"After 28 long summers, the world will finally hear your voice again." Ewan McGregor delivered that line in Scotland's cinematic squad reveal for the 2026 World Cup, and honestly, it lands. Scotland are back. For real this time.
The last time the Tartan Army watched their team at a World Cup was France 1998. A generation of Scottish football fans has grown up never seeing their side at the tournament. That changes this summer in North America.
The squad Steve Clarke is taking to the States
There are few real surprises in the selection. Andy Robertson leads the defensive line from Liverpool, Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour — both at Napoli — anchor the midfield, and John McGinn brings his Aston Villa form into what should be Scotland's most competitive squad in decades. Lawrence Shankland earns his place up front after his Hearts form finally translated at international level.
- Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Liam Kelly (Rangers)
- Defenders: Grant Hanley (Hibernian), Jack Hendry (Al Ettifaq), Aaron Hickey (Brentford), Dom Hyam (Wrexham), Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb), Nathan Patterson (Everton), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Hearts), Kieran Tierney (Celtic)
- Midfielders: Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Findlay Curtis (Rangers), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Ben Gannon-Doak (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich City), Scott McTominay (Napoli)
- Forwards: Ché Adams (Torino), Lyndon Dykes (Charlton), George Hirst (Ipswich Town), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts), Ross Stewart (Southampton)
Scotland play two group games in Boston/Foxborough and one in Miami — deep in Tartan Army territory. The Scottish diaspora in North America is enormous, with over five million Americans claiming Scottish ancestry in the most recent census, and some estimates putting it as high as 25 million. Add four million in Canada and this could feel like a home tournament.
Group C is not kind, and the history books aren't either
The draw handed Scotland Brazil and Morocco in Group C, which makes their path to the last 32 considerably trickier than the expanded format might suggest on paper. With 32 of 48 teams advancing, Scotland should be able to navigate a group stage that has historically broken their hearts — eliminated on goal difference in 1974, 1978, and 1982 in three consecutive tournaments. Eight World Cups. Zero knockout stage appearances.
The opener against Haiti is effectively a must-win. Scotland as favorites is a role they've rarely worn comfortably, and that pattern hasn't completely gone away at tournament level. The betting market will price them as Group C's third force, and that's probably fair.
But the 2026 format is genuinely the most forgiving in World Cup history, and this Scotland squad has more quality than the teams that kept falling agonizingly short in the 70s and 80s. McTominay and Gilmour as a midfield partnership would not look out of place in this group. That's not faint praise — that's the reality of where Scottish football now sits.
Twenty-eight years is a long time. Scotland's record at the World Cup reads eight tournaments, zero knockout rounds. This is the tournament where that either finally changes — or the wait begins again.
