At 43 years old, Craig Gordon is about to step onto world football's biggest stage with Scotland for the first time since his country last qualified for the World Cup in 1998—a gap of 28 years that has haunted a nation of devoted supporters. Head coach Steve Clarke's selection of the veteran Hearts goalkeeper in his 26-man squad represents something far bigger than one player's second-chance story: it is Scotland's first return to the World Cup since Craig Brown led them there, and it marks Clarke's remarkable achievement in guiding the nation to three of four possible major tournaments since his appointment in May 2019.
Scotland's path back to the global stage has been hard-won. They endured six unsuccessful qualifying campaigns since 1998, each one a disappointment that deepened the national wound. When the final whistle blew after their qualification was secured against Denmark, captain Andy Robertson was visibly shaken by what the moment meant. "I've hid it well, but today I've been in bits," he said immediately afterward. "I know the age I'm at. This could be my last chance to go to the World Cup." At 32, Robertson embodies the desperation and hope running through a squad that has previously reached the finals of Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 under Clarke's leadership, only to fall short of advancing from group stages.
Gordon's inclusion is particularly poignant. The Hearts captain, who became Scotland's oldest international footballer at 41 in June 2024, carries within him the weight of expectations both personal and collective. He has been called to two major tournaments—Euro 2020 and now 2026—without making a finals appearance. Yet he has a chance to etch his name into World Cup history: should he take the pitch in summer, he would become only the second-oldest man to ever play in a World Cup, behind Egypt's Essam El Hadary, who competed at 45. Gordon's club football has been inconsistent this season—he began at Hearts as second choice before sustaining a serious shoulder injury in February that kept him sidelined—but his selection speaks to Clarke's faith in experience and mental fortitude.
The squad Clarke has assembled reflects both ambition and pragmatism. Three goalkeepers were chosen, with Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly rounding out the roster, though none of Scotland's selected keepers currently holds a first-choice role at their clubs. Gunn, a former England youth international who switched allegiance to Scotland in 2023 following his father Bryan's path, has managed just 45 minutes for Nottingham Forest since arriving last summer. Kelly, capped twice, moved to Rangers in June 2024 but has struggled to establish himself in the Scottish Premiership.
What makes this return especially significant is the precedent it sets. Clarke arrived at Hampden Park in May 2019 with an explicit goal: to emulate the success of Scotland's women's team, who had qualified for the 2019 Women's World Cup. He has now delivered on that vision in spectacular fashion. Three major tournaments from four possible—Euro 2020, Euro 2024, and now World Cup 2026—represents elite-level sustained success in international football. Scotland has never reached the knockout stages of a World Cup, and this squad will aim to finally break that 28-year silence and write a new chapter in the nation's football story.