Scotland flag

Scotland

SCO · UEFA

FIFA Ranking #43Group CUEFA

Head Coach

Steve Clarke

Steve Clarke leads Scotland into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, tasked with guiding the squad through a competitive Group C and beyond. The coaching staff has been preparing tactical approaches tailored to the expanded 48-team tournament format.

Group Stage Venue

Los Angeles

Scotland will play their group stage matches in Los Angeles. The 2026 World Cup is the first to be hosted across three nations — the United States, Mexico, and Canada — with matches spread across 16 world-class venues.

Squad (26 players)

Goalkeepers

Craig Gordon
Heart of Midlothian · Age 43 · 83 caps
Angus Gunn
Nottingham Forest · Age 30 · 21 caps
Liam Kelly
Rangers · Age 30 · 2 caps

Defenders

Andy RobertsonC
Liverpool · Age 32 · 92 caps
Grant Hanley
Hibernian · Age 34 · 66 caps
Kieran Tierney
Celtic · Age 29 · 55 caps
Scott McKenna
Dinamo Zagreb · Age 29 · 49 caps
Jack Hendry
Al-Ettifaq · Age 31 · 37 caps
Nathan Patterson
Everton · Age 24 · 25 caps
Anthony Ralston
Celtic · Age 27 · 25 caps
John Souttar
Rangers · Age 29 · 22 caps
Aaron Hickey
Brentford · Age 24 · 19 caps
Dominic Hyam
Wrexham · Age 30 · 2 caps

Midfielders

John McGinn
Aston Villa · Age 31 · 85 caps
Scott McTominay
Napoli · Age 29 · 69 caps
Ryan Christie
Bournemouth · Age 31 · 66 caps
Kenny McLean
Norwich City · Age 34 · 56 caps
Billy Gilmour
Napoli · Age 25 · 45 caps
Lewis Ferguson
Bologna · Age 26 · 23 caps
Ben Gannon-Doak
Bournemouth · Age 20 · 12 caps
Findlay Curtis
Kilmarnock · Age 20 · 1 caps

Forwards

Lyndon Dykes
Charlton Athletic · Age 30 · 50 caps
Ché Adams
Torino · Age 29 · 46 caps
Lawrence Shankland
Heart of Midlothian · Age 30 · 18 caps
George Hirst
Ipswich Town · Age 27 · 8 caps
Ross Stewart
Southampton · Age 29 · 2 caps

Recent Form & Current State

Scotland qualified through UEFA qualification under Steve Clarke's steady leadership. After appearing at Euro 2024, they maintained their momentum through the qualifiers. The squad features several players from the English Premier League.

Form heading into a major tournament is often a key indicator of how far a team can progress. Scotland, currently ranked #43 in the FIFA World Rankings, will look to carry momentum from their recent qualifying and friendly campaigns into the group stage. Consistency in results and squad cohesion built during the qualification cycle will be vital assets. The UEFArepresentatives will be eager to demonstrate their quality on the world's biggest stage in 2026.

World Cup History

Scotland have appeared in eight World Cups but have never advanced past the group stage. Their last World Cup appearance was in 1998. This return to the World Cup ends a 28-year absence from the tournament.

The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of international football, and Scotland's history in the competition provides important context for their 2026 campaign. With the tournament expanding to 48 teams for the first time, every nation faces both new opportunities and new challenges in the revamped group stage format featuring groups of four with the top two advancing to a 32-team knockout round. Scotland will aim to write a new chapter in their World Cup story at this historic edition of the tournament.

Group C Opponents

Scotland faces Brazil and Morocco and Haiti in Group C. The top two teams from each group advance to the Round of 32. Group dynamics, head-to-head records, and tactical matchups will all play a role in determining which teams progress from this stage.