Scotland v Ukraine World Cup play-off postponed: when will it be played? What does it mean for Wales v Austria

The World Cup qualifying play-off between Scotland and Ukraine, scheduled for later this month, has been postponed.

The match was due to take place at Hampden Park on March 24, but the ongoing conflict with Russia saw the Ukrainian FA request a postponement last month.

An official statement is expected to be released soon and it is understood that UEFA are looking at options for when the rearranged fixture could be played.

Here are the likely scenarios for when the rearranged fixture could take place and what the postponement means for Wales and Austria, who are in the same qualifying path as Scotland and Ukraine.

When will Scotland v Ukraine be played?

No official date has been confirmed for the rearranged fixture, but UEFA are expected to make an announcement in the next 48 hours where they will officially confirm the postponement and announce a new date.

The most likely outcome is that it will be played in the next international window in June.

Scotland were due to play a quadruple header of UEFA Nations League fixtures between June 4 and 14 against Ukraine, Ireland and Armenia twice.

With the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar due to begin in November, it is likely that the play-off qualifier would take priority over the Nations League fixture.

Scotland’s first two matches are both at home to Armenia on June 4 and Ukraine on June 7 and those two dates could potentially be used for the play-off semi final and subsequent final between Scotland/Ukraine and Wales/Austria.

What does the postponement mean for Wales v Austria?

Prior to an official statement being released, no change has been confirmed for the other play-off semi final in the same pathway between Wales and Austria in Cardiff.

That match is also scheduled for March 24 and it appears that date will not be changed and the match will go ahead.

The subsequent play-off final, also due to take place in Cardiff, was scheduled for March 29 but that will be postponed along with the Scotland v Ukraine semi-final.

Wales and Austria both also have a full schedule of Nations League fixtures set for June with the home nations due to play Netherlands, Belgium and Poland.

Will Scotland arrange a friendly at Hampden Park on March 24?

The Scottish FA have sold out Hampden Park for the play-off match with Ukraine which has now been postponed.

The governing body have yet to release a statement on the refund process for tickets.

There has been some talk that Scotland could look to arrange a friendly fixture at Hampden for the March 24 fixture date.

Whether that is possible at such short notice is unclear.

What has been said about the Scotland v Ukraine postponement?

No official statement has been released by the Scottish FA or UEFA.

The SFA previously released a statement while discussions were ongoing about whether or not to postpone the match.

It said: “The Scottish FA president, Rod Petrie, has written to his counterpart at the Ukrainian Association of Football to send a message of support, friendship and unity.

“Football is inconsequential amid conflict but we have conveyed the strong sense of solidarity communicated to us by Scotland fans and citizens in recent days.

"We remain in dialogue with UEFA and FIFA regarding our men's FIFA World Cup play-off and women’s World Cup qualifier and have offered to support our Ukrainian colleagues’ preparations as best we can in these unimaginably difficult circumstances.

"Should the current circumstances continue, we will not sanction the nomination of a team to participate in our scheduled UEFA Regions Cup fixture against Russia, due to be played in August.

“This will remain our position should any other fixtures arise at any level of international football.”

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