Steve Clarke has selected a 26-man Scotland squad for the 2026 World Cup, the nation’s first appearance at the tournament since 1998, according to the squad announcement. Ross Stewart returns after four years away from international duty, and 19-year-old Finlay Curtis is included for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Scotland were drawn with Haiti, Morocco and Brazil; the announcement notes Scotland faced Brazil and Morocco in the same group 28 years ago and lost both matches.
Andy Robertson will lead the team as captain and is the squad’s most capped player with 92 appearances, the announcement said. Midfielder John McGinn follows closely with 85 caps.
The goalkeeping group is headed by Craig Gordon, who has 83 caps and is 43 years old. The announcement highlighted Gordon’s role in Hearts conceding the fewest goals in the Scottish Premiership this season (34) and noted he is set to become the second-oldest player at a World Cup, behind Essam El Hadary, who was 45 at the 2018 tournament. Angus Gunn, with 21 caps, made one Premier League appearance this season for Nottingham Forest and is likely to serve as backup, while Rangers’ Liam Kelly is listed as third-choice with two caps.
The defensive contingent includes experienced and younger options. Grant Hanley, 34, has 66 caps and overcame a midseason run of injuries and a suspension to make the squad. Jack Hendry (31) has 37 caps and featured regularly for Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. Aaron Hickey, 23, has 19 caps and was primarily used off the bench for Brentford this season, averaging 32.8 minutes across 20 Premier League appearances. Dom Hyam, now at Wrexham, has 37 caps and brings a history of spells in English football, while Scott McKenna has 49 caps after a strong season with Dinamo Zagreb, who ran clear to the Croatian title by 20 points.
Nathan Patterson is included despite limited minutes for Everton this season (nine appearances, 446 minutes), and was involved in both March friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast, per the announcement. Anthony Ralston, 27, is listed after contributing across 35 games as Celtic secured a league title, becoming a useful utility option in Clarke’s squad.
