Norway Coach Slams Scotland Over Cancelled World Cup Warm-Up Match

Ståle Solbakken has criticized Steve Clarke for what he described as an "unprofessional" decision after Scotland abruptly cancelled a planned training match between the two national teams ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The behind-closed-doors fixture was scheduled to take place on Monday at Scotland's training camp in Charlotte, North Carolina. The match had been arranged months in advance to give reserve players from both squads valuable playing time before the start of the tournament.

However, the Norwegian camp was informed late on Friday evening that the match had been called off due to injuries within the Scotland squad. The late cancellation forced Solbakken and his coaching staff to alter their preparations before Norway's friendly against Morocco national football team, which ended in a 1-1 draw in New Jersey.

Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Solbakken expressed his frustration with the situation.

"It came as a surprise to me as well. It was an unprofessional action from Scotland," the Norway manager said.

He added that he was particularly disappointed by the way the decision was communicated.

"It is unprofessional that their coach did not contact me personally. Instead, they sent the team manager to inform us after training had already finished."

Solbakken also questioned Scotland's explanation for the cancellation, suggesting that the injuries cited as the reason were unlikely to have occurred during the team's final training session.

The incident comes just days before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with both teams finalizing their preparations for football's biggest tournament.