It has been 28 years since referee Ali Bujsaim blew the final whistle at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne to end Scotland’s France ’98 campaign, a night when Morocco scored three unanswered goals, according to ESPN.
According to ESPN, the span of time is underlined by personal details: pundit Craig Burley, one of the youngest members of that 1998 squad who was sent off in the Morocco match, now has multiple grandchildren; goalkeeper Jim Leighton, Scotland’s starter in France, will turn 68 five days after this summer’s World Cup final; and eight members of Steve Clarke’s current squad were not yet born when Scotland last played at the tournament.
Scotland failed to qualify for the six World Cups since 1998 — Japan/South Korea, Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Qatar — and have returned for this edition, according to ESPN. The report also notes a cultural footnote: U.S. law from 1971 bars importation of food containing lung meat, meaning traditional haggis must be produced domestically in the United States with modified recipes.
Steve Clarke, 62, is set to lead Scotland at a major tournament for a third time, a feat no other manager has achieved, according to ESPN. Clarke joins Andy Beattie (1954), Dawson Walker (1958, deputising for Matt Busby), Willie Ormond (1974), Ally MacLeod (1978), Jock Stein (1982), Alex Ferguson (1986), Andy Roxburgh (1990) and Craig Brown (1998) as managers who have taken Scotland into World Cups.
According to ESPN, progression to the knockout stage is the clear benchmark of success for Clarke and his players. Scotland’s match in Miami against Brazil on June 24 is pivotal: if the team’s luxury charter is not bound for Glasgow the following day, qualification for the round of 32 will have been achieved. Only 16 of the 48 nations will fail to reach the round of 32, and ESPN says the SFA’s decision to give Clarke a four-year extension means early elimination would raise questions for chief executive Ian Maxwell.
ESPN describes the 26-man squad as possessing plenty of ability, even if it is not the most talented Scotland has fielded. More than a third of the group play in the Premier League, including Europa League winner John McGinn and Napoli’s Scott McTominay, whose overhead kick against Denmark at Hampden sealed qualification. Historically celebrated players such as Tommy Docherty, Dave Mackay, Billy Bremner, Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish, Joe Jordan and Graeme Souness all previously appeared at World Cups without steering Scotland beyond the group stage, according to ESPN.
With two-thirds of teams progressing from the expanded group phase and eight of the 12 third-place finishers also advancing, ESPN concludes Scotland should be capable of finishing at least third in Group C, where three points and a positive goal difference would likely be enough to reach the round of 32.
