Sport

It’s now or never for Scotland’s current core

Scotland has waited the best part of three decades for this moment. 1998 was the last time The Tartan Army travelled to a World Cup and international football looked very different back then. Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane dominated the tournament with the likes of Craig Burley, John Collins and Kevin Gallacher all in Craig Brown’s Scotland squad.

This was a different era of the sport, yet it is Scotland’s most recent memory of World Cup participation. It is with this context applied that the upcoming qualifiers against Greece and Denmark mean so much. These matches have been 27 years in the making and Scotland mustn’t let the opportunity slip through their fingers.

A point away to Greece and a win at home to Denmark will be enough for Steve Clarke’s team to qualify. That Scotland have already beaten Greece in Athens and have drawn away to Denmark in Copenhagen should give them encouragement, although many believe Clarke’s side are in a false position.

While Scotland have taken 10 points from a possible 12 in World Cup qualifying, their performances have been less impressive than their results. Their 0-0 draw away to Denmark was solid. Since then, though, Scotland have ridden their luck to get to this point of their World Cup qualification campaign.

Last month’s narrow win over Belarus was a low point. Against one of the worst teams in UEFA, Scotland struggled badly to claim three points and even had to hang on for a 2-1 victory towards the end of the match. “We’ve come out with the three points, so that’s one small crumb of comfort, but the rest of it is a bit of a headscratcher [as to] why we were so poor,” admitted Clarke afterwards.

Scotland must find a way to lift their performance level otherwise the chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup will pass them by. It could be the last opportunity for many of their most experienced players to qualify for the biggest and most prestigious tournament in international football.

Andy Robertson is 31 and is fading as a physical force. John McGinn is the same age and hasn’t quite suffered the same dip as his Liverpool counterpart over the last season or so, but the left back and the midfielder will be 35 by the time the 2030 World Cup arrives. They will be close to retirement.

Scott McTominay is at the peak of his powers as a Ballon d’Or-nominated difference maker for Napoli right now. By 2030, though, he will be into his 30s. There’s no guarantee he will be as impactful by then. Ryan Christie will be 34. Che Adams will be 33. Kieran Tierney will be 32. A large portion of Scotland’s squad will be over the hill.

Scotland will almost certainly have a new manager after the 2026 World Cup too. Clarke has stayed coy on his contract which ends next year, but the expectation is that this will be his final cycle in charge no matter how it concludes. There’s an element of the unknown attached to this as well.

There are some youngsters coming through. Ben Gannon-Doak has a lot of promise. Aaron Hickey is fit again and playing for Brentford after a long-term injury. Lennon Miller has recently joined Udinese and is widely seen as the future of Scotland’s midfield. These players will continue to develop and grow before the 2030 World Cup.

For the bulk of Scotland’s most talented group of players in a generation, though, this will be their final shot at qualifying for a World Cup while they are in their peak years. Robertson, McGinn and McTominay have a duty to rediscover their best form when it matters most for their country.