AN astonishing 700,000 Peru fans will apply for tickets for their World Cup send-off in Lima against Scotland.

Alex McLeish will take his side to South America in May to face the Peruvians, before travelling to Central America to take on Mexico.

Peru are unbeaten in 12 matches stretching back to 2016 when Brazil beat them in Lima and their fans are at fever pitch after qualifying for their first World Cup finals for 36 years.

The Peruvian Football Federation say the same balloting system will be in place for Scotland’s visit on May 29 as was set up for the second leg of their volatile World Cup play-off win over New Zealand in November.

PFF president Edwin Oviedo has revealed he is expecting the same unbelievable demand for tickets, even though they are playing Scotland in what is only a friendly.

An incredible total of 700,000 fans out of their estimated population of 31.8m people applied for tickets against the Kiwis . . . leaving around 650,000 disappointed as the Estadio Nacional del Peru only holds 50,000.

They expect a deluge of applications from excited fans demanding tickets for their farewell match against Scotland too.

Oviedo said: “We will use exactly the same method as we used when we played New Zealand – through a ballot. There is a way to democratise the sale of tickets and we are doing it digitally as FIFA does.

"It’s a raffle where the hundreds of thousands who want to buy tickets enter and the lucky ones are the winners in a draw. The match against Scotland will be our goodbye match, it will be a difficult one, but we wanted an opponent who will be competitive.”

Scotland’s biggest away attendance came in South America when 130,000 watched Scotland lose 1-0 to Brazil at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro in 1972.