March 15 – Scotland will play Poland in a friendly on March 24 instead of their postponed World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine – with £10 from every ticket sold going towards UNICEF’s Ukraine emergency fund.
Poland had been scheduled to play Russia that evening in their own playoff path but have been given a bye into the final against Czech Republic or Sweden on March 29 after Russia was kicked out.
“As a father, the images of children in Ukraine has been heart-breaking to watch,” said Scotland captain Andy Robertson, who is also a Unicef ambassador.
“We hope that the money raised by this match will help the tremendous efforts already made by UNICEF in Ukraine and in helping the refugee situation.”
Scotland and Ukraine are still hoping to meet in June, with the winners going on to face either Wales or Austria for the final European spot in Qatar.
The fixture will also bring some competitive balance to the Qatar 2022 play-offs. Sweden had complained that giving Poland a bye to the final round of play-offs gave them an advantage.
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