International women’s soccer is back as Nations League crunch matches approach

The Scotland Women’s National Team (SWNT) are underway with their preparations. The players and their growing number of fans are looking forward to the upcoming Nations League matches.  But it’s a tough draw in their group and each game will be a real battle.

Next up for the SWNT is a back-to-back, away and at home, doubleheader against the Netherlands. The two sides play in Nijmegen this Friday night and then face up again a few days later on Tuesday (Oct. 31) at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Scottish fans will be hoping it's not a Halloween shocker, although they are getting used to a few thrills in these matches.

So far it's been mixed results for the SWNT in the Nations League contest. Their group has them playing against England and Belgium, in addition to the Dutch team they play next. Currently in the bottom place after two games, the SWNT earned a point in their last match with a late injury-time equalizer against Belgium at home at the end of September. That followed a narrow loss against England in Sunderland, with the home side keen to put their World Cup final loss to Spain behind them.

The group remains tight after two rounds of matches so far, the Netherlands have lost to Belgium but had a 2-1 win over England. Which makes the upcoming two matches pretty significant for SWNT.  That late point against Belgium should have given them encouragement though, leaving it all still to play for.

Women’s soccer matters in Scotland

It’s not just the results that matter for the team. Scotland men’s team have now secured their place in the 2024 UEFA European Championships in Germany. The SWNT will be keen to play their part in keeping the country upbeat about women's soccer too. A recent survey published by Edinburgh University showed the importance of that.  

Of those surveyed 86 percent saw the SWNT as ‘extremely important’ for the country. The fans look forward to the matches with 88% saying the shared experience of watching with family and friends was just as important as winning. And it’s even better if the matches are played at the National Stadium Hampden. This means Tuesday’s Halloween game should be quite a night — win, draw or lose.