Aiming to secure a World Cup spot for the first time since 1988, Scotland will host Greece in their third qualifier on Thursday night.
With four points on the board, Scotland are second in Group C, trailing leaders Denmark on goal difference. Greece are third in the rankings with three points, while Belarus, who are still without a point, are fourth.
Scotland vs Greece World Cup Qualifier Preview and Team News
Preview
Scotland have enjoyed an unbeaten start to their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, winning one game and drawing the other. In their first outing, the Tartan Army held Denmark to a goalless draw away from home.
Scotland demonstrated admirable resilience in that game, maintaining focus throughout the match. Denmark had 74% possession and took 16 shots, but could not breach the Scottish defence.
On Matchday 2, Scotland made light work of Belarus. Che Adams landed the first blow in the 43rd minute before Zakhar Volkov’s 65th-minute own goal killed the game. Matching our AI prediction for Belarus vs Scotland, the Scots claimed a 2-0 victory.
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ Here's your Scotland squad for October's Hampden Park double-header.
โก๏ธ https://t.co/KbKO3f595J
๐๏ธ https://t.co/BRhAhPtmc4#SCOGRE | #SCOBLR pic.twitter.com/GVQbWrJoLS— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) September 30, 2025
Steve Clarke’s side took 14 shots against Belarus, eight of which landed on target. The visitors could have scored plenty more had they not squandered their opportunities in front of goal.
Greece, on the other hand, started their World Cup qualifying journey with an explosive 5-1 victory over Belarus. Konstantinos Karetsas (3′), Vangelis Pavlidis (17′), Anastasios Bakasetas (21′), Dimitrios Kourbelis (36′), and Christos Tzolis (63′) scored a goal each for Greece before German Barkovsky scored Belarus’ consolation goal (72′).
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ๐ฌ๐ท| ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฒ| ๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐
The last player to score a winner for Scotland v Greece at Hampden?
Ally McCoist, back in August 1995, with his first touch in international football since breaking a leg v Portugal 28 months earlier#SCOGRE #WCQ pic.twitter.com/qrnOtIOb2n
— Everything Scotland ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ณ๓ ฃ๓ ด๓ ฟ (@AboutScotlandd) October 7, 2025
Greece, however, were humbled only three days later, as Denmark beat them 3-0 in their own backyard. Mikkel Damsgaard (32′), Andreas Christensen (62′), and Rasmus Hojlund (81′) scored in the commanding victory for the visitors.
Team News
Despite scoring seven goals in the Scottish Premiership, Lawrence Shankland has not made Steve Clarke’s squad in October. Oliver Burke, the hat-trick hero for Union Berlin against Eintracht Frankfurt, has also failed to make the cut. The rest of the usual suspects are there and are in contention to start.
As for Greece, they will miss first-choice defender Panagiotis Retsos, who is recovering from a groin injury. The rest are fit to report.
Scotland vs Greece Match Details
โฝTeams: Scotland vs Greece
๐๏ธDate: Thursday, October 09, 2025
๐ Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026ย Qualifier โ Matchday 3
๐ฅRef: Espen Eskas
โKO: 7:45 PM BST
๐บWhere to Watch: BBC Scotland, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website
๐๏ธStadium: Hampden Park
Scotland vs Greece Stats and Head-to-Head
- Scotland and Greece have faced each other 4 times in all competitions, with each team winning 2 games
- Last meeting: Scotland 0-3 Greece (UEFA Nations League, 16 March 2025)
- Scotland are second in Group C with 4 points, drawing with Denmark and beating Belarus
- Greece are third in Group C with 3 points, beating Belarus and losing to Denmark
- Scotland have not qualified for the FIFA World Cup since 1988
- Scotland hold the record for most World Cup appearances without ever qualifying for the second round
- Greece last qualified for the World Cup in 2014, reaching the Round of 16 stage
- Scotland have only lost 1 of their last 18 FIFA World Cup qualifiers
- John McGinn is Scotland’s active leading scorer with 20 goals in 89 games
- Anastasios Bakasetas is Greece’s active leading scorer with 18 goals in 77 matches
Head-to-Head and Past Meetings
Scotland and Greece have faced each other only four times in all competitions. They have met twice each in the European Championships and the UEFA Nations League. Scotland have won two games, scoring two goals without conceding. Greece have won the other two, scoring four times while keeping a clean sheet.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 1994 | Greece 1-0 Scotland | UEFA European Championship |
| 16 Aug 1995 | Scotland 1-0 Greece | UEFA European Championship |
| 20 Mar 2025 | Greece 0-1 Scotland | UEFA Nations League |
| 23 Mar 2025 | Scotland 0-3 Greece | UEFA Nations League |
Scotland vs Greece Betting Odds
Scotland suffered a heavy defeat the last time they hosted Greece. However, their recent form is better and they have an excellent record in World Cup qualifiers. As a result, neither team are outright favourites heading into Thursday’s fixture. At the time of writing, 7/4 to win while Greece are priced at 8/5.
In all four matches, the winning team kept a clean sheet, and bookies are leaning towards another such outcome.
Match Result
- Scotland โ 7/4
- Draw โ 2/1
- Greece โ 8/5
Both Teams to Score
- Yes โ 1/1
- No โ 3/4
Anytime Goalscorer
- Evangelos Pavlidis โ 2/1
- Che Adams โ 9/4
- Fotis Ioannidis โ 5/2
Scotland vs Greece Prediction and Best Bet
After the Nations League defeat in March, Scotland will be extra vigilant against Greece on Thursday. While it may push them towards a more conservative approach, we believe the strategy would help them secure maximum points against the visitors.
Our Prediction: Scotland 2-1 Greece
Best Bet: Scotland to Win @ 7/4
