EVERTON’S Hill Dickinson Stadium is set to host Scotland against the Ivory Coast in its first international game.
The new 53,000-seater stadium staged its first Premier League match on August 24, with the Toffees beating Brighton 2-0 to secure their first win there.
Everton moved from Goodison Park after 133 years to boost their capacity from the 39,572 their cherished old ground used to hold.
Six months after opening, the Hill Dickinson Stadium is now set to stage Scotland v Ivory Coast on March 31 in preparation for the World Cup, for which both nations have already qualified.
Scotland have been drawn in Group C, and will face Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. The Ivory Coast, meanwhile, are in Group E and are set to play Germany, Ecuador and Curacao.
The Tartan Army’s first warm-up friendly is being played at Hampden Park on March 28th against Japan, who are ranked among the top 20 countries worldwide.
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They will then travel south to face the Ivory Coast three days later at the Hill Dickinson stadium, which is just over 200 miles from their usual Hampden home.
Upon the matches being confirmed, Scotland head coach Steve Clarke said: “We wanted to face African opposition before we play Morocco in the summer.”
He then added that the Ivory Coast would offer a “really stern test”.
Scotland qualified thanks to a dramatic 4-2 win against Denmark which included two injury time goals.
The Ivory Coast, meanwhile, were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations in the quarter-finals earlier this month, losing 3-2 to Egypt.
During the Hill Dickinson Stadium’s building phase, Everton representatives, as well as developers, were always clear on their plans to make it a multi-purpose venue.
Their aim was for the site to be a year-round venue that can generate revenue beyond just Everton matchdays.
In November, the stadium hosted its first non-football event, a rugby league match between England and Australia.
And in July it is set to stage Super League’s Magic Weekend.
Hill Dickinson Stadium is also set to host five matches at Euro 2028, including one knockout clash.
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