Scotland’s wait to return to the World Cup is almost over, with little over 24 hours standing between them and their opening game against Haiti in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The first time the national team will compete in the World Cup since 1998, Steve Clarke is hoping to become the first manager in Scottish football history to lead the team to the knockout stages of a major tournament. Can he do it?
Already confirming his place in the Scotland hall of fame after becoming the first Scotland national team boss to lead the team to three tournaments - Euro 2020, Euro 2024 and this summer’s World Cup - he’ll arguably be viewed as the greatest to ever manage Scotland if he can lead them into the latter stages of the competition.
However, how does his record compare to those who came before him? In total, they’ve been nine managers who have led Scotland into 12 major tournaments.
Here, we rank every Scotland manager who has taken the team to a European Championship or World Cup, ranked on their major tournament record:
5. Ally MacLeod
Scotland manager at the 1978 Argentina World Cup, MacLeod famously managed the team to a 3-2 win over European giants the Netherlands. However, he lost his opening game of the tournament against Peru before limping to a draw against Iran and ultimately saw Scotland miss out on the second round on goal difference. His win percentage of 33.3% was equal to another four national team managers. His full tournament record is as follows: P3, W1, D1, L1, GD: -1 | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 Photo: SNS Group
6. Sir Alex Ferguson
Widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson has won more domestic trophies than any manager in history. He managed Scotland for just 10 games, with three of them coming at the Mexico World Cup in 1986, where he lost to Denmark and West Germany before ending the group stage with a 0-0 draw against Uruguay. His full tournament record is as follows: P3, W0, D1, L2, GD: -2. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 Photo: SNS Group
7. Dawson Walker
Managing the Scottish national football team at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, Walker took caretaker charge after Sir Matt Busby was injured in the Munich air disaster. He helped Scotland earn their first World Cup points with a 1-1 draw against Yugoslavia but lost to both Paraguay and France before stepping down. Walker had never managed prior to this and never managed again after his departure. His tournament record is as follows: P3, W0, D1, L2, GD: -2 | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 Photo: SNS Group
8. Andy Beattie
The Scottish boss managed the team in their first major tournament, the World Cup in 1954. However, after his side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Austria he resigned from the role mid-tournament. Scotland would go on to lose 7-0 to Uruguay (pictured) in their second group game, where they exited the tournament. He returned as Scotland boss in 1959 but departed a year later. His tournament record is as follows: P1, W0, D0, L1, GD: -1 | Getty Images Photo: SNS Group