Scotland manager Steve Clarke ended 2024 with some fans criticizing his style of play and squad selection following a Euro campaign that ended in a draw in Germany.
But it was at that point that the 62-year-old decided to be “stubborn”, ignoring critics and sticking to his plan to help Scotland qualify for the World Cup.
Fast forward a year and he did it.
His team are set to play in finals in the US, Mexico and Canada next summer, with Clarke becoming the first Scottish manager to lead a men’s team to three major tournaments.
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In a wide-ranging interview, Steve Clarke looks back on Scotland’s World Cup qualification, plans for the United States, his chat with Newcastle Utd’s Harvey Barnes and more.
The unforgettable win over Denmark, which confirmed Scotland’s World Cup qualification, was a “vindicator” for Clarke.
Now that Newcastle United’s Harvey Barnes has ditched England to pledge his allegiance to Scotland, attention is turning to pre-tournament friendlies, base camps and a potential new call-up.
However, about a month after the sealed preliminary round ended, the national team coach sat down. sky sports‘ Luke Shanley discusses all that and more…
Are you still pinching yourself, reflecting a lot, or are you looking forward now?
Scotland qualified for the 2026 World Cup after beating Denmark 4-2 in a thrilling match.
“It’s a bit of a mix. I’m not pinching myself, I’ve been there and I know it happened.
“I was also confident that it could happen because I trust my players. We knew (we had a chance) if we could make the Denmark game a decider. That was the situation we talked about in the process of building the group. We tried to make it a pivotal game.
“We did it. I never expected to do it the way we did. It was a crazy game.
Scott McTominay’s stunning bicycle kick gave Scotland an early lead against Denmark.
“I still have a good feeling about the game, the night and the way it ended. “I think most of the country has similar feelings.
“But behind the scenes your mind starts to turn to thoughts about logistics, base camp, training camp, fixtures, friendlies, build-up, squad selection.
“There’s a lot going on in this little head that keeps me busy.”
You achieved 3 qualifications out of 4. How proud are you of that record?
“I think the qualifying record of the current group of players, myself and the current group of players, is really good.
“The results in the friendly matches are not that good, but the results in the preliminaries are in the top tier.
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Inside Scotland’s locker room celebrations after qualifying for the World Cup finals
“We didn’t make the 2022 World Cup. That was a huge disappointment, but that’s what we talked about at the time – what we talked about moving forward.
“I spoke to the players about it before the Denmark game. I said they should remember the pain they felt before by missing out on the chance to qualify for the World Cup and make sure they don’t go through the same pain this time. And we didn’t.”
How do you figure out what you’ve done for your country in terms of the feel-good factor?
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Watch as Scotland’s fans went into a state of delirium as they secured their place in the World Cup finals with two late goals against Denmark.
“Obviously I have family and friends here, so I keep them updated. They keep talking about the World Cup fever.”
“A lot of people want to come up to you and shake your hand and say thank you and well done. That’s pretty nice. It’s pretty special to feel that.
“You’re walking through the airport and everyone wants to shake your hand, but everyone also wants to know if you have a ticket.
“The answer to that is always ‘no’ because the tickets are pretty tight.
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Discussing the controversy surrounding ticket prices for next summer’s World Cup, Clarke urged Tartan troops not to go into debt to attend the tournament.
“Even in America, whenever I pass through an airport, there’s always someone from Scotland who wants to come by and take a picture or just say good job.
“I think it shows the scale of what these guys have achieved for their country. It was pretty special.”
How is the preparation for the World Cup going now?
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Clarke gives insight into the World Cup plans and his thoughts on Group C opponents Brazil, Morocco and Haiti.
“I just got back from the US and am looking at potential base camps.
“We will have to wait and see what we get, as securing a top-of-the-line base camp is not a high priority.
“Then it’s a matter of considering logistics, travel time and how close we are to the stadium we’ll be playing at.
“With two games in Boston, I was hoping we would be able to base ourselves close there, but from what I saw in the catalog, there weren’t too many bases there.
“Some of the better bases are a little further away so you have to travel on matchday minus two.
“So there are quite a few things to consider when it comes to getting the base right. You want a place where the players don’t feel isolated. There’s an issue with getting players’ families out.
“There’s quite a bit to think about in terms of the logistics involved in a tournament.
“After looking at a few bases, we have a better idea. We will also be looking for a pre-base camp in the US, so we plan to finish the season here with a send-off game at Hampden.
Full group for the 2026 World Cup
“We will set up a pre-base camp in the US, preferably somewhere really hot, sweaty and sticky to give the players maximum acclimatization to the game.
“We will try to organize friendly matches a week before the tournament starts and get it going well into the tournament itself. There is a lot to organize but it is fantastic that we are in a position to be able to organize it.
“We’re not worried about the play-offs in March. It was nice to be able to attend the draw and see the name Scotland without an asterisk next to it.”
What do you think about the lottery?
Scotland faced Brazil in the opening match of the 1998 World Cup.
“It was very difficult, similar to 1998.
“Brazil are ranked 5th in the world and Morocco is 11th. Morocco will probably be in the top 10 by the time the tournament comes because we expect them to do well in the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Haiti is going there for the first time since 1974, and they will be determined to go there and make their country proud.
“We can expect three tough games. I think when you go to any major tournament you know it’s going to be tough, and this one will be no exception.”
Do you think your squad is pretty good or do you think there will be a lot of new faces?
McTominay led the celebrations after a stunning win over Denmark.
“If you think about it, there’s always room for other people in the squad. I’m always a loyal coach to the players, but that loyalty has to go both ways.
“Just because I’m loyal to the players doesn’t mean you’re in the squad. They have to keep playing at the level they’ve always played.”
“There is always room for an outsider, someone who comes out of nowhere and suddenly taps into the rich vein of form.
“If you go back to the last Euros, you would have someone like James Forrest who suddenly found a really good level of form towards the end of the season that could put him in the squad.
James Forrest has qualified for Euro 2024 after impressing for Celtic at the end of last season.
“There’s always one or two players who join the team out of nowhere.
“Usually the squad is made up of 23 players, but when you increase it to 26, you suddenly have three more players.
“I’m loyal to my team, but they have to deserve to be there.”
There’s been so much talk about Harvey Barnes, is that your approach with him or should it be the other way around?
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Clarke discusses whether Barnes could switch allegiance from England to Scotland ahead of the World Cup and his loyalty to the team that helped him secure qualification.
“It’s just pretty open, that’s what it is.
“Harvey was asked about it in an interview, and he was pretty uncommitted. I was asked about it in an interview, and I would be pretty uncommitted.
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Barnes told Sky Sports that he is not yet done with switching his national team from England to Scotland.
“You never know how these things will unfold.
“I spoke to Harvey a few years ago about the possibility of joining the Scotland national team. He had moved to Newcastle at the time and he felt there was an opportunity to be involved with England, so we decided to just leave it there. That’s the situation.”
Do you think qualifying for the World Cup is validation of your approach and your tenure in Scotland? Because it was criticized after the Euros.
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Clarke believes World Cup qualification is a ‘vindication’ for him, his staff and players after receiving ‘undue’ criticism following Euro 2024.
“Football is very short-term now. You win the game, you’re great, you lose the game, you’re rubbish. There are big extremes.
“After the last Euros, I personally felt that the criticism was a bit excessive.
“I’m pretty stubborn. I rode it and decided what I wanted. I trust my players. We knew we didn’t do what we wanted at the Euros, but I also knew that this group of players could go to the World Cup. That’s what I wanted and that’s what they wanted.
Scotland finished bottom of Group A at Euro 2024, earning just one point.
“Just figure it out. There comes a time when you have to block out the criticism. I’ve always had a clear idea in my mind what I want to do.
“It doesn’t always make other people happy, but if you look at it now and we’re talking about making other people happy, I think this group of players, myself and my coaching staff have made the country happy.
“Yes, there is some advocacy in there somewhere.”
