Steve Clarke has named a 26-man Scotland squad for the World Cup 2026, recalling veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon to the roster and setting the team’s final plans ahead of the tournament in North America.
Craig Gordon, the 43-year-old Hearts goalkeeper, is among three keepers selected alongside Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly, completing a goalkeeping trio that mixes long experience with domestic form. The squad also includes Andy Robertson, John McGinn and Kieran Tierney, and forwards such as Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes, George Hirst and Lawrence Shankland.
The numbers underline the moment: 26 players, Scotland’s first men’s World Cup appearance since 1998, and a Group C draw that places them against Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. The tournament runs from 11 June to 19 July and Scotland open their campaign against Haiti in Boston on 14 June, before meeting Morocco in Boston and Brazil in Miami.
Clarke has completed the final domestic-stage preparations too. Scotland will hold a Hampden Park send-off friendly against Curacao at 13:00 BST on Saturday, 30 May, then travel to New Jersey to play Bolivia the following weekend. The squad will set up camp at the home of Charlotte FC before the tournament begins.
There are readable selection choices in the list. Hearts’ Craig Gordon and the inclusion of Findlay Curtis sit alongside a number of seasoned internationals. At the same time, Udinese midfielder Lennon Miller missed out on the final 26, a notable omission given the attention around his emergence.
The selection finalises a squad that draws on players based across British and European clubs, with representatives from clubs including Hearts, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Napoli and Torino. That mix will be tested immediately: Scotland’s opener in Boston on 14 June comes less than three weeks after the Hampden friendly and leaves little margin for error.
Scotland’s placement in Group C means a tough sequence of games against sides with deep tournament pedigrees. The draw pairs them with Brazil, one of the traditional powers, and Morocco, who have performed strongly at recent world tournaments, while Haiti provide the opening fixture at Gillette Stadium.
The build to the tournament also connects to a broader World Cup conversation that includes global stars and narratives beyond Scotland. Even Lionel Messi has been part of the pre-tournament attention (see underscoring how high the stakes feel across the 11 June to 19 July window.
The immediate question for Clarke is practical: can this group, selected now, be sharpened quickly enough in friendlies and the short camp to reach the knockout path from the group stage? Under Clarke, Scotland are aiming to reach the group stage knockout path for the first time; the squad he has named will be judged by that objective.
For Craig Gordon, the call-up is personal and symbolic—returning to the World Cup stage at 43—and for Scotland it is a final selection that leaves one clear forecast: Clarke has chosen experience alongside youth, and the coming five weeks will tell whether that balance delivers the historic progress his side seeks.
