Scotland secured their first win of World Cup qualifying with a 2-0 victory over Belarus in strange, Covid-style conditions behind closed doors in Hungary.
Steve Clarke’s side were frustrated for much of the first half by a dogged Belarusian defence and showed no signs of recreating Greece’s rampant 4-0 display by half-time against the same opposition.
But Che Adams pounced shortly before the break, latching onto a fine Scott McTominay header to score a vital tap-in.
Scotland were the brighter side again in the second half but it was Belarus’ Zakhar Volkov who was to thank for their second goal, turning a Billy Gilmour header straight into his own net in the 65th minute.
It was far from a vintage performance but it was enough for Scotland to take home all three points and a vital step towards qualifying for their first World Cup since 1998.
Relive all the action and follow the reaction in our live blog:
Belarus vs Scotland LIVE
- Scotland face Belarus in their second World Cup qualifier | Live on BBC Three, kick-off at 7:45pm BST
- Steve Clarke's side hoping for their first win of qualifying after gritting out a goalless draw in Denmark
- Clarke says 'everyone is fit and ready to go' but is expected to make a couple of changes
- Scotland bidding to qualify for first World Cup finals since 1998
- '43 GOAL! Adams breaks deadlock just before half-time [BLR 0-1 SCO]
- '65 GOAL! Volkov heads into own goal to double Scotland's lead [BLR 0-2 SCO]
- REPORT: Scotland up to second in qualifying group with win over Belarus
Scotland stay on course for World Cup after beating Belarus behind closed doors
22:16 , Flo CliffordScotland kept on a steady course for the 2026 World Cup with a solid 2-0 win over Belarus on a surreal evening in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary.
After an encouraging 0-0 draw for Steve Clarke’s side in their opening qualifier in Group C against Denmark on Friday night, the closed-doors match in the ZTE Arena was an unwelcome throwback to the Covid-19 era of football.
Players and management shouts echoed around the ground with loud Scottish celebrations heard when striker Che Adams scored from close range two minutes before the break.
Belarus threatened at points but had the wind taken out of their sails when defender Zakhar Volkov headed into his own goal in the 65th minute to seal a crucial win for the Scots.
Scotland stay on course for World Cup after beating Belarus behind closed doors
'Job done' - Andy Robertson
22:08 , Flo Clifford“Job done. That's the best way to describe it,” Andy Robertson tells BBC Sport Scotland.
“We knew they would try to be a bit more secure and defensive. We just had to be patient and got the goal at the perfect time just before half-time.
“When they've changed their shape, it takes a wee bit of time to figure out what's going to work. Once we got through with a great goal, we just wanted to stay professional and thankfully got the second goal.”
On Ben Gannon-Doak, he says: “The gaffer put him on the left so I could look after him, but he doesn't need much looking after. He wants to take people on and his decision-making was good on the whole.
“We put in some shift on Friday and had to freshen it up. The four that came in were excellent. We need the full squad if we're going to qualify.”
'We know we're good enough' - Che Adams
21:54 , Flo CliffordGoalscorer Che Adams has a chat with BBC Sport Scotland. “It was really professional,” he says of the performance. “We knew we had to come here and get three points and we did that.
“Difficult pitch and a hard to break down team, but we did it in the end. We missed the fans a lot tonight. That was for them really.
“We know we're good enough [to qualify]. We knew we had to dig deep tonight and we did.”
Scotland face Greece at home next, and Adams says, “We know when we're at Hampden with the crowd behind us, we can beat anyone.”
What next for Scotland?
21:49 , Flo CliffordScotland face Greece at Hampden Park on Thursday 9 October, while Belarus take on Denmark.
Scotland's bid for World Cup qualifying on track
21:41 , Flo CliffordSo Scotland are now second in the group, level on points with leaders Denmark with four apiece.
Greece are third with three points after a 3-0 defeat in front of their home fans. They play Scotland next, at Hampden.
Belarus are bottom with nul points.
FULL-TIME: Belarus 0-2 Scotland
21:37 , Flo CliffordThat’s it! Polite applause in this eerie stadium and Scotland have three points, two goals and a clean sheet. Not hugely thrilling stuff, but a fine result for Steve Clarke’s men.
Che Adams’ 10th Scotland goal and Zakhar Volkov’s own goal the difference.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 90+3 mins
21:35 , Flo CliffordMelnichenko goes into the book for quite literally throwing himself at McLean and bringing him down. What in the world was that.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 90 mins
21:32 , Flo CliffordFour minutes added on in Hungary.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 90 mins
21:31 , Flo CliffordMcTominay’s boot has come off, has he potentially picked up a knock? Looks okay as he heads off, to be replaced by Miller for the final few minutes.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 87 mins
21:29 , Flo CliffordRasmus Hojlund has put Denmark 3-0 up against Greece, in other news.
CLOSE! Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 83 mins
21:24 , Flo CliffordBrilliant from Zabelin! Robertson plays a fine ball across to Adams, who dithers a fraction too long with the keeper diving at his feet, and Zabelin makes the crucial goal-line clearance.
Belarus take it up the other end quickly but Melnichenko launches it out of play.
That’s Adams’ last action of the game as he’s replaced by Dykes. Gilmour is off too, for McLean.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 80 mins
21:22 , Flo CliffordScotland pile on the pressure again with plenty of bodies in the box but McGinn is denied at close range by the keeper, Lapoukhov diving for it as the Aston Villa captain attempts to turn it home.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 76 mins
21:18 , Flo CliffordAdams ducks inside and curls it towards the right corner, but Lapoukhov dives to save.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 74 mins
21:16 , Flo CliffordChanges for Scotland too: Gannon-Doak off for Christie, Johnston for Hickey.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 73 mins
21:14 , Flo CliffordElsewhere, Denmark are now 2-0 up against Greece, Christensen on the scoresheet.
Wonder of wonders, Souttar wins a free-kick off Barkovskiy, whose luck has temporarily run out.
More changes for Belarus: poor old Volkov is hooked for Demchenko, and Pechenin for Malkevich.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 70 mins
21:12 , Flo CliffordKalinin slides in on McTominay and is living dangerously, already on a yellow that could well have been upgraded.
It’s a free-kick to Scotland. Gilmour stands over, but Volkov easily heads away.
Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 67 mins
21:09 , Flo CliffordMcTominay forces a low diving save from Lapoukhov as Scotland push for a third but it was offside anyway.
Immediate change for Belarus: the anonymous Myakish is replaced by Gromyko.
GOAL! Belarus 0-2 Scotland, 65 mins
21:07 , Flo CliffordScotland double their lead! Adams plays a peach of a pass into the box, Gilmour heads it into the centre, and Volkov heads it into his own goal! He looks gutted, and well he might, that was dreadful.
Belarus 0-1 Scotland, 64 mins
21:05 , Flo CliffordThe volume ratchets up a notch as Belarus nick the ball back and Melnichenko darts forward, over the top of Robertson... Gunn collects, and that’s probably the first sighting he’s had of the ball in this half.
Belarus 0-1 Scotland, 60 mins
21:02 , Flo CliffordBelarus are certainly showing a bit more intent now.
Now McTominay finds himself in space in the box, takes a lovely touch to outwit his defender, but blasts over the bar.
Belarus 0-1 Scotland, 55 mins
20:57 , Flo CliffordBarkovskiy inexplicably wins another foul, this time for being vaguely in the presence of Robertson.
Just before that a nice McGinn through-ball to Robertson was cut out, a promising-looking move that.
CLOSE! Belarus 0-1 Scotland, 53 mins
20:54 , Flo CliffordMcTominay is in acres of space in the centre but his header is straight at the keeper! Wasted chance.
Belarus 0-1 Scotland, 52 mins
20:54 , Flo CliffordParkhomenko makes a last-ditch sliding challenge to deny Ferguson in a dangerous post. Ferguson takes it, in towards the back post, but it’s cleared and Belarus counter speedily.
Ooh, Gannon-Doak slides in on Ebong to bring an end to the counter and he gets a yellow for that rather over-zealous challenge.
And the cards are out again as Kalinin clears out Ferguson. That’s dreadful. Ferguson is still down and Steve Clarke looks unhappy, as he well might... his player is back up, but Kalinin is probably lucky to not be sent off for that.
Belarus 0-1 Scotland, 48 mins
20:50 , Flo CliffordLet’s see if Pigas does a better job at containing Gannon-Doak than Karpovich did.
Here’s Robertson giving the referee an earful at half-time.
Now he floats in a cross towards Adams at the far post, but his half-volley is easily caught by Lapoukhov.
SECOND HALF: Belarus 0-1 Scotland
20:47 , Flo CliffordBack underway in Hungary. Belarus have made two changes: Pigas on for Karpovich, Melnichenko on for Malashevich.
Elsewhere in Group C
20:42 , Flo CliffordIt’s 1-0 in Greece too, Mikkel Damsgaard’s goal for Denmark the difference there.
Scotland lead at half-time
20:38 , Flo Clifford
HALF-TIME: Belarus 0-1 Scotland
20:32 , Flo CliffordChe Adams’ goal on the stroke of half-time is the difference.
Robertson goes to have a word with referee Nikola Dabanovic at the whistle, possibly about all those fouls given - and not given.
Belarus 0-1 Scotland, 45 mins
20:31 , Flo CliffordOne minute added on to this first half. Scotland look much more sprightly now.
Amusingly, the reception to that goal was more tennis than football as a result of the empty stadium - all polite, muted applause from the Scotland bench.
GOAL! Belarus 0-1 Scotland, 43 mins
20:29 , Flo CliffordThere’s the breakthrough! McGinn curls the ball into the back post to a waiting McTominay, who heads down into the path of Adams, who slides forward and pokes it in from close range!
HITS THE POST! Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 42 mins
20:27 , Flo CliffordGilmour flashes a lovely strike goalward but it clatters off the post!
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 41 mins
20:26 , Flo CliffordScotland have completed over 300 passes to Belarus’ 30, and still look no closer to a goal.
Ebong has the beating of Johnston and it’s heart-in-mouth stuff as he runs through on goal; Gunn does well to get a knee down to deflect the ball out. Looks like Malashevich may have been offside anyway.
Pechenin takes a corner and a throw-in from it, with Scotland pinned in their half... Gunn gets his gloves to the eventual cross.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 38 mins
20:23 , Flo CliffordMcTominay goes down again and Belarus counter quickly... Gunn comes sprinting off his line again to clear the ball from an onrushing Malashevich, it’s dicey again but the keeper gets to it first. Nervy moments.
Robertson overhits a cross, that’s poor. Scotland are looking frustrated.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 34 mins
20:20 , Flo CliffordIn fact, McTominay is penalised for a foul himself! Odd call.
Elsewhere in this group, Denmark have nudged 1-0 up against Greece, Damsgaard on the scoresheet.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 33 mins
20:18 , Flo CliffordI’m afraid this has got 0-0 written all over it.
McTominay is tripped on the edge of the box... Scotland want a penalty, but VAR waves it away.
CHANCE! Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 29 mins
20:15 , Flo CliffordBarkovskiy tries the same trick of hitting the deck under very minimal pressure in the air from Souttar. The referee gives the free-kick into the Scotland box, but it comes to nothing.
Chance! Johnston whacks in a lovely cross from the right but McTominay fires it a fraction wide! That’s the closest Scotland have looked to a goal thus far.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 27 mins
20:12 , Flo CliffordMcTominay wins a foul and Robertson stands over the free-kick, on the far left... it’s a good delivery but Souttar heads it over the crossbar, no direction on that at all.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 24 mins
20:09 , Flo CliffordJohnston whacks a tame cross straight at the keeper. Not the most inspiring stuff so far. Pechenin and Gannon-Doak the best players for either side by a country mile.
Ferguson floats in another attempt which Lapoukhov collects with ease.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 21 mins
20:06 , Flo CliffordOuch, Lapoukhov takes out one of his own teammates as they both lead for a high ball into the box.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 19 mins
20:04 , Flo CliffordGannon-Doak is lively again on the left, crossing back to Gilmour, who chests it down awkwardly - there probably would be calls for handball if it went in - but his bobbling attempt is saved by Lapoukhov.
Straight down the other end and McGinn gets beaten by Pechenin, alarm bells are going off - but Souttar gets a fine defensive header to it. Belarus aren’t seeing a lot of the ball, but they’re threatening so far from set-pieces.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 17 mins
20:02 , Flo CliffordOooh, dicey moment as Gunn comes way off his line to clear the ball under serious pressure from a sprinting Malashevich, the Belarus debutant. The keeper manages to high-kick it away, but Steve Clarke won’t want him doing that too often.
Belarus have a free-kick, and it’s a good one to the back post, but Pechenin’s header is safely gathered.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 15 mins
20:00 , Flo CliffordMcGinn plays a nice pass forward to Adams and it’s worked to the left to Robertson, whose curling cross lands safely in the gloves of Lapoukhov.
The referee deems Souttar to have fouled his man and it’s a free-kick... which floats into the penalty box, and Adams clears.
Scotland use it to counter-attack, and Gilmour is brought down in the box by Pechenin! Is that a penalty?! The ref says no, and it would probably be harsh. Corner to Scotland.
Belarus 0-0 Scotland, 10 mins
19:56 , Flo CliffordHere’s a look at the weirdly empty stadium. It must be bringing back unwanted memories of the Covid days for the players.
Gannon-Doak tries to dart in on the left again but his feint is spotted and he loses possession.
Not much to get excited about so far. Scotland have completed 76 passes to the ‘hosts’’ six.
Belarus v Scotland, 7 mins
19:52 , Flo CliffordMcKenna beats Malashevich with a sliding challenge at the byline, with the Belarusian going flying over the top, and we have our first corner... Pechenin takes it but Barkovskiy’s header is pretty poor.
Belarus v Scotland, 6 mins
19:51 , Flo CliffordGannon-Doak makes a smart run to the byline, the sort that the Tartan Army would no doubt cheer at full volume, but Belarus throw bodies back and clear the danger.
Scotland enjoying all the possession at the moment. Johnston loses it cheaply when forward in a decent spot.
Barkovskiy goes to ground hopefully after an aerial duel with Souttar, although it comes to naught.
Belarus v Scotland, 3 mins
19:48 , Flo CliffordThis has a deeply strange vibe, with every shout from the players audible in the absence of any fans.
Adams goes to ground in search of a free-kick after Volkov knocks into him, but the referee pays no attention.
KICK-OFF: Belarus v Scotland
19:46 , Flo CliffordAway we go!
Minutes to go
19:43 , Flo CliffordThe players are on the pitch and the anthems ring out around this totally empty stadium.
Last time out...
19:38 , Flo CliffordThese two teams haven’t met since a World Cup qualifier in 2005, when Scotland lost 1-0 at Hampden Park.
Revenge is best served... 20 years later?
Team news reminder
19:35 , Flo CliffordBelarus XI: Lapoukhov, Karpovich, Parkhomenko, Volkov, Zabelin, Pechenin, Myakish, Kalinin, Ebong, Malashevich, Barkovskiy
Scotland XI: Gunn, Johnston, Souttar, McKenna, Robertson, Gilmour, McGinn, Ferguson, McTominay, Gannon-Doak, Adams.
'We know what's at stake' - John McGinn
19:30 , Flo CliffordMore from John McGinn, who spoke ahead of tonight’s fixture of Scotland’s most recent World Cup appearance all the way back in 1998. “I remember my dad and my grandad speaking about it. So for us to be involved in a World Cup would be 100 per cent a career highlight.
“We need to realise what we can achieve. We know what’s at stake and we know how to do it. It’s important we get three points on Monday to give ourselves the best possible chance.”
World Cup would 'eclipse' all other tournaments - John McGinn
19:20 , Flo CliffordBBC Sport Scotland had a chat with John McGinn after a hard-fought draw with Denmark on Friday.
“We've had the experience of going to major tournaments but I think going to a World Cup would eclipse that,” the Aston Villa captain said.
“The excitement’s there. Everyone wants to achieve their own personal dreams and we can only achieve that by being together and being stronger.”
If Scotland qualify from Group C they’ll be into their first World Cup finals since 1998.
'Football is for fans' - Steve Clarke
19:10 , Flo CliffordSteve Clarke agreed with his counterpart, saying “football is for fans,” but said Scotland would draw on their Covid-era experience tonight.
“Some of our performances in Covid were pretty good,” he said. “Certainly a big change from the atmosphere the other night in the Parken Stadium in Denmark.
“This is a situation we’ve got to deal with, play the game, get the points we need and go home. That’s the best way for us to approach it.
“Football is for fans. The Covid times were tough times to play games, surreal atmospheres, but there’s nobody here tomorrow. It’s a shame that the Tartan Army can’t be here.
“I’m sure there will be one or two in their kilts wandering around the local vicinity, which is great. It shows you how much it means to them.”
Players arriving
19:05 , Flo Clifford
Playing behind closed doors 'abnormal' - Belarus head coach
19:00 , Flo CliffordBelarus head coach Carlos Alos has weighed in on the empty-venue debate. “I don’t want to interfere in the things, I’m not a lawyer,” he said before tonight’s encounter. “But for me, I talk in general, not in particular… we play for supporters.
“This is the main goal of football, this is the objective in football, to play for supporters, and of course no-one likes to play with closed doors, but I don’t want to go into particular situations like that.
“Of course we want to play with supporters, we feel better, we are professionals, so this is normal for us.
“What is abnormal is to play with closed doors, this is my opinion, this is my feeling, and I’m sure it’s the feeling of any player who will be on the field.”
Why is Belarus v Scotland being played behind closed doors?
18:50 , Flo CliffordToday’s match will have an unconventional feel for a World Cup qualifier, with the game played behind closed doors.
Belarusian clubs and the national team are banned from playing home games in Uefa competitions in their own country and must play them behind closed doors, under Uefa sanctions for the government’s support of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
As a result, today’s fixture will be staged in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary, near the border with Austria and Slovenia, with no fans in attendance.
Tartan Army in action
18:47 , Flo Clifford
Team news - Scotland
18:34 , Flo CliffordSteve Clarke has made four changes from the 0-0 draw with Denmark on Friday.
Ben Gannon-Doak replaces Lyndon Dykes up front, Billy Gilmour is in for Ryan Christie in midfield, and Max Johnston (for Aaron Hickey) and Scott McKenna (for Grant Hanley) swap into the defence.
Team news - Belarus
18:32 , Flo CliffordBelarus XI: Lapoukhov, Karpovich, Parkhomenko, Volkov, Zabelin, Pechenin, Myakish, Kalinin, Ebong, Malashevich, Barkovskiy
Substitutes: Demchenko, Gromyko, Ignatovich, Korzun, Kovalev, Malkevich, Martynovich, Melnichenko, Pasevich, Pavyluchenko, Pigas, Yablonskiy
Team news - Scotland
18:30 , Flo CliffordScotland XI: Gunn, Johnston, Souttar, McKenna, Robertson, Gilmour, McGinn, Ferguson, McTominay, Gannon-Doak, Adams.
Substitutes: Kelly, Clark, Hickey, Hanley, Doig, Dykes, Christie, Hendry, Miller, Hirst, Bowie, McLean.
Steve Clarke hails strong refereeing performance as Scotland hold Denmark
18:25 , Flo CliffordSteve Clarke praised a strong refereeing performance from Daniel Siebert after Scotland began their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with an encouraging goalless draw against Denmark in Copenhagen.
Right-back Max Johnston took over from the already-booked Aaron Hickey in the 70th minute and was almost immediately shown a yellow card by Siebert for using his arm when last man in the Scotland defence.
Asked by the VAR to look at the incident again on the pitchside monitor, the German official took no further action, with a red arguably available for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Steve Clarke hails strong refereeing performance as Scotland hold Denmark
Scotland hold Denmark to goalless draw in opening World Cup qualifier
18:15 , Flo CliffordScotland began their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a creditable goalless draw against Denmark but may feel they could have taken all three points in Copenhagen.
The hosts had long spells on top, but Steve Clarke’s side sporadically offered a real attacking threat before and after the break.
John McGinn, Ryan Christie and Lyndon Dykes all missed chances and there was some terrific siege defending at times as a high-quality Danish side were nullified, albeit the visitors lived dangerously in the latter stages.
Scotland hold Denmark to goalless draw in opening World Cup qualifier
Predicted line-ups
18:05 , Flo CliffordBelarus XI: Pavlyuchenko; Pigas, Martynovich, Zabelin, Pechenin; Yablonskiy, Korzun; Gromyko, Ebong, Kovalev; Barkovskiy.
Scotland XI: Gunn; Johnston, Souttar, Hanley, Robertson; Gilmour, McTominay; Gannon Doak, McGinn, Christie; Adams.
Last time out
17:55 , Flo CliffordScotland ground out a goalless draw in Copenhagen against Denmark, a result which puts Steve Clarke’s side in an encouraging position for the rest of their qualifying campaign.
Belarus meanwhile were hammered 5-1 by Greece, the final team in Group C, and will no doubt have a point to prove in Hungary today.
Team news
17:45 , Flo CliffordBelarus could bring German Barkovskiy into the starting XI after providing the only ray of sunshine in a dismal outing against Greece, coming off the bench to score a consolation. It could be one of numerous changes by Carlos Alos as he looks to find a team that can cause some trouble.
Steve Clarke, meanwhile, confirmed that “everyone is fit and ready to go” after their efforts in Copenhagen, but hinted that there could be a couple of changes to the starting XI.
New Bournemouth winger Ben Gannon Doak and Napoli midfielder could push for a starting berth, while the likes of Che Adams and Scott McTominay will be expected to keep their places.
Belarus v Scotland
17:30 , Flo CliffordWhen is Belarus vs Scotland?
Scotland’s World Cup qualifying clash with Belarus kicks off at 7:45pm BST on Monday 8 September at the ZTE Arena in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the UK can watch the game on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, with coverage beginning at 7:30pm BST.
Good afternoon
17:15 , Flo CliffordHello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s World Cup qualifying match between Belarus and Scotland.
Scotland got their campaign off to an encouraging start against Denmark, while Belarus will be coming into this one full of wounded pride after a drubbing by Greece.
We’ll have all the build-up and live updates right here.
