Scotland manager Steve Clarke announced his 26-man World Cup roster on Tuesday, which spans from 19-year-old attacker Findlay Curtis to 43-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Gordon made the roster despite being sidelined since January by a shoulder injury, while Curtis earned his spot after scoring five times in 14 appearances with Kilmarnock on loan from Rangers.
“It’s always difficult when you have goalkeepers not playing regularly. But we’ve had good reports back from Hearts,” Clarke told reporters. “He’s training very well and he assures us he’s fully fit. He’s shown a tremendous resilience. He deserves to be there. If he was to struggle, we have the option to change them.
“(Curtis) has got something a little bit different to what we’ve got. He’s shown he can score a goal, he’s finished the season in a great place and it’s nice to have a young one in the squad.”
Striker Ross Stewart also makes his return for Scotland after not appearing for the team since 2022. He has 11 goals in 33 appearances for Southampton this season.
“(Stewart) 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,” Clarke said. “He’s shown he can score big goals in big games. The Arsenal game in the cup showed he can have an impact on games of that level. He’s a striker in form, so I decided to add him to the group.”
Udinese midfielder Lennon Miller was arguably the most notable omission from the roster. The 19-year-old made his international debut in March but did not play in two friendlies that month. Forwards Oli McBurnie and Kieron Bowie were also passed over in favor of Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes.
“I had five very difficult conversations,” Clarke said. “I know how they’ll be feeling. (Miller) had been in a few squads, maybe felt he was going to be a regular. I just felt with the balance of the midfield it was better to take an extra forward than a midfield player.”
Scotland is preparing for its first World Cup appearance in 28 years. The squad will play a friendly at home against Curacao on May 30 before traveling to the United States ahead of a game against Bolivia in New Jersey on June 6.
The team’s World Cup base camp will be in Charlotte, N.C. Scotland open Group C play against Haiti on June 13 in Boston. The schedule includes matches against Morocco in Boston on June 19 and Brazil in Miami on June 24.
SCOTLAND WORLD CUP ROSTER
Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Liam Kelly (Rangers)
Defenders: Grant Hanley (Hibernian), Jack Hendry (Al Ettifaq), Aaron Hickey (Brentford), Dominic Hyam (Wrexham), Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb), Nathan Patterson (Everton), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Kieran Tierney (Celtic).
Midfielders: Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Findlay Curtis (Kilmarnock), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Ben Gannon-Doak (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich City), Scott McTominay (Napoli)
Forwards: Che Adams (Torino), Lyndon Dykes (Charlton Athletic), George Hirst (Ipswich Town), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts), Ross Stewart (Southampton)
–Field Level Media
