Scotland at the World Cup 2026: Squad, fixtures, group and history

Scotland ended a 28-year absence from the finals by qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2026. Steve Clarke's side, led by captain Andy Robertson, faced Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in Group C and finished third, missing the cut to qualify for the knockout stage.

Below you will find everything you need to know about Scotland at the 2026 World Cup: their fixtures, squad, qualifying record, key players, coach and tournament history.

Scotland at the World Cup 2026: At a glance

Coach: Steve Clarke
Captain: Andy Robertson
World Cup appearances: 9
Best finish: Group stage

Scotland's World Cup matches

Group C: Third place

14 June: Haiti 0-1 Scotland (Boston)
20 June: Scotland 0-1 Morocco (Boston)
25 June: Scotland 0-3 Brazil (Miami)

Scotland's World Cup squad

Aston Villa's UEFA Europa League-winning midfielder John McGinn was among the big names included in Steve Clarke's squad, along with Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney and Scott McTominay. Billy Gilmour had to withdraw after suffering an injury in a friendly against Curaçao, and was replaced by Manchester United teenager Tyler Fletcher.

How Scotland qualified for the World Cup

First place in Group C: W4 D1 L1 F13 A7

Denmark 0-0 Scotland
Belarus 0-2 Scotland
Scotland 3-1 Greece
Scotland 2-1 Belarus
Greece 3-2 Scotland
Scotland 4-2 Denmark

Top scorer: Ché Adams, Ryan Christie, Scott McTominay (2 goals)

Scotland coach: Steve Clarke

A former right-back who won six caps for his country, Clarke took charge of Scotland in May 2019 and immediately led the team to qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 – their first major tournament for 23 years. Scotland bowed out in the group stage both there and at EURO 2024, and they suffered the same fate at their first World Cup for nearly 30 years, after which Clarke stepped down from his role.

Scotland captain: Andy Robertson

Well on his way to earning 100 caps, Robertson has been a regular for Scotland since making his debut in 2014. The former Hull City player won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a Champions League with Liverpool over nine seasons before joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Scotland's World Cup history 

Most appearances: Jim Leighton (9)
Top scorer: Joe Jordan (4)
Best performance: Group stage
World Cup 2022: Did not qualify

Scotland have come agonisingly close to progressing beyond the group stage on a number of occasions, missing out on goal difference on three occasions: in 1974, 1978 and 1982. It was a similar story at the 2026 edition as they narrowly fell short of reaching the round of 32 as a third-place finisher.

Scotland's UEFA Nations League fixtures: Group B1

26 September: Slovenia vs Scotland (15:00)
29 September: Scotland vs Switzerland (20:45)
3 October: North Macedonia vs Scotland (20:45)
6 October: Scotland vs Slovenia (20:45)
13 November: Scotland vs North Macedonia (20:45)
16 November: Switzerland vs Scotland (20:45)

All times CET.