remarked.

This matchup will mark the first meeting between Scotland and the Caribbean nation, which is currently ranked 82nd in the world—just two places above Haiti, who is also in Scotland’s World Cup group. Curacao is currently being coached by Dick Advocaat, a former manager at Rangers and the Netherlands.

Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan holds the 18th position in the world rankings, a notable 18 places above Scotland. The Scottish team has indicated that they will soon confirm details for two away friendly fixtures.

Historically, Scotland and Japan have faced each other three times, with their most recent encounter resulting in a 2-0 victory for the Samurai Blue in a friendly match held in Yokohama in 2009, following two earlier goalless draws.

Clarke is looking forward to reuniting with his squad at Hampden for the first time since the exhilarating 4-2 victory over Denmark, which secured Scotland’s qualification for the World Cup.

“It will be wonderful to gather with the squad for the first time since that memorable night, which marked our return to the World Cup after such a lengthy absence,” he added.

“While we can spend the first day reminiscing, it will soon be time to focus on the serious task of preparing for the summer.”