Steve Clarke Steps Down As Scotland Manager After World Cup Elimination

Steve Clarke has left the Scotland manager role after Scotland’s exit from the World Cup was confirmed on Saturday, ending a seven-year spell in charge during which Scotland returned to major tournaments and reached the global finals for the first time since 1998.

The 62-year-old had signed a new four-year contract only a month earlier, yet stepped aside after Croatia’s win over Ghana sealed Scotland’s group-stage elimination, bringing to a close the tenure of Scotland’s longest-serving manager by number of matches.

Clarke was appointed in 2019 to lead a national team that had not appeared at a major international tournament since the 1998 World Cup, and during that period Clarke guided Scotland to back-to-back European Championship finals while also ending the nation’s 28-year wait for World Cup participation.

Reflecting on leaving the post, Clarke focused on the squad that represented Scotland under his guidance, saying: "The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn't have had any of the memories that we've accumulated from 2019 until now. They deserve all the praise and adulation that they receive, and it was truly an honour to be called their gaffer. Thanks for having me and good luck to my successor."

Scotland’s 2026 World Cup journey in North America opened with a 1-0 victory over Haiti, which was Scotland’s fifth win at a World Cup finals and the first since a 2-1 success against Sweden in 1990, raising realistic hopes of progressing from the group.

Defeat against Morocco followed, yet Scotland still occupied a promising position to advance as one of the strongest third-placed teams, but an error-filled performance in a 3-0 loss to Brazil severely damaged their goal difference and left qualification reliant on other results, including Croatia’s later victory over Ghana.

Steve Clarke Scotland manager World Cup record and Scottish FA view

Across Clarke’s time in charge, Scotland played 81 matches, winning 36, drawing 16 and losing 29, which gave Clarke a win rate of 44.4% and underpinned a period described by the Scottish FA as the most successful for a national team head coach.

Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell highlighted the wider progress made under Clarke, stating: "While we are all disappointed to have exited the World Cup at the group stage, we must not lose sight of the undeniable progress made during Steve's seven years in charge. From starting as a pot four team in 2019 to topping our World Cup qualifying group, he has more than delivered on the remit to take Scotland back to a major tournament. We thank Steve for his record-breaking contribution and know that when the disappointment of World Cup elimination subsides, the Scotland supporters will be thankful for the memories of marching with pride at major tournaments once again."

Clarke’s overall numbers with Scotland can be summarised as follows:

The Scottish FA underlined Clarke’s departure in an official announcement, noting that the organisation’s "most successful National Team Head Coach" had decided to end a seven-year spell following participation at the 2026 World Cup.

Clarke leaves after restoring Scotland’s presence at major tournaments, securing consecutive European Championship places and a long-awaited World Cup return, and the task now passes to a successor who will inherit a squad accustomed to competing again on the biggest international stages.