Bolivia v Scotland: World Cup 2026 warm-up – live

Here’s Ewan Murray’s match report from New Jersey.

double quotation mark In a last outing before a first World Cup appearance in 28 years, Scotland dismantled Bolivia. Suddenly, worries over a potentially tournament defining joust with Haiti next weekend evaporated. If Clarke’s men are this ruthless. efficient when the proper stuff starts, they have a serious chance of emerging from the group phase for the first time in Scotland’s international history. This friendly, in theory an exercise in box ticking, instead gave reasons for huge Scottish confidence. Scotland will remember their first ever game against Bolivia with great fondness.

So, in conclusion, as we wait for reports and reaction: Scotland are going to win the World Cup.

The second half seen out with some comfort after that excellent first half from Scotland. No injuries, either, and it’s been as close to a perfect warm-up for Haiti next week for Steve Clarke. No mention of Hernan Medford now, it’s time for the group stage.

90 min: The stadium emptying as it’s not the easiest journey out of Harrison, New Jersey. Scotland will return to their base in Charlotte tomorrow. Three minutes are added on.

88 min: Hirst makes space for himself and shoots wide. He’s also disappointed in himself. The opening pair of strikers made a far stronger claim to start against Haiti.

87 min: Ralston’s ball is a beauty and Stewart attempts to reach it and stab home. Just wide. He’s annoyed with himself. Perhaps Scotland have decided to ration their goals for the actual finals.

85 min: A rare Bolivia attack after Tyler Fletcher waits for the ball to come to him,. Torrez gets a bit too excitable and shoots wide.

83 min: That’s all 10 outfield players changed for Scotland, and there’s been no injury scares. Ralston is booked for smashing into a midfield loose ball.

81 min: James Humphries is back in touch: “I thought Bolivia were decent - beat Brazil in qualifying. did they not? - but on the basis that Che Adams has got a double,. that he only scores against diddy teams, I fear they’re now consigned to the diddy bucket.(roaring comeback from Bolivia in 3, 2..).”

I don’t think that’s happening.

80 min: Off go Hanley, Hendry and Ferguson, on come Souttar, Hyam and Fletcher.

Bolivia have brought on a 16-year-old in Nabil Nacif, who plays for Oriente Petrolero.

78 min: A chant of "let’s go Scotland, let’s go” from some young fans. The Tartan Army are capturing hearts and minds.

76 min: Hirst’s heavy touch fails to set up Ross Stewart. The Ipswich man has not quite matched the excellence of Shankland’s intelligence in the first half.

75 min: Tyler Fletcher is coming on soon, having replaced Billy Gilmour,. played just 17 minutes for Manchester United’s first team this season.

73 min: McGinn tries to play in Hirst, who has misread his colleague’s intentions. Hirst has gone for bleached highlights, shades of Andy Townsend at USA 94. Or a member of Black Lace.

71 min: We’re now in that odd witching hour where nobody will want to overcommit,. miss out on the finals. Scotland have already made their point in this game.

70 min: Scott McTominay has gone off, and Kenny McLean who comes on.

68 min: Here’s the cooling break, make it part of your routine at this World Cup.

66 min: As ever, changes slow down the game. That’s always an issue with these warm-up matches. Curtis, down the wing, pings to the byline. He’s had a fine season for Killie, having been loaned, after playing amid the madness under Russell Martin at Rangers.

64 min: George Hirst. all being well, will make it to a World Cup, his dad David having missed out for England at Euro 92 to Alan Shearer.

62 min: That’s it for Shankland, Che Adams, Ben Gannon-Doak and Aaron Hickey. George Hirst, Anthony Ralston, Findlay Curtis and Ross Stewart come on.

61 min: McGinn shows his class in dropping deep, and spraying the ball wide. Scotland attacking into the shade rather than the sun they played into in the first half. Shankland is frustrated after a near miss from a Tierney cross. The replay shows it’s a bad miss.

59 min: Gannon-Doak has been a menace all evening, and has a couple of chances to escape with the ball. Then, when it comes loose, McTominay is penalised for smashing over a Bolivian opponent.

57 min: McGinn plays in Adams who attempts to set up Shankland when he was best advised to have a go himself.

55 min: Gunn comes out to claim a ball that might cause problems. Will it be him or Craig Gordon who play against Haiti? Gordon only played three matches for Hearts all season.

53 min: Scotland’s turn to defend a set piece, taken by Melgar, and deflected away. Steve Clarke will want his team to be as good in defence as they were attack in that first half.

51 min: More corners, and then McTominay flicks McGinn’s kick. The Bolivian keeper, impressively tattooed, knew nothing about where the ball was going to land.

50 min: Gannon-Doak gets away, and Adams, on a hat-trick, waits in expectation for the ball to arrive. It results in a corner that Scotland recycle before McGinn shoots and another corner results.

47 min: Two players of standing replacing two players of standing; there’s real quality in the Scotland ranks, if not across the board but at full-back,. in midfield, Clarke is spoiled for choice.

46 min: Back we come, and there’s sight of John McGinn coming on. Bolivia have made a couple of changes, too. Kieran Tierney is another arrival. So that’s Robertson off, and Christie, too.

Simon McMahon gets in touch: “Yeah, ok Scotland, this is good, but maybe calm it a bit. save one or two for Haiti? Four against Curaçao, three in half an hour v Bolivia, I mean, wtf? I’m starting to believe. Make Scotland Great Again.”

Scotland have been brilliant, Bolivia bloody awful but it’s been full of fine play from Robertson, Shankland. Gannon-Doak in particular. Four fine goals rattled in.

45+1 min: Anyone else worried that Scotland have used up all their goals here? Three minutes added on of a half that could not have gone any better for Steve Clarke.

Gannon-Doak’s run cuts deep, and then Adams gets two bites, the second a beauty of a finish, drilled home.

44 min: Bolivia try a clever free-kick but Scotland read their minds. The Bolivian league is still being played but the South Americans are less than sharp.

43 min: Villamil gets a shot on goal that goes wide but play is called back for an earlier foul. Hickey left some on Fernandez, the Bolivia full-back.

41 min: Lewis Ferguson’s corner is great, and Andy Robertson really should make it four. Scotland, the rampant lions.

40 min: Gannon-Doak bobs. weaves and forces a good save from Viscarra, and yet again it’s neat play by Lawrence Shankland that sets up the chance.

39 min: Bolivia’s Villamil is down, and that offers a break to the players. Lots of those red Scotland shirts in the stands.

38 min: Gannon-Doak, who missed a lot of the season for Bournemouth, has been decent and may well be fresh. His position there was taken by Rayan, who was a tough player to shift, in any case.

36 min: Paul McCann gets in touch: “The next town over from Harrison is Kearney. which was settled by Paisley carpet makers. In the 1980s it still had fish and chip shops and places that sold Irn Bru. It also had an Ulster Club (Rangers). an Irish Club (Celtic) and a Scottish Club, presumably for St Mirren fans. I had a memorable Hogmany in the latter in 1989 with nine Scottish nurses.”

Matt Dony joins us in Gaelic: “Tha e a’ tighinn dhachaigh!”

34 min: Weirdly,. this can’t have helped, Scotland prepared for their last World Cup, in 1999, by playing friendlies in New Jersey and Washington. They went out in the group stage.

33 min: Christie, coming off the opposite, right-hand flank cuts in. has time to shoot, and probably could have done better. The Bolivians are not doing much in the way of defending.

31 min: This couldn’t be going any better for Scotland. The excitement levels must be increasing. Reminder: before 1990, they beat Malta 2-1, and lost to Costa Rica.

Gannon-Doal breaks free, and tees up Adams to tap home. Scotland in dreamland, bring on Haiti.

29 min: First save for Gunn, from Bolivia’s Matheus. Gunn played just 45 minutes of football for Nottingham Forest all season, against Crystal Palace in February.

28 min: We are reminded that Bolivia beat Brazil last year,. got as far as the playoffs for the finals. This is a performance to lend plenty of confidence to the Scots.

26 min: Back underway, everyone refreshed and towelled down.

24 min: The goalie was not much cop for that goal, but champagne stuff played there by Scotland. At the moment, water is being taken on. This essentially breaks games down to quarters, right?