LONDON — Liverpool defender Andy Robertson and Aston Villa captain John McGinn were among the players named on Tuesday by manager Steve Clarke in Scotland’s first World Cup finals squad for 28 years.
The Scots last featured at the showpiece tournament in 1998 and Clarke’s men are looking to break new ground in North America by becoming the first Scotland side to get out of the group stage at a World Cup.
“The magnitude of the event has become more and more clear to me as I’ve travelled across America,” Clarke said in Glasgow after unveiling a 26-man squad.
He added according to AFP: “I understand the responsibility we’ve got to produce our very best.”
Full-back Robertson, 32, will leave Liverpool at the end of the season following a nine-year career at Anfield that has yielded two Premier League titles and a Champions League crown.
McGinn, a 31-year-old midfielder, has been a key figure in a Villa revival that has seen the Birmingham club reach the Europa League final and qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Napoli’s 2024/25 Serie A footballer of the year Scott McTominay, as well as club-mate Billy Gilmour and Bologna’s Lewis Ferguson, are all on the plane.
Striker Lawrence Shankland, whose 16 goals and five assists in 29 league outings nearly fired Hearts to the Scottish Premiership title, is also in the squad.
“I’ve got no fears about any of my players leading the line,” said Clarke.
“Lawrence and his club have had a fantastic season, obviously it ended in a bit of heartbreak at the weekend.
“In my experience, footballers are very resilient. It will take him a few days and a few conversations. He needs to decompress a little bit now and be ready to have an impact on the World Cup this summer.”
Ross Stewart, a striker with English second-tier club Southampton, has been included and there is a place in the 26-man squad for 43-year-old Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Stewart has been in the international wilderness for four years, with both of his senior Scotland appearances coming in 2022.
But he has scored 11 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions for Southampton this season, including one in the Championship play-off semi-final win against Middlesbrough.
“It’s a good story, Ross,” said Clarke. He was in my squad a few years ago, showed he could come up to this level.
“He’s had a terrible run with injury, but from January onwards he’s hit a rich vein of form.
“He’s shown he can score big goals in big games.”
Scotland face Haiti (June 13), Morocco (June 19) and record five-time world champions Brazil (June 24) in Group C.
The first two group games will take place in Massachusetts, with the final fixture in Miami.
Clarke’s side will face Curacao in a friendly at Hampden on May 30 before playing their final warm-up game against Bolivia in New Jersey on June 6.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Liam Kelly (Rangers).
Defenders: Grant Hanley (Hibernian), Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq/KSA), Aaron Hickey (Brentford/ENG), Dom Hyam (Wrexham/ENG), Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb/CRO), Nathan Patterson (Everton/ENG), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool/ENG), John Souttar (Rangers), Kieran Tierney (Celtic).
Midfielders: Ryan Christie (Bournemouth/ENG), Findlay Curtis (Kilmarnock, on loan from Rangers), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna/ITA), Ben Gannon-Doak (Bournemouth/ENG), Billy Gilmour (Napoli/ITA), John McGinn (Aston Villa/ENG), Kenny McLean (Norwich/ENG), Scott McTominay (Napoli/ITA).
Forwards: Che Adams (Torino/ITA), Lyndon Dykes (Charlton/ENG), George Hirst (Ipswich/ENG), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts), Ross Stewart (Southampton/ENG).
