Clarke steps down after Scotland's World Cup exit confirmed

Steve Clarke steps down as Scotland boss after World Cup elimination confirmed Ghana's defeat to Croatia confirmed Scotland's elimination from the 2026 World Cup; Clarke steps down shortly after exit confirmed Sunday 28 June 2026 00:45, UK Steve Clarke has stepped down as Scotland head coach after his side's World Cup exit was finally confirmed. Scotland's fate was sealed on Saturday night after Ghana's defeat to Croatia and confirmation of Clarke's exit after seven years at the helm came within an hour of that news. In an open letter to supporters, Clarke - who had led Scotland to their first men's World Cup in 28 years - said: "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." After just one win from their three World Cup group games - capped with a meek 3-0 loss to Brazil - Scotland had been left with an agonising wait to see if they had picked up enough points and achieved a sufficient goal difference to qualify as one of the tournament's eight third-placed teams. Their chances, however, decreased with every subsequent group game played, until their exit from the tournament was confirmed following Ghana's 2-1 loss to Croatia, which meant it was no longer mathematically possible for them to finish as one of the top eight third-placed teams. Scotland had needed Ghana to beat Croatia by at least three goals in what looked like an increasingly improbable chain of events and their dream of qualifying for the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time in their history was finally dashed on Saturday night. How Scotland's tournament unfolded Scotland kickstarted their tournament with a 1-0 win over Haiti, their first victory at the World Cup since 1990, and topped the group momentarily after Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco. Steve Clarke's side had chances to add to their one-goal lead, which could have provided a vital boost in terms of their goal difference, but failed to score any further goals against Haiti, who are placed 83rd in the FIFA world rankings. A 1-0 defeat to Morocco then followed, conceding the deciding goal after just 70 seconds, with penalty controversy at the forefront of the discussion after the game. John McGinn and Scott McTominay both saw claims for spot-kicks waved away but even after the defeat, their chances of qualification for the knockouts sat at around 70 per cent. But the 3-0 loss to Brazil in their final game of Group C was disastrous. It meant they finished third with their goal difference decimated. "We gave them the goals and gave them the game they wanted. Disappointed," Clarke said after the game. "I think we're going home." All eyes then turned to the fixtures around them in the third-place ranking tables, but wins for South Africa, Ivory Coast and Ecuador led to their chances plummeting. Before facing Brazil, their chances of reaching the next round sat at 70.7 per cent. Following the defeat, it dropped to 42.7, but by Friday morning they had fallen to just 5.2 per cent. Then, Senegal, who Scotland were hoping would not beat Iraq, won 5-0 on Friday to reduce their qualification hopes even further to 1.4 per cent. Spain's win over Uruguay marginally lifted the odds but Iran's draw with Egypt reduced it to 0.07 per cent. Will Scotland have regrets? Sky Sports News reporter Luke Shanley: "Scotland knew in December how tough it was going to be at this World Cup. "It was probably expected that Scotland would beat Haiti and then lose to Morocco and Brazil, but it is the way that Scotland have lost. "It has been against two sides in the top 10 in the world but there have been individual errors. At this level, the smallest things have the biggest impact. "Errors have put Scotland in difficult positions early in the games against Morocco and Brazil. "There's been talk about having no regrets as a Scotland team but it hasn't really transpired. The frustration now is about not kicking on - I think there will be regrets." 'Scotland don't have the athleticism, size or speed for this level' Sky Sports' Kris Boyd: "If you look at the big players, could Andy Robertson have played better? Yes. Could Scott McTominay have played better? Yes. Could John McGinn have played better? Yes, but he scored Scotland's only goal at this World Cup. "I don't think the manager or the players have let themselves down. It's not as if they have not tried. "But there is no doubt that there are levels of football, in terms of athleticism, size and speed. We don't have that. We don't have it to compete at the top level. That's something we have to look into in future years and how to improve that. "People say we should have played in a certain style, but we really lack in that speed at the top end of the pitch. I know Ben Gannon-Doak has good reviews in what he's been able to do in a short space of time. He looks rapid. But speed at the top level? He's not at that level. "We have got good players, but there are levels in football. And we are nowhere near the elite level. "McTominay, McGinn are part of teams at Napoli and Aston Villa who have been successful. I'm not criticising the Scottish guys at the World Cup, but they're not at the level that the guys are used to playing at their clubs. "We have a few at the elite level, but a few that aren't. And that step up may just be too big."