Scotland World Cup 2026 Squad & Odds: Can Clarke's 26 Cause A Shock In North America?
Will Jackson
Scotland will play at a men's World Cup for the first time in 28 years this summer, and on Tuesday, 19 May, Steve Clarke confirmed the 26 men he is taking to North America.
The Tartan Army open against Haiti at Gillette Stadium on 14 June, before facing Morocco at the same venue on 19 June and Brazil in Miami on 24 June.
Check our Scotland World Cup 2026 odds page and our World Cup free bets before you back the Scots stage by stage.
The Squad: A Veteran, A Teenager & A Familiar Spine
The headline call is Craig Gordon.
The 43-year-old Hearts keeper has not played a club game since January, but Clarke has rewarded the man who pulled off match-saving stops in qualifying with a third major tournament squad.
Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly complete the goalkeeping trio - between them, the three have played 270 minutes of club football all year.
The outfield spine is exactly what you would expect.
Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Aaron Hickey, Jack Hendry and John Souttar anchor the defence.
In midfield, Clarke has gone heavy on experience: Scott McTominay, John McGinn, Billy Gilmour, Kenny McLean, Ryan Christie and Lewis Ferguson all make it.
The big shock is 19-year-old Rangers winger Findlay Curtis, who scored five times on loan at Kilmarnock last season.
Up top, Southampton's Ross Stewart earns a recall after three years out, joining Ché Adams, Lyndon Dykes, Lawrence Shankland and George Hirst.
The Notable Omissions
Two Serie A men are left at home.
Udinese midfielder Lennon Miller racked up 20 Serie A appearances this season but misses out, while Hellas Verona striker Kieron Bowie - sold by Hibs in January 2026 for a club-record fee believed to rise to around £7m - was overlooked despite scoring at Juventus and equalising at Inter Milan's title party.
Bowie's omission will divide a Tartan Army crying out for a centre-forward who can find the net. Adams and Dykes make the cut on faith more than form.
The Group: Why The Format Matters
Scotland have never been past a World Cup group stage in eight previous appearances.
The good news? FIFA's 48-team format means the top two in each group go through, plus the eight best third-placed sides - so 16 of the 24 runners-up and third-place finishers reach the Round of 32.
That maths is why bet365 make Scotland 2/5 to qualify from Group C. They are 4/9 favourites to beat Haiti, 5/2 underdogs against Morocco and a chunky 7/1 to topple Brazil.
Outright Odds: Big Liability, Bigger Romance
Bet365 price Scotland at 250/1 to lift the trophy on 19 July, with 200/1 at Sky Bet and Paddy Power and 150/1 the standout at William Hill - who have publicly flagged the Scots as their biggest tournament liability, with 3% of all outright bets on Clarke's side.
The stage-of-elimination market tells the real story: 1/1 to exit in the Round of 32, 3/1 to go out in the group stage, 7/2 to reach the Round of 16.
The market prices them as a "get through, lose in the next round" team - and that feels about right.
Top Scotland Goalscorer: McTominay Is The Only Show In Town
Serie A star McTominay is 11/4 with bet365 to top Scotland's charts, with Adams 9/2, Curtis and Shankland 8/1 and McGinn 10/1. Shankland at 8/1 is the value play if Clarke's faith in Adams cracks early.
Verdict: Back The Group, Not The Glory
The 250/1 outright is a nostalgia bet, nothing more. The 2/5 to qualify is the sensible play - pair it with McTominay, top Scotland scorer at 11/4 for a small Tartan double.
If Scotland finally clear the group-stage hurdle that has haunted them since 1954, every fairy-tale price beyond that becomes live.
For more selections across the tournament, our football betting tips cover every group-stage match-up, and you can browse the latest free bet offers from UK bookmakers before backing your Scotland double.
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