The Southampton striker Ross Stewart has ended a four-year absence from international football by being named in the Scotland squad for the World Cup. Steve Clarke, maintaining his typical approach, opted for familiarity in selecting those who this summer will represent the country in a World Cup for the first time in 28 years.
Stewart's impressive form earns recall
Stewart’s excellent touch towards the end of the domestic season – the 29-year-old has scored five times in 10 games for Southampton – led Clarke to include him in his 26-man party. A substitute appearance in a Nations League game against Armenia was the last time Stewart donned Scotland colours. Injury to Tommy Conway is likely to have boosted Stewart’s cause but Clarke said the former Sunderland man was always in his thoughts.
Clarke's praise for Stewart
“Ross was in my squad a few years ago, showing that he can come up to this level and was good in the squad,” Clarke said. “He had a terrible run of injuries. From January onwards, he’s had a rich vein of form where he’s shown that he can score big goals in big games. The Arsenal game in the cup, he shows he can have an impact in games of that level. The World Cup will be a very high level as well. He’s shown that he can score from the bench.
“He has been in the group before, so the vast majority of the players will know him. He fitted in the group very well the last time he was in it. It was a few years ago but he was good within the group. You know I put a lot of importance on characters.”
Gordon makes cut despite limited game time
Clarke has done little else to alter a squad that has served him well. Craig Gordon, aged 43, is named among three goalkeepers despite injury significantly curtailing his involvement with Hearts this season. Gordon will challenge Angus Gunn, who has played a half of domestic football in 2026, for the No 1 jersey. Clarke dispatched Chris Woods, his goalkeeping coach, to watch Gordon in training at Hearts.
“He’s training very well,” Clarke said. “Craig assures us he’s fully fit, and he deserves to go because he played a part in the qualifying campaign. He missed the last tournament. He has shown a tremendous resilience to be in the squad. As long as goalkeepers are working to their maximum in training, you feel that they can come in and play for a number of games.”
Youngster Curtis called up
At the other end of the age scale, the 19-year-old Findlay Curtis has been called up thanks to an impressive loan at Kilmarnock from Rangers. “He’s got something a little bit different,” said Clarke. “He’s also shown that he can score a goal or two in a Kilmarnock team that was struggling down at the bottom of the league. The team has finished well, Findlay has finished the season in a great place and it’s nice to have a young one in the squad.”
Notable omissions and squad details
Lennon Miller, Oli McBurnie and Ross McCrorie are among those to miss out. Clarke called four players – Miller, McCrorie, Scott Bain and Andy Irving – to outline his thinking after they did not make the cut. The manager also spoke to Conway, whose World Cup dream was ruined by the ankle injury sustained in Middlesbrough’s playoff semi-final against Southampton.
Scotland’s World Cup campaign kicks off against Haiti in Boston on 13 June. They face Morocco in the same city before travelling to Miami to take on Brazil. Scotland will play pre-tournament friendlies against Curaçao and Bolivia, the latter in New Jersey.
