Steve Clarke has announced a 26-man Scotland squad for the 2026 World Cup, the nation’s first appearance at the tournament since 1998. The selection includes the return of Ross Stewart after four years away from international duty and the inclusion of 19-year-old Finlay Curtis for the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Scotland will meet Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in the group stage; Scotland previously faced Brazil and Morocco in the same World Cup group 28 years ago, losing both fixtures.
Andy Robertson will lead the side as captain and is the squad’s most capped player with 92 international appearances, followed closely by Aston Villa captain John McGinn, who has 85 caps.
The goalkeeping department is headed by Craig Gordon, whose Hearts conceded the fewest goals in the Scottish Premiership this season with 34. At 43, Gordon is set to become the second-oldest player to feature at a World Cup. Angus Gunn provides experienced cover with 21 caps and made a lone Premier League appearance for Nottingham Forest this season, replacing Matz Sels in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in February. Rangers goalkeeper Liam Kelly is included as third choice with two caps.
Defensive options feature a mix of experience and recent form. Grant Hanley has 66 caps and despite a season disrupted by injury and a straight red card in April, has shown his fitness to Clarke. Jack Hendry has been a regular for Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, appearing 29 times on the way to 37 international caps. Aaron Hickey, 23, has 19 caps and was mainly used as a substitute for Brentford this term, averaging 32.8 minutes across 20 Premier League appearances. Dom Hyam, now at Wrexham, brings 37 caps and a track record of steady performances since his time at Coventry and Blackburn.
Scott McKenna, now at Dinamo Zagreb, has 49 caps after a season in which the club wrapped up the Croatian title. Nathan Patterson remains an important squad member despite limited club minutes this season—nine appearances totaling 446 minutes—and featured in Scotland’s March friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast. Anthony Ralston, 27, adds versatility after playing 35 times for Celtic as he collected an eighth Scottish Premiership medal.
