Scotland at World Cup 2026: What are the selection questions Steve Clarke needs to answer before naming a 26-man squad?

The countdown is on as Steve Clarke prepares to name his Scotland squad for the World Cup and it’s safe to say the national team head coach has plenty to weigh up in the coming weeks…

The defeat at home to Japan, where the players were booed off, was followed by another 1-0 loss against Ivory Coast at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Next, Clarke will name a 55-man pool before finalizing his 26-man squad before the end of May as Scotland return to football’s biggest stage for the first time since 1998.

There is a core group you would expect to be guaranteed a place, barring injury, but there are also a number on the verge and, by Clarke’s own admission, even room for “an outsider”.

“Should he stay or should he go” was the phrase the head coach used when addressing his own future – and it’s even more apt when we look at who could get a seat on the plane and who might be left at home…

Goalkeeper’s conundrum

Who to pick as number one is not a new dilemma for Clarke.

Injuries and lack of playing time at club level have meant that six players have been dropped since the EC – and the top two on the list are not currently playing for their clubs.

Angus Gunn started all three group games at Euro 2024, and was again between the sticks at the start of the subsequent Nations League campaign. An injury saw him drop out of the starting XI, but he returned for the start of the World Cup qualifier. However, there was another injury that meant he didn’t finish that campaign either.

Although it may appear that he is number one, he does not play for his club after also playing against Japan. This season he has only seen 45 minutes of action at Nottingham Forest.

The problem for Clarke is that the man he has turned to more often than not in Gunn’s absence has also struggled for playing time at his own club.

Craig Gordon, 43, stepped in for Gunn in the Nations League and during World Cup qualifying – but missed the latest camp due to injury. Shoulder problems and the impressive form of Hearts’ No.1 Alexander Schwolow have restricted Gordon to just three league games.

Scott Bain, who left Celtic for Falkirk last summer to increase his playing time, is the only option coming regularly for his club.

He has missed just one league game all season and, after being named in recent squads, made his first Scotland appearance for seven years against Ivory Coast.

The 34-year-old was a second-half substitute, replacing Rangers’ Liam Kelly, who has also been in the group recently but plays second fiddle to Jack Butland at Ibrox.

Meanwhile, the likes of Cieran Slicker and Ross Doohan – who featured in friendlies last summer – are unlikely to be recalled.

Defensive dilemmas?

Captain Andy Robertson, Celtic duo Kieran Tierney and Anthony Ralston, Rangers’ John Souttar and centre-backs Scott McKenna and Jack Hendry were all in the World Cup qualifying squads, so you’d expect them to be on the plane to the US.

So was Brentford’s Aaron Hickey, and if he is to fully recover from the injury that saw him miss the March camp, he too will need to dig out his passport.

The same should apply to Hibernian’s Grant Hanley. The 34-year-old was in all squads for the WC qualification plus the March games. Despite not featuring in the latter, during a campaign where he last played at club level in February due to injury, he brings experience that Clarke will want in the United States.

The likes of Everton’s Nathan Patterson plus Bristol City’s Ross McCrorie, Wrexham’s Dom Hyam all featured in those warm-up games and will be in Clarke’s thoughts.

But what about those who didn’t make it to the latest camp? Sassuolo’s Josh Doig and Derby County’s Max Johnston were in the latest squads and could look to force their way into the equation.

While Hearts may be represented at both ends of the pitch this summer, fans of the Scottish Premier League leaders will feel that Craig Halkett, Stuart Findlay and Harry Milne should also bolster the defensive line – only time will tell if Clarke agrees.

Consistency in midfield

The strongest part of the Scottish team, at least on paper, is the midfield.

Ballon d’Or nominee Scott McTominay raised his icon status even further with the outrageous overhead kick opener against Denmark and will be sure to be on the plane to North America this summer.

John McGinn is another talismanic figure, with the Aston Villa captain vital to Scotland’s hopes this summer.

In fact, if they were able, the eight players who were in each squad for the qualifiers would have to make the final. That list includes Billy Gilmour, Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson, Ben Gannon-Doak and Kenny McLean – yes, the one who scored from the halfway line.

Gannon-Doak is the only player from this list not to feature in the Japan and Ivory Coast squads as he works his way back from an injury picked up in the win over Denmark last November.

He also missed Euro 2024 through injury, so Clarke hopes the youngster is fit and ready to make his mark for the United States.

While he offers pace in the wide areas that no other Scotland player can, Clarke believes 19-year-old Findlay Curtis can offer “something similar” to Gannon-Doak.

The winger, who is on loan at Kilmarnock from Rangers, was a surprise call-up for these warm-up games. Will he have done enough in this camp to catch Clarke’s eye? One way he can ensure he is in the mix is by continuing to impress at club level between now and the end of May.

Meanwhile, Andy Irving returned to the fold in March and will be hoping to force his way in following his move to Czech side Sparta Prague. Hibernian’s Josh Mulligan and Rangers’ Connor Barron will also be in Clarke’s thoughts.

Surprise attack?

The front area is probably Steve Clarke’s biggest conundrum.

Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes are the two strikers he has relied on most during his time as manager and are almost guaranteed a place in his World Cup squad.

However, their goalscoring ratio is a problem.

Dykes missed the EC with an ankle injury and has scored just one goal in his 14 caps since returning to the squad.

Adams, meanwhile, has scored in four of his last 27 Scotland games. However, two of those came during World Cup qualification and he is a regular for Torino, where he has four Serie A goals this season.

If Clarke needs goals, could Lawrence Shankland provide a ready answer? The Hearts captain missed games in March due to injury but is back in action at club level as the Jambos bid for a historic Scottish Premiership title.

He scored 11 goals and provided three assists in his 21 games before the hamstring strain, but should he rediscover that touch – it will be easy pickings for Clarke.

Based on the last four teams, Ipswich’s George Hirst is in line to take fourth place. The 27-year-old has scored nine times in the Sky Bet Championship this season, featuring in every World Cup qualifying squad, plus starting the final in March’s warm-up games.

Tommy Conway – who has eight goals for Middlesbrough this season – feared his chances of making it to North America were over before he was called up to the latest squad. He started against Japan and came off the bench in the defeat to Ivory Coast.

Meanwhile, Kieron Bowie has not featured for Scotland since his move from Hibernian to Serie A strugglers Hellas Verona, but will be hoping to impress in Italy and force his way into the mix, as will Oli McBurnie, who has 13 goals for Hull this season but last featured for Scotland in 2021.

There is plenty for Clarke to weigh up and some big calls to make.

Scotland is World Cup bound. When they are there, the goal is not just to make up the numbers – progression from the group stage to a major final round is the goal. Clarke knows he has to pick the right group to deliver just that.

We come… with hope and expectation.