Steve Clarke has named his 26-man Scotland squad for the 2026 World Cup finals, blending experienced veterans with emerging talents. The squad features a recall for Ross Stewart after a four-year absence, while Scott McTominay leads the team following his stunning goal that sealed qualification. Here is a full player-by-player guide.
Goalkeepers
Craig Gordon
Club: Hearts | Age: 43 | Caps: 83
The World Cup marks a fitting finale for a career that began with Scotland in May 2004. Gordon moved to Sunderland for a British record fee for a goalkeeper (£9m) in 2007 and overcame serious injury to win multiple honours at Celtic before returning to Hearts. His incredible save for Hearts at Dundee in January will be long remembered. "A moment I will treasure," Gordon said, and a World Cup place adds to that.
Liam Kelly
Club: Rangers | Age: 30 | Caps: 2
Kelly took a risk swapping Motherwell for Rangers in 2024, knowing he would be an understudy. He has played second fiddle to Jack Butland but remains a popular figure in the Scotland dressing room. His Scotland debut against France at age 27 was an emotional moment, and his role in squad camaraderie earned him a spot in the Euro 2024 squad.
Angus Gunn
Club: Nottingham Forest | Age: 30 | Caps: 21
Gunn admitted he may have erred in joining Forest from Norwich last summer. By October, he had yet to play club football, with his first domestic action coming from the bench on 1 February. Nonetheless, he has performed well for Scotland. His father, Bryan Gunn, is a former Scotland keeper. "His name is Angus Fraser James Gunn – he was always destined to play for Scotland," Bryan insisted.
Defenders
Anthony Ralston
Club: Celtic | Age: 27 | Caps: 25
Ralston is a slightly controversial pick, having often been third-choice right-back at Celtic recently. The player ahead of him, Colby Donovan, is also Scottish. Clarke's persistence with Ralston reflects the manager's emphasis on continuity. Ralston's career was revived by Ange Postecoglou, and he has embraced the nickname "The Bricklayer" from Celtic fans.
John Souttar
Club: Rangers | Age: 29 | Caps: 22
Souttar shared a flat with Andy Robertson and Ryan Gauld as youth players at Dundee United. He does not remember the 1998 World Cup but knows his father and family travelled to France to support Scotland. His brother Harry has already played in a World Cup for Australia. John has recovered from two significant Achilles injuries and runs a coffee shop business.
Dominic Hyam
Club: Wrexham | Age: 30 | Caps: 2
Born in Leuchars, Fife, where his father was stationed with the RAF, Hyam moved to England before age two. "I feel Scottish," he says. He made his Scotland debut at 27 in dramatic fashion, thrown on in stoppage time to repel Norway after Scotland scored twice in the final four minutes to win a crucial Euro qualifier in Oslo.
Grant Hanley
Club: Hibernian | Age: 34 | Caps: 66
Doubts about Hanley's World Cup involvement arose after he missed March's friendlies due to injury, but the centre-half has rarely let his country down. He was at the centre of a controversy when Motherwell's manager was accused of disrespect after saying they won by "cutting off their supply from their midfielders leaving Hanley to bring the ball forward."
Kieran Tierney
Club: Celtic | Age: 28 | Caps: 55
Tierney's stunning strike that put Scotland ahead against Denmark on the night of World Cup qualification was fitting. Injuries have prevented him from sitting among Scotland's all-time greats. He once ran through crowds outside Hampden to join Scottish Cup final celebrations with Celtic teammates after suffering a broken jaw early in the game.
Jack Hendry
Club: Al-Ettifaq | Age: 31 | Caps: 37
Brendan Rodgers tipped Hendry for great things in 2018. His path has not been as predicted, but a move to Saudi Arabia has not diminished Clarke's faith. Hendry excelled in the Belgian league and was in the heart of defence for Scotland's last Euros. While opportunity has been limited since, he is likely to feature.
Nathan Patterson
Club: Everton | Age: 24 | Caps: 25
The World Cup marks a crucial summer for Patterson. Huge expectations followed his £10m move from Rangers to Everton in 2022, but his career has stalled due to managerial changes and injuries. "I've experienced a lot of ups and downs," he says. At Rangers, he was fined by police for attending a flat party amid Covid restrictions.
Andy Robertson
Club: Liverpool | Age: 32 | Caps: 92
Robertson is in close pursuit of Kenny Dalglish's record of 102 caps. Released by Celtic, he stacked shelves at Asda and played amateur for Queen's Park before becoming a Champions League winner in 2019. Captaincy initially looked a burden but he now looks comfortable. He may sense this is his final World Cup chance.
Scott McKenna
Club: Dinamo Zagreb | Age: 29 | Caps: 49
McKenna has taken an unconventional path. After leaving Nottingham Forest, he had loan spells at Copenhagen and Las Palmas before joining Dinamo Zagreb. An imposing left-sided centre-half with pace, he has arguably been underused by Scotland. A Zagreb official claimed Dinamo rejected bids over £10m for him in January.
Aaron Hickey
Club: Brentford | Age: 23 | Caps: 19
Hickey was pursued by Bayern Munich after emerging at Hearts. He moved from Hearts' academy to Celtic's but returned to Tynecastle for first-team football. He then snubbed Bayern to sign for Bologna, where his rise continued. Injuries have prevented him from joining a bigger Premier League club. He is now Scotland's best option at right-back.
Midfielders
Kenny McLean
Club: Norwich City | Age: 34 | Caps: 56
McLean's moment of the World Cup campaign came on 18 November at Hampden Park. With Scotland bound for the finals, he spotted Kasper Schmeichel off his line and unleashed a shot from halfway that brought the roof off the stadium. It was just reward for one of Clarke's unsung heroes—an unfussy, low-maintenance midfielder.
Ryan Christie
Club: Bournemouth | Age: 31 | Caps: 66
Christie's father, Charlie, was a talented midfielder who never played at the level his ability deserved. A mainstay in Clarke's squads, Christie's Celtic career looked over before he seized an opportunity in 2018. He was memorably reduced to tears during a TV interview as Scotland reached Euro 2020. Charlie ordered a framed copy of a Guardian cartoon depicting that moment for his son's birthday.
Lewis Ferguson
Club: Bologna | Age: 26 | Caps: 23
Ferguson would probably be playing for an Italian giant but for a serious knee injury in April 2024 that kept him out of Euro 2024. "That was a difficult moment," he said. The Bologna captain comes from a family of classy midfielders—his father Derek and uncle Barry. He is combative and provides a goal threat.
John McGinn
Club: Aston Villa | Age: 31 | Caps: 85
McGinn's top-level career is remarkable given a training ground incident in 2015 where a teammate threw a spiked pole at him, cutting him deeply and tearing a muscle. Hibernian took a chance, and he excelled in Edinburgh before becoming a fan favourite at Aston Villa. The Tartan Army hold him in similarly high esteem.
Scott McTominay
Club: Napoli | Age: 29 | Caps: 69
McTominay's stunning opening goal against Denmark set the tone for the night Scotland ended almost three decades of World Cup hurt. Alex McLeish's greatest gift was convincing the Lancaster-born McTominay to play for Scotland, otherwise he could have been an England player. He is idolised by the Tartan Army and lauded in Naples for his role in the 2024-25 title win. He has a point to prove after disappointing in Euro 2024.
Billy Gilmour
Club: Napoli | Age: 24 | Caps: 45
Gilmour has packed a lot into a short career. He was terrific as Scotland held England to a draw at Wembley in Euro 2021 but then tested positive for Covid and missed the Croatia loss. Once a teenage prodigy at Rangers, he moved to Chelsea, then Brighton, and now Napoli. Antonio Conte called him "masterful" after he returned from surgery in March.
Forwards
Ché Adams
Club: Torino | Age: 29 | Caps: 46
Adams emulated Denis Law by scoring his 10th goal for Torino last October. Clarke believes Adams is underappreciated for his selfless running. He played for England at U20 level but committed to Scotland before Euro 2020 and is likely to be first-choice centre-forward. After full-time booing when Belarus were narrowly seen off, Adams said, "I think they were right. We need to do better."
George Hirst
Club: Ipswich Town | Age: 27 | Caps: 8
Hirst's father, David, made only three England appearances despite excellent scoring for Sheffield Wednesday. George's hopes of emulating him at Hillsborough failed, but he found a home at Portman Road, involved in back-to-back promotions to the Premier League. Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said, "He's a tough character and he's done well for us every season."
Findlay Curtis
Club: Rangers | Age: 19 | Caps: 1
Clarke's appearance at a Kilmarnock-Hearts match proved vital for Curtis, who was on loan at Kilmarnock and produced a fine performance on the left wing. Scotland are short of wide attacking options, helping his case. Clarke is keen to demonstrate he has eyes on the next generation. Curtis is likely to get a serious shot at first-team football with Rangers next season.
Ben Gannon-Doak
Club: Bournemouth | Age: 20 | Caps: 12
Gannon-Doak recently revealed he reconnected with religion after leaving home at 16 to join Liverpool. "I think God just keeps you grounded and humble," he said. He excelled at Celtic's youth system before moving to Anfield, but injuries and Klopp's exit stalled his progress. He kickstarted his career at Bournemouth and has directness and electric pace that terrified Josko Gvardiol on a Nations League night against Croatia.
Lawrence Shankland
Club: Heart of Midlothian | Age: 30 | Caps: 18
Shankland scored the "other" goal on that famous night against Denmark—a two-yard tap-in as vital as its more blistering contemporaries. His career went full circle under Derek McInnes, who released him from Aberdeen, after which he rebuilt in the lower leagues. After a poor 2024-25 season at Hearts, McInnes kept faith with the captain, and Shankland produced superb displays in the campaign just ended.
Ross Stewart
Club: Southampton | Age: 29 | Caps: 2
Stewart's nickname among fans is the finest in the squad: the Loch Ness Drogba. His end-of-season form with Southampton merited a place, but an injury to Tommy Conway accelerated his call-up. Stewart had not featured for Scotland since 2022. His ascent since leaving St Mirren in 2018 has been sharp despite serious injury woes, becoming a £10m player via Ross County and Sunderland.
Lyndon Dykes
Club: Charlton Athletic | Age: 30 | Caps: 50
Dykes took the opposite approach to players born in Scotland who represent other nations. He lived in Australia until visiting Dumfries, his parents' hometown, and Queen of the South were impressed enough to bring him back permanently. He later chose Scotland over Australia, going "with my heart and my gut." He is a horrible striker to play against and has delivered big moments for Scotland.
