Clarke Identifies World Cup Qualification as Primary Ambition

Steve Clarke, the manager of Scotland, has stated that qualifying for a World Cup represents one of his “main remaining ambitions” following his team’s placement in a 2026 qualifying group alongside Greece, Belarus, and either Portugal or Denmark. The Scottish national team’s most recent appearance at a World Cup tournament occurred in 1998, when Craig Brown was manager. The team that finishes first in the group will advance directly to the 2026 finals, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The second-placed team will proceed to the play-offs, which will consist of semi-final and final matches. Scotland has been allocated to Group C, with matches scheduled to take place from September to November 2025. Clarke remarked, “When I spoke after the tournament in the summer, I said that one of my main remaining ambitions is to go to a World Cup with my country.” He continued, “These qualifying games give me an opportunity to do that and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got and I’m sure my players will do the same. “It was a difficult year but we finished it well. We showed that we can compete against the top teams and that’s what we will have to do if we want to get to the World Cup.”The players are desperate to do well for their country and I think the supporters appreciate that.”1998 was a long time ago and when it comes to World Cups, there’s no extra motivation required. The squad is full of players who want to go to the World Cup so now is the time to do it.” Regarding the other teams drawn into Group C, Clarke maintained that there is no cause for apprehension, even concerning their Pot 1 adversaries, whether Portugal or Denmark. Clarke stated, “We know the Pot 1 game is going to be difficult but I think we’ve shown over the past few games that we can handle teams at that level.” He added, “We will now play Greece four times in 2025 so we’ll get to know them very well and the March games now take on a slightly different meaning, with both teams having a close look at each other ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.”Belarus is a team we’re not quite as familiar with but by the time we play them they will be a team we make sure we know everything about. For me it’s about getting to know their players, getting to know their tactics and hopefully we can take the points that we require.”