Scotland national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Scotland

Nickname	The Tartan Army (supporters)
Association	Scottish Football Association (SFA)
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Vacant
Captain	Andy Robertson
Most caps	Kenny Dalglish (102)
Top scorer	Kenny Dalglish Denis Law (30)
Home stadium	Hampden Park
FIFA code	SCO
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	40 2 (7 February 2019)
Highest	13 (October 2007)
Lowest	88 (March 2005)
First international
Scotland 0–0 England  (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) (The first ever international football match)
Biggest win
Scotland 11–0 Ireland  (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 February 1901)
Biggest defeat
Uruguay 7–0 Scotland  (Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954)
World Cup
Appearances	9 (first in 1954)
Best result	Group stage (1954, 1958, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2026)
European Championship
Appearances	4 (first in 1992)
Best result	Group stage (1992, 1996, 2020, 2024)
Website	scottishfa.co.uk

The Scotland men's national football team represents Scotland in international football matches. The team is managed by the Scottish Football Association (SFA). They play in big tournaments like the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Nations League, and the UEFA European Championship. Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, so its athletes compete for Great Britain in the Olympic Games, not as a separate football team. Most of Scotland's home games are played at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

Scotland and England have the oldest national football teams in the world. They played the very first international football match in 1872. There's a long-standing rivalry between Scotland and England. They used to play every year until 1989.

Scotland has played in the FIFA World Cup nine times and the UEFA European Championship four times. They have never gone past the first group stage in these tournaments. However, they have had some amazing wins! For example, they beat England, who were the 1966 World Cup champions, 3–2 at Wembley Stadium in 1967. Also, Archie Gemmill scored a goal in the 1978 World Cup against the Netherlands that many call one of the best World Cup goals ever.

Scotland's loyal fans are known as the Tartan Army. The SFA keeps a special list, called a roll of honour, for players who have played more than 50 games for Scotland. Kenny Dalglish has played the most games for Scotland, with 102 appearances. He also shares the record for most goals scored (30) with Denis Law.

History of Scotland's National Football Team

Early History of Scotland's National Football Team

Scotland and England have the oldest national football teams in the world. They played their first official international match on November 30, 1872, in Partick, Scotland. The game ended in a 0–0 draw. For many years, Scotland only played against other teams from the Home Nations (England, Wales, and Ireland). The British Home Championship started in 1883, making these games competitive. The matches against England quickly became a big rivalry.

Scotland had a great start, losing only two of their first 43 international games. They won the British Home Championship many times. A famous win before World War II was beating England 5–1 in 1928. This team was known as the "Wembley Wizards". Scotland started playing teams outside the British Isles in 1929. Like other Home Nations, Scotland did not join the FIFA World Cups in the 1930s due to disagreements about amateur players. They rejoined FIFA after World War II.

Scotland Enters the World Cup (1950s)

After rejoining FIFA, Scotland could enter the 1950 FIFA World Cup. FIFA said the top two teams in the 1949–50 British Home Championship would qualify. However, the SFA decided Scotland would only go if they won the championship. Scotland finished second, so they did not go to the World Cup, even though they had qualified.

For the 1954 FIFA World Cup, Scotland qualified again by finishing second in the 1953–54 British Home Championship. This time, the SFA allowed them to go, but they only sent 13 players instead of the allowed 22. Scotland lost their first game 1–0 to Austria. Their manager, Andy Beattie, resigned before their next game. They then lost 7–0 to Uruguay, who were the champions.

In the 1958 FIFA World Cup, Scotland drew their first game 1–1 against Yugoslavia. But they lost their next two matches and were knocked out early. Matt Busby was meant to manage the team, but he was badly injured in the Munich air disaster and couldn't take charge.

Successes in the 1960s

Under manager Ian McColl, Scotland won the British Home Championship in 1962 and 1963. Later, Bobby Brown became manager in 1967. His first match was against England, who had just won the 1966 World Cup. Scotland, as underdogs, won 3–2 at Wembley Stadium with goals from Denis Law, Bobby Lennox, and Jim McCalliog. Fans called them the "unofficial world champions" after this famous victory. Despite this, Scotland did not qualify for any major tournaments in the 1960s.

World Cups and Ally MacLeod (1970s)

Willie Ormond became manager in 1973 and led Scotland to their first World Cup in 16 years, the 1974 FIFA World Cup. In West Germany, Scotland played very well. They were unbeaten in their group, beating Zaïre and drawing with Brazil and Yugoslavia. However, they were eliminated because of a smaller goal difference.

Ally MacLeod took over as manager in 1977. He helped Scotland qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina. The team won the 1977 British Home Championship, beating England 2–1 at Wembley. After this match, Scotland fans famously celebrated on the pitch. MacLeod was very confident, telling the nation Scotland would come home with a medal.

At the 1978 World Cup, Scotland lost 3–1 to Peru and drew 1–1 with Iran. They needed to beat the Netherlands by three goals to go through. Scotland fought hard and won 3–2, with goals from Kenny Dalglish and two from Archie Gemmill. Gemmill's second goal is still remembered as one of the greatest World Cup goals ever. But the win wasn't enough, and Scotland was eliminated on goal difference again.

Jock Stein and Alex Ferguson (1980s)

Jock Stein, a very successful manager, took over after the 1978 World Cup. Scotland qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. They beat New Zealand 5–2 but lost 4–1 to a strong Brazil team. A 2–2 draw with the Soviet Union meant Scotland was eliminated on goal difference for the third World Cup in a row.

Scotland qualified for their fourth World Cup in a row, the 1986 FIFA World Cup, in a sad way. In their last qualifying match against Wales, they needed a draw. With minutes left and Wales leading, Davie Cooper scored a penalty to make it 1–1. This meant Scotland qualified for a play-off. Sadly, manager Jock Stein had a heart attack and passed away shortly after the match. His assistant, Alex Ferguson, took over. Scotland won their play-off against Australia. At the World Cup, they got one point from a draw with Uruguay but were eliminated after the first round.

Four Major Tournaments (1990s)

Scotland qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. They lost to Costa Rica and Brazil but beat Sweden. They were eliminated after the first round again.

In UEFA Euro 1992, Scotland qualified for the European Championship for the first time. They played well against the Netherlands and Germany and beat the CIS, but were still knocked out in the group stage. Scotland did not qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

New manager Craig Brown led Scotland to the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament. They drew 0–0 with the Netherlands. In a big game against England, Gary McAllister missed a penalty, and England won 2–0. Scotland then beat Switzerland 1–0. They almost qualified for the next round, but a late goal for the Netherlands meant Scotland was eliminated on goals scored.

Brown also guided Scotland to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. They played Brazil in the opening game, losing 2–1. They drew 1–1 with Norway but lost 3–0 to Morocco, which meant they were out after the first round. For the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifiers, Scotland played England in a two-game play-off. Scotland won the second match 1–0 but lost 2–1 overall.

Challenges and Near Misses (2000s)

Scotland did not qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. After this, Craig Brown resigned. The SFA then hired Berti Vogts, a former Germany manager. Scotland reached the play-offs for UEFA Euro 2004, beating the Netherlands 1–0 at Hampden Park. However, they lost the return game 6–0 and did not qualify. Poor results caused Scotland's FIFA World Rankings to drop to a low of 77th. Vogts resigned in 2004.

Walter Smith took over and improved the team's results. Scotland won the Kirin Cup, a friendly tournament in Japan. They did not qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Smith left in 2007, and Alex McLeish became manager. He led Scotland to important wins against France twice in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. These wins helped Scotland climb into the top 20 of the FIFA world rankings, but they narrowly missed out on qualifying for Euro 2008.

McLeish left, and George Burley became manager. After some difficult results, including a 4–0 loss to Norway, Scotland failed to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Burley was later dismissed.

Struggles to Qualify (2010s)

Craig Levein became head coach in 2009. Scotland struggled in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying and did not make it to the tournament. Levein left after a poor start to 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.

Gordon Strachan was appointed manager in 2013. Scotland was the first European team to be eliminated from the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. They did finish strong, winning three of their last four matches.

For UEFA Euro 2016, Scotland did not qualify. They had some good wins but a loss to Georgia and a late goal from Poland in another match ended their chances.

In qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Scotland was in the same group as England. They lost 3–0 at Wembley. In the return match, Leigh Griffiths scored two late free-kicks, but Harry Kane scored even later to make it a 2–2 draw. A draw in Slovenia in the final game meant Scotland missed out on a play-off spot. Strachan then left his role. Alex McLeish returned as manager in 2018, and the team won their group in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League. However, McLeish left in 2019 after a bad start to UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying.

Steve Clarke's Era and Recent Tournament Qualifications (2020s)

Steve Clarke became Scotland manager in May 2019. The team did not qualify automatically for UEFA Euro 2020. However, they won two exciting penalty shootouts in the play-offs against Israel and Serbia. This meant Scotland reached their first major tournament since 1998! At Euro 2020, they lost to the Czech Republic and Croatia, and drew with England, finishing last in their group.

Later in 2021, Scotland won six games in a row. This helped them finish second in their group for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. They went into the play-offs but lost 3–1 to Ukraine at Hampden. In the Nations League later that year, Scotland won their group and earned promotion to League A.

Scotland started their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with five wins in a row, including a great 2–0 victory over Spain at Hampden. Even though they lost the return game against Spain, they qualified for UEFA Euro 2024 with two matches left. This was the first time they qualified for a major tournament directly through a qualifying group since 1998. At Euro 2024, Scotland was in Group A with Germany, Switzerland, and Hungary. They lost 5–1 to Germany, drew 1–1 with Switzerland, and lost 1–0 to Hungary, finishing last in their group again. Around 200,000 Scotland fans traveled to Euro 2024 to support their team.

In their 2026 World Cup qualification group, Scotland drew 0–0 with Denmark away. They beat Belarus twice and defeated Greece 3–1 at home, but lost 3–2 away. On November 18, 2025, they beat Denmark 4–2 at home in their last group match. This win qualified them for their ninth World Cup finals, and their first since 1998.

At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Scotland was in Group C with Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil. In their first game against Haiti, Scotland won 1–0 with a goal from John McGinn. This was their first World Cup win since 1990 and their first major tournament win since Euro 1996. However, Scotland then lost 1–0 to Morocco and 3–0 to Brazil in their next two group games. These results meant Scotland was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup. After the tournament, Steve Clarke announced his resignation as Scotland's manager.

Scotland's Home Stadium

Hampden Park in Glasgow is the main home stadium for the Scotland team. It is known as the National Stadium. International matches have been played at stadiums named Hampden Park since 1878. The current stadium opened in 1903 and became Scotland's primary home ground from 1906. The record attendance of 149,415 was set during a Scotland versus England match in 1937.

Due to safety rules, the stadium's capacity was reduced over time. It was completely rebuilt in the 1990s and now holds 52,000 people. Hampden is considered an elite stadium by UEFA.

Sometimes, friendly matches are played at smaller stadiums like Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen or Easter Road in Edinburgh. Other stadiums were also used when Hampden was being redeveloped in the 1990s. Since the last redevelopment finished in 1999, Scotland has played most of its competitive matches at Hampden. The SFA bought Hampden from Queen's Park in 2020, and all of Scotland's home games have been played there since then.

Media Coverage of Scotland Matches

Matches played by Scotland are currently shown on BBC Scotland. This arrangement started in March 2025. In the past, other channels like Sky Sports and STV also showed Scotland games. Matches are also broadcast with full commentary on BBC Radio Scotland.

Before the BBC got the rights in 2025, many Scotland matches were shown on paid TV channels. Some people, including the Scottish Government, thought that all important international games should be available on free-to-air television. The SFA explained that limiting the rights for qualifying matches would reduce the money they earned.

In 2023, a group of MPs called for more cooperation between TV companies. They also noted that England and Wales qualifying matches often had more free-to-air coverage. After some friendly matches were shown on the BBC in 2024, the BBC secured the rights for all Scotland matches until the 2026 World Cup.

Team Colours and Crest

Scotland's Traditional Kit Colours

Tartan-style kit with blue shorts worn at UEFA Euro 1996

Scotland usually wears dark blue shirts with white shorts and dark blue socks. These colors come from the Queen's Park team, whose players represented Scotland in the first international match. The blue shirt has been used for Scotland in sports since 1872. The shirt has a crest with a lion, based on the Royal Standard of Scotland.

Sometimes, Scotland uses blue shirts, white shorts, and red socks. Navy shorts and socks are also used as alternative colors if Scotland plays a team with similar kit colors.

From 1994 to 1996, a tartan-style kit was used. This kit was worn in all three of Scotland's matches at UEFA Euro 1996.

Scotland has not always played in dark blue. Between 1881 and 1951, they sometimes wore the primrose and pink colors of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery. He was an important person in Scottish football. These colors were brought back as an away kit for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches.

Away kits usually have white or yellow shirts with blue shorts. In 2016–17, Scotland wore pink shirts with black shorts and socks as their away kit. This kit was even used in one home match because the opponent's kits clashed with Scotland's home kit. An all 'cherry red' kit was used once in 2007. Salmon pink was adopted as a change color before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, though the SFA called it "scarlet red".

Scotland's Team Crest

The current crest is a round badge with "Scotland" written at the top and "Est 1873" at the bottom. Inside the badge, there is a shield with 11 thistles, which is Scotland's national flower, and the lion rampant. Since 2005, the SFA has also supported using Scottish Gaelic on the team's kit to recognize the language in Scotland.

Kit Suppliers for Scotland

Kit supplier	Period
None	1872–1953
Umbro	1953–2000
Fila	2000–2003
Diadora	2003–2010
Adidas	2010–

The Tartan Army: Scotland's Supporters

Scotland's fans are known as the Tartan Army. In the past, there were some challenges with fan behavior. However, since then, the Tartan Army has earned awards from UEFA for their loud support, friendly nature, and charity work. They received a Fair Play prize from the Belgian Olympic Committee and were named the best supporters at the 1992 UEFA European Championship. Journalists also voted them the best supporters for their fair play and sportsmanship at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. At the World Cup, "Flower of Scotland" is a Scottish song often used as Scotland's unofficial national anthem.

Recent Match Results and Upcoming Fixtures

Here are Scotland's match results from the last 12 months, along with any scheduled future matches.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2025 Matches

2026 Matches

Coaching Staff

The role of a team manager for Scotland started in May 1954 with Andy Beattie. Before that, a committee from the SFA chose the team. After Beattie, the committee took over again until Matt Busby was appointed in 1958. Busby couldn't start right away due to injuries from the Munich air disaster.

Twenty-four different people have been managers, with some, like Beattie, Jock Stein, and Alex McLeish, having two turns. Six managers were temporary. Craig Brown was the longest-serving manager, leading the team for 9 years and 71 matches. Many managers have led Scotland in major tournaments, including Steve Clarke for Euro 2020, Euro 2024, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

German coach Berti Vogts was the first foreign manager in 2002. His time was difficult, and Scotland's FIFA ranking dropped. Walter Smith and Alex McLeish improved results, with the ranking reaching a high of 13th in October 2007. However, both left quickly for club management. George Burley and Craig Levein had less success and were eventually dismissed. Results improved under Gordon Strachan, but he couldn't secure tournament qualification. After McLeish's second spell, Steve Clarke was appointed in May 2019. Clarke successfully guided the team to qualify for Euro 2020, Euro 2024, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He resigned after the 2026 World Cup.

Current Coaching Personnel

Position	Name
Head Coach	Vacant
Assistant Coach	Alan Irvine
Assistant Coach	Steven Naismith
Goalkeeping Coach	Chris Woods
Set Piece Coach	Andrew Hughes

Scotland National Team Players

Current Squad Members

The players listed below were part of the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the friendly matches against Curaçao and Bolivia in May and June 2026. After the Curaçao match, Billy Gilmour withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Tyler Fletcher.
Caps and goals are updated as of June 24, 2026, after the match against Brazil. Clubs are correct as of July 5, 2026.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Angus Gunn	(1996-01-22) 22 January 1996 (age 30)	25	0	Unattached
12	1GK	Liam Kelly	(1996-01-23) 23 January 1996 (age 30)	3	0	Rangers
21	1GK	Craig Gordon	(1982-12-31) 31 December 1982 (age 43)	84	0	Heart of Midlothian
2	2DF	Aaron Hickey	(2002-06-10) 10 June 2002 (age 24)	22	0	Brentford
3	2DF	Andy Robertson (captain)	(1994-03-11) 11 March 1994 (age 32)	97	4	Tottenham Hotspur
5	2DF	Grant Hanley	(1991-11-20) 20 November 1991 (age 34)	70	2	Hibernian
6	2DF	Kieran Tierney	(1997-06-05) 5 June 1997 (age 29)	58	2	Celtic
13	2DF	Jack Hendry	(1995-05-07) 7 May 1995 (age 31)	41	3	Al-Ettifaq
15	2DF	John Souttar	(1996-09-25) 25 September 1996 (age 29)	24	2	Rangers
16	2DF	Dominic Hyam	(1995-12-20) 20 December 1995 (age 30)	4	0	Wrexham
22	2DF	Nathan Patterson	(2001-10-16) 16 October 2001 (age 24)	29	1	Everton
24	2DF	Anthony Ralston	(1998-11-16) 16 November 1998 (age 27)	29	1	Celtic
26	2DF	Scott McKenna	(1996-11-12) 12 November 1996 (age 29)	51	1	Dinamo Zagreb
4	3MF	Scott McTominay	(1996-12-08) 8 December 1996 (age 29)	73	15	Napoli
7	3MF	John McGinn	(1994-10-18) 18 October 1994 (age 31)	89	21	Aston Villa
8	3MF	Tyler Fletcher	(2007-03-19) 19 March 2007 (age 19)	2	0	Manchester United
11	3MF	Ryan Christie	(1995-02-22) 22 February 1995 (age 31)	71	10	Bournemouth
17	3MF	Ben Gannon-Doak	(2005-11-11) 11 November 2005 (age 20)	17	1	Bournemouth
19	3MF	Lewis Ferguson	(1999-08-24) 24 August 1999 (age 26)	27	1	Bologna
23	3MF	Kenny McLean	(1992-01-08) 8 January 1992 (age 34)	61	3	Norwich City
25	3MF	Findlay Curtis	(2006-06-09) 9 June 2006 (age 20)	5	1	Rangers
9	4FW	Lyndon Dykes	(1995-10-07) 7 October 1995 (age 30)	53	10	Charlton Athletic
10	4FW	Ché Adams	(1996-07-13) 13 July 1996 (age 30)	50	13	Torino
14	4FW	Ross Stewart	(1996-07-11) 11 July 1996 (age 30)	4	0	Unattached
18	4FW	George Hirst	(1999-02-15) 15 February 1999 (age 27)	10	1	Ipswich Town
20	4FW	Lawrence Shankland	(1995-08-10) 10 August 1995 (age 30)	22	7	Rangers

Recent Call-ups to the National Team

The following players have also been selected for Scotland in the past twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Scott Bain	(1991-11-22) 22 November 1991 (age 34)	4	0	Falkirk	v.  Ivory Coast, 31 March 2026
GK	Zander Clark	(1992-06-26) 26 June 1992 (age 34)	4	0	Heart of Midlothian	v.  Belarus, 8 September 2025
DF	Luke Graham	(2004-02-11) 11 February 2004 (age 22)	0	0	Stoke City	v.  Curaçao, 30 May 2026
DF	Ross McCrorie	(1998-03-18) 18 March 1998 (age 28)	2	0	Rangers	v.  Ivory Coast, 31 March 2026
DF	Josh Doig	(2002-05-18) 18 May 2002 (age 24)	1	0	Sassuolo	v.  Denmark, 18 November 2025
DF	Max Johnston	(2003-12-26) 26 December 2003 (age 22)	4	0	Derby County	v.  Belarus, 12 October 2025
MF	Billy Gilmour	(2001-06-11) 11 June 2001 (age 25)	46	2	Napoli	2026 FIFA World Cup INJ
MF	Lennon Miller	(2006-08-25) 25 August 2006 (age 19)	4	0	Udinese	v.  Ivory Coast, 31 March 2026
MF	Andy Irving	(2000-05-13) 13 May 2000 (age 26)	1	0	Sparta Prague	v.  Ivory Coast, 31 March 2026
MF	Connor Barron	(2002-08-29) 29 August 2002 (age 23)	1	0	Rangers	v.  Denmark, 18 November 2025
MF	Josh Mulligan	(2002-11-12) 12 November 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Hibernian	v.  Belarus, 12 October 2025
FW	James Wilson	(2007-03-06) 6 March 2007 (age 19)	2	0	Heart of Midlothian	v.  Curaçao, 30 May 2026
FW	Tommy Conway	(2002-08-06) 6 August 2002 (age 23)	8	0	Middlesbrough	v.  Ivory Coast, 31 March 2026
FW	Kieron Bowie	(2002-09-21) 21 September 2002 (age 23)	2	0	Hellas Verona	v.  Belarus, 12 October 2025
INJ Player withdrew from the squad for that game due to injury RET Player has retired from the national team / playing football SUS Player is serving a suspension PRE Player was named in a preliminary squad / standby

Honoured Scotland Players

The Scottish Football Association has a special list called the Scotland Men's International Roll of Honour. It includes every player who has played more than 50 games for Scotland. As of May 2026, there are 43 players on this list, with Kieran Tierney being the most recent addition. Many famous Scotland players, like Jim Baxter and Archie Gemmill, are not on this list because they played fewer than 50 games.

The Scottish Football Museum also has a Scottish Football Hall of Fame. This hall of fame includes players and managers who have been important in Scottish football. It's not just for players who played for Scotland.

Scotland National Team Records

Team Records and Achievements

Scotland's biggest win was 11–0 against Ireland in 1901. Their biggest loss was 7–0 against Uruguay during the 1954 FIFA World Cup.

A match between Scotland and England in 1937 set a world record for football attendance. The official crowd at Hampden Park was 149,415 people. This record was broken later, but it remains a European record.

Player Records

Most Games Played for Scotland

Kenny Dalglish holds the record for playing the most games for Scotland, with 102 appearances between 1971 and 1986. He is the only Scotland player to reach 100 games. Current player Andy Robertson is second with 97 games since 2014. Jim Leighton is third with 91 games, which is a Scottish record for a goalkeeper.

Players in bold are still active with Scotland.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Kenny Dalglish	102	30	1971–1986
2	Andy Robertson	97	4	2014–present
3	Jim Leighton	91	0	1982–1998
4	John McGinn	89	21	2016–present
5	Craig Gordon	84	0	2004–present
6	Darren Fletcher	80	5	2003–2017
7	Alex McLeish	77	0	1980–1993
8	Paul McStay	76	9	1983–1997
9	Scott McTominay	73	15	2018–present
10	Tom Boyd	72	1	1990–2001

Top Goalscorers for Scotland

The title of Scotland's highest goalscorer is shared by two players. Denis Law scored 30 goals in 55 games between 1958 and 1974. Kenny Dalglish scored the same number of goals in 102 games. Hughie Gallacher is the third-highest scorer and also the most efficient, scoring 24 goals in only 20 games (an average of 1.2 goals per game).

Players in bold are still active with Scotland.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Denis Law (list)	30	55	0.55	1958–1974
	Kenny Dalglish (list)	30	102	0.29	1971–1986
3	Hughie Gallacher	24	20	1.2	1924–1935
4	Lawrie Reilly	22	38	0.58	1948–1957
5	John McGinn	21	89	0.24	2016–present
6	Ally McCoist	19	61	0.31	1986–1998
7	Kenny Miller	18	69	0.26	2001–2013
8	Robert Hamilton	15	11	1.36	1899–1911
	James McFadden	15	48	0.31	2002–2010
	Scott McTominay	15	73	0.21	2018–present

Scotland's Competitive Tournament Record

FIFA World Cup Appearances

Scotland did not play in the first three World Cups (1930, 1934, 1938). This was because FIFA had rules about paying amateur players, which the Scottish Football Association disagreed with. Scotland rejoined FIFA in 1946. They even qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup but chose not to go.

Scotland has since qualified for nine World Cup tournaments, including five in a row from 1974 to 1990. They have never made it past the first round of the finals. No other country has qualified for so many World Cups without getting past the first stage. They were eliminated on goal difference three times: in 1974, 1978, and 1982.

Year	FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Position
1930	Not a FIFA Member										Not a FIFA Member
1934
1938
1950	Qualified but withdrew										3	2	0	1	10	3	2nd / 4
1954	Group stage	15th	2	0	0	2	0	8	Squad		3	1	1	1	8	8	2nd / 4
1958		14th	3	0	1	2	4	6	Squad		4	3	0	1	10	9	1st / 3
1962	Did not qualify										5	3	0	2	12	11	2nd / 3
1966											6	3	1	2	8	8	2nd / 4
1970											6	3	1	2	18	7	2nd / 4
1974	Group stage	9th	3	1	2	0	3	1	Squad		4	3	0	1	8	3	1st / 3
1978		11th	3	1	1	1	5	6	Squad		4	3	0	1	6	3	1st / 3
1982		15th	3	1	1	1	8	8	Squad		8	4	3	1	9	4	1st / 5
1986		19th	3	0	1	2	1	3	Squad		8	4	2	2	10	4	2nd / 4
1990		19th	3	1	0	2	2	3	Squad		8	4	2	2	12	12	2nd / 5
1994	Did not qualify										10	4	3	3	14	13	4th / 6
1998	Group stage	27th	3	0	1	2	2	6	Squad		10	7	2	1	15	3	2nd / 6
2002	Did not qualify										8	4	3	1	12	6	3rd / 5
2006											10	3	4	3	9	7	3rd / 6
2010											8	3	1	4	6	11	3rd / 5
2014											10	3	2	5	8	12	4th / 6
2018											10	5	3	2	17	12	3rd / 6
2022											11	7	2	2	18	10	2nd / 6
2026	Group stage	36th	3	1	0	2	1	4	Squad		6	4	1	1	13	7	1st / 4
2030	To be determined										To be determined
2034
Totals	Group stage	9/23	26	5	7	14	26	45	—		142	73	31	38	223	153	—

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 24 June 2026 after the match against Brazil.

UEFA European Championship Appearances

Scotland has qualified for four European Championships. They have not advanced beyond the first round in any of these tournaments. Their most recent appearance was at UEFA Euro 2024.

Year	UEFA European Championship record									Qualification record
	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Position
1960	Did not enter									Did not enter
1964
1968	Did not qualify									6	3	2	1	10	8	2nd / 4
1972										6	3	0	3	4	7	3rd / 4
1976										6	2	3	1	8	6	3rd / 4
1980										8	3	1	4	15	13	4th / 5
1984										6	1	2	3	8	10	4th / 4
1988										8	3	3	2	7	5	4th / 5
1992	Group stage	5th	3	1	0	2	3	3		8	4	3	1	14	7	1st / 5
1996		12th	3	1	1	1	1	2		10	7	2	1	19	3	2nd / 6
2000	Did not qualify									12	6	3	3	16	12	2nd / 6
2004										10	5	2	3	13	14	2nd / 5
2008										12	8	0	4	21	12	3rd / 7
2012										8	3	2	3	9	10	3rd / 5
2016										10	4	3	3	22	12	4th / 6
2020	Group stage	22nd	3	0	1	2	1	5		12	5	2	5	17	20	3rd / 6
2024	Group stage	24th	3	0	1	2	2	7		8	5	2	1	17	8	2nd / 5
2028	To be determined									To be determined
2032	To be determined									To be determined
Totals	Group stage	4/17	12	2	3	7	7	17		130	62	30	38	200	147	—

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 23 June 2024 after the match against Hungary.

UEFA Nations League Performance

When the UEFA Nations League started in 2018–19, Scotland was placed in League C. They won their group with a 3–2 victory against Israel in their final match, earning promotion to League B for the 2020–21 competition.

Scotland won promotion to League A in their final match of the 2022–23 competition, a 0–0 draw against Ukraine. However, they were immediately relegated back to League B in the 2024–25 competition after losing a play-off against Greece.

UEFA Nations League record
League phase													Finals										Promotion/Relegation play-offs
Season	LG	Grp	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	P/R	IR		Year	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad	OR		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2018–19	C	1	1st	4	3	0	1	10	4		25th		2019	Did not qualify							25th		N/A
2020–21	B	2	2nd	6	3	1	2	5	4		23rd		2021								23th
2022–23	B	1	1st	6	4	1	1	11	5		20th		2023								20th
2024–25	A	1	3rd	6	2	1	3	7	8		9th		2025								9th		2	1	0	1	1	3
2026–27	B												2027								TBD		N/A
Total				22	12	3	7	33	21	9th			Total	0	0	0	0	0	0		9th		2	1	0	1	1	3

Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out; correct as of 23 March 2025, after the match against Greece.

Scotland's Football Honours

Regional Championships

• British Home Championship
  • Champions (41): 1884, 1885, 1886^s, 1887, 1889^s, 1890, 1894, 1896, 1897, 1900, 1902, 1903^s, 1906^s, 1908^s, 1910, 1912^s, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1927^s, 1929, 1931^s, 1935, 1936, 1949, 1951, 1953^s, 1956^s, 1960^s, 1962, 1963, 1964^s, 1967, 1970^s, 1972^s, 1974^s, 1976, 1977

Friendly Tournament Wins

• Rous Cup
  • Champions (1): 1985
• Kirin Cup
  • Champions (1): 2006
• Qatar Airways Cup
  • Champions (1): 2015

The United Kingdom Team at the Olympics

Scotland always plays by itself in most big football tournaments, like the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship. However, at the Olympic Games, the rules only allow a Great Britain Olympic football team to compete. This team represents the whole of the United Kingdom.

Teams of amateur players represented Great Britain at the Olympics from 1900 to 1972. After that, the FA stopped entering a team. When London won the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, there was discussion about forming a team again. The SFA said it would not participate. They worried that playing as part of a Great Britain team might threaten Scotland's independent status in football. FIFA President Sepp Blatter said this wouldn't happen, but the SFA was still concerned about future changes.

An agreement was made in May 2009 that the FA could organize a team using only England-qualified players. However, this was challenged. In the end, only English and Welsh players were chosen for the men's team. But two Scottish players were selected for the women's team.

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Escocia para niños