• Gunn played all three games at Euro 2024 although his chances of doing so at a second major tournament may have been harmed by a lack of football since swapping Norwich City for the City Ground last summer. He’s played just 45 minutes for Forest, although his squad rivals have been similarly marginalised, with none of Scotland’s selected keepers currently first choice at club level.
• Gunn represented England at under-16 to under-21 level but changed allegiance to Scotland in 2023, following in the footsteps of dad Bryan, who was capped six times for the Tartan Army.

• A trial at Norwich at the age of eight began as an outfield player but he signed as a goalkeeper two months later. His first pro-contract came at Manchester City after joining as a 15-year-old but he didn’t make a first-team appearance before joining Southampton for £10m in 2018.

• His only regular first team football has been split across two spells at Norwich in the Championship. He did join the Canaries in the Premier League in 2021 but was largely second choice as they were relegated.

• Gordon is selected for a major tournament for a second time although he is yet to make a finals appearance. At Euro 2020, Derby County’s David Marshall started every game. Gordon was then cut from the provisional 28-man squad ahead of Euro 2024, where Angus Gunn was first choice.

• He can become the second-oldest man to play at a World Cup, after Egypt’s Essam El Hadary (45).

• A 41-year-old Gordon became Scotland’s oldest international footballer in June 2024, breaking David Weir’s record as a substitute against Finland, completing his comeback from a double leg-break.

• He returned to hometown club Hearts in 2020 but began this season as second choice to Alexander Schwolow. After playing in two World Cup qualifiers in November and three league games in January he sustained a serious shoulder injury in February and failed to play again this season.
• Gordon won five Scottish league titles, two Scottish Cups and five Scottish League Cups with Celtic, including an unbeaten domestic treble, between 2014 and 2020 but his final months at the club were marred by tempestuous contract talks, which “could have been handled a lot better”.

• Another Scotland keeper, another struggling for game time at their club. Kelly effectively bumped Craig Gordon from the finals squad for Euro 2024 after both were called up to the provisional roster but he did not make an appearance. At the time, he was captain and first choice at Motherwell but since moving to Rangers in June 2024, he’s made just 16 appearances, failing to feature in the Scottish Premiership this season. He previously spent 14 years with the Light Blues, graduating through their academy, but left in 2018 for Livingston having failed to make a senior appearance. 
• Kelly’s start against Ivory Coast in March was a first since a debut to forget against France in a friendly in October 2023, just two days after Scotland had qualified for Euro 2024. He conceded three goals before being withdrawn at half-time but still called it “the best moment of my life”. 

• Older brother Sean currently plays as a defender for Boeung Ket in Cambodia. 

• Immediately after qualification was secured against Denmark, Scotland’s captain said: “I've hid it well, but today I've been in bits. I know the age I'm at; this could be my last chance to go to the World Cup. I couldn't get my mate Diogo Jota out of my head today. We spoke so much about going to the World Cup because he missed the last one with Portugal and I did with Scotland. I know he'll be smiling over me today. It'll go down as one of the greatest nights of my life.”

• Robertson is second only to Kenny Dalglish (102) on Scotland’s record caps list, and he played virtually every minute of the past two European Championships, but he’s yet to be involved in a win.

• He remains critical for Scotland despite a reduced club role, making just 10 PL starts this season.

• Robertson will leave Liverpool this summer after nearly a decade, reportedly for Spurs. He’s played 377 games, scored 14 goals, provided 69 assists and created 565 chances for the Reds. He’s also won two Premier Leagues, two Champions Leagues, one FA Cup, two EFL Cups, a Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

• He was let go by Celtic at the age of 15, a year away from his pro-contract. He has spoken of being in tears at the decision. “My auntie came to the house and said to my mum and dad, ‘he’ll make it as a footballer,’ and that’s something that has always stayed with me,” he said.

• Tierney’s awful injury issues appear to be largely behind him – 29 league starts for Celtic this season are the most he’s made in nearly a decade since his first spell with the Glaswegian club.

• The Hoops academy graduate left in a £25m move for Arsenal in 2019 but then missed 130 games over five seasons with the Gunners, while a loan spell at Real Sociedad was similarly unsuccessful.

• It’s also taken time for Tierney to regain sufficient fitness on the international stage. Assistant coach Steven Naismith said: “Watching him in training at the start of qualification, I'm thinking 'he's not the normal KT'. I'm saying, 'there's no quick fix here, you just need to grind it out’”.

• And grind it out he did, ending qualification by scoring a stunning goal in the decisive win against Denmark. “He's had it tough," added Naismith. “The biggest memory I have of Kieran at the start of his international career is of him running on to the training pitch and blasting balls into the net, pure smashing it - and that's exactly what he did against Denmark.

• Tierney made two starts at Euro 2020 and 2024 but his animated celebration for winning an early goal-kick during the 5-1 defeat by Germany attracted some unwelcome social media reaction. 

• A hamstring injury that ended his Euro 2024 campaign after two games ruled him out for six months.

• Patterson is selected despite making just three Premier League starts in another season of frustration at Everton. Centre-back Jake O’Brien has been preferred at right-back at club level this season with Patterson apparently not trusted by David Moyes despite Everton beating Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa away, and drawing with Leeds at home, when he has started.
• His Everton career has also been dogged by injury meaning he’s made just 29 top-flight starts in four-and-a-half seasons since joining from Rangers for £10m in January 2022.
• He could yet start for Scotland this summer, with Tony Ralston not first choice at Celtic and Aaron Hickey continuing to work his way back to fitness following a raft of injury problems.
• He was selected for Euro 2020 but played just seven missed. He missed Euro 2024 due to injury.
• Patterson’s last competitive cap was in a European Championship qualifier against Norway in November 2023. He’s played in five friendlies since, most recently against Japan in March.

• The Brentford full-back, who can play on either flank, has continued to endure hamstring problems this season. He’s missed 108 matches (as of 19 May) since joining the Bees for £17m from Bologna in 2022, including the entirety of 2024-25. He’s only made eight Premier League starts this season, although 20 top-flight outings represent his highest tally since 26 in his debut campaign. 
• Injuries mean this is Hickey’s first involvement in a major tournament but the Hearts academy graduate made five appearances in qualifying, starting ahead of Nathan Patterson and Anthony Ralston at right-back in the wins against Denmark and Greece, along with the loss away to Greece. 

• He described his first goal for Brentford against Aston Villa in the EFL Cup in September (his first since scoring for Bologna in April 2022) as a “moment to savour” following two years of “injury hell”, although hamstring problems resurfaced in February, resulting in another lengthy absence.

• Scotland’s veteran centre-back didn’t feature in March’s friendlies because of injury but he remained an important part of the qualification campaign, making four appearances, including 90 minutes in the crucial home wins against Greece and Denmark. Hanley had been dropped for the 4-2 win over Denmark which sealed Scotland’s passage before replacing the injured John Souttar in the warm-up. He then excelled against the Danes, including one goal-bound block from Rasmus Hojlund.

• A Steve Clarke favourite, Hanley was recalled from three years in international football exile just prior to Euro 2020, starting all three games, including excelling against Harry Kane in Scotland’s goalless draw at Wembley although he was forced off after just half an hour of the crucial final group loss to Croatia.

• Hanley made three appearances at Euro 2024 despite missing much of the preceding campaign due to a serious Achilles injury. “Getting up first thing in the morning and going running on your own, you're thinking 'is this all going to be worth it?'” he said. “The self-doubt and the knocks to your confidence, those were the hardest things I've had to go through. All that time, the manager kept giving me opportunities and I'll be forever grateful.” He won his first Scotland cap 15 years ago.
• He missed two months of this season with a hamstring injury and was then sent off after 16 minutes of Hibernian’s loss to Aberdeen two games into his return on 11 April and didn’t play again until 9 May. He was then injured again in the final match of this campaign but still makes the squad.

• Hendry began Scotland’s most recent major tournament as first choice in the heart of defence, playing every minute of Euro 2024 in a back three, but he’s won just three caps since.

• A knee injury at the start of 2024-25 ruled him out for six months and he effectively lost his place in the Scotland team, while Steve Clarke often now selects only two centre-backs in a back four.

• Hendry was fit for the qualifying campaign, but his solitary outing came against Belarus in October.

• His career has spanned 12 teams and six nations, most recently moving to Saudi Arabia to join Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq in 2023. He’s also played in Scotland, England, Australia, Belgium and Italy.

• He made headlines in April after receiving a red card for an apparent elbow to Al-Nassr’s Joao Felix.

• Club honours include the 2018-19 domestic treble with Celtic and a top-flight title with Club Brugge.  

• Souttar made his Scotland debut eight years ago, but this is the first time he has been included in a major tournament squad. A move to Rangers after six seasons at Hearts has helped his international ambitions, playing regularly from the 2024 Nations League onwards. He started in four World Cup qualifiers, and he is likely to vie with Scott McKenna and veteran Grant Hanley for a starting place this summer.
• This season though, has been disrupted by injury issues although he returned from six weeks out on the final day of the season.
• He signed a contract extension with Rangers in February until May 2027 after long talks.

• Souttar has captained Rangers this season on occasion when James Tavernier hasn’t featured.

• Dundee United’s one-time youngest player after making his debut as a 16-year-old in January 2013, he started in midfield before moving into defence after joining Hearts three-years later.

His mum is from Australia and brother Kyle could play for the Socceroos this summer.

• McKenna’s move to Croatia last summer continued the eclectic nature of his recent club career. He left Aberdeen to join Nottingham Forest in 2020 and although he missed just one league game during Forest’s successful promotion to the top flight, he struggled for game time in the Premier League. A loan move in the second half of 2023-24 to FC Copenhagen was followed by a permanent move to Las Palmas but he activated a release clause following their relegation from La Liga to join Dinamo Zagreb ahead of this season. He recovered from a thigh injury in time to help Dinamo complete a league and cup double against Rijeka in the Croatian Cup final.
• McKenna’s varied CV means he has played in seven domestic leagues and seven domestic cups, along with the Champions League and Europa League. He played four times across Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 but his only start came in the final group loss to Hungary two years ago. He’s not a certain starter this summer.

• The centre-back struggled to learn how to head a football. “When I played left-back in Aberdeen’s under-17s I could not head a ball,” he said. “I got put in one day against Celtic. All of a sudden, it was just like a penny dropped. Suddenly I realised I could head a football.”

• Hyam made his Scotland debut three years ago but his second cap didn’t arrive until March of this year against Ivory Coast, after Wrexham’s ascent through the Football League. He joined the Welsh side for £2m from Blackburn last summer, missing just six games in all competitions as they narrowly missed out on the play-offs. 

• Hyam also started every game of Wrexham’s run to the FA Cup fifth round, scoring his first goal for the club in the third round against Nottingham Forest, a tie Wrexham won on penalties. 

• He is a double-promotion winner with Coventry City and a former player of the season with both the Sky Blues and Blackburn. His senior career tallies over 400 games, including five Championship campaigns. In 2024-25 he was one of three players to play every minute in the Championship. 

• The 27-year-old right-back is not first choice at Celtic and he is likely to provide cover for Aaron Hickey this summer, although the Brentford man’s injury record could yet influence Ralston’s role.  
• Ralston was not first choice at club level ahead of Euro 2024 either, yet he started every game in the absence of injured duo Hickey and Nathan Patterson. However, he made just one start in qualifying for this World Cup, in the 2-1 win against Belarus in October. 

• The academy graduate has spent his entire career with the Hoops.
• His Champions League debut as an 18-year-old in 2017 involved a bust-up with PSG’s Neymar. He laughed at Neymar when the Brazilian was booked for diving in Celtic’s 5-0 Parkhead loss, culminating in the world’s most expensive player snubbing a handshake with him at full-time.

• McTominay’s airborne overhead kick in the final qualifier against Denmark is a suitable symbol for how his career has skyrocketed since joining Napoli for £26m two-years ago. He won Serie A’s player-of-the-year award last season as the top-scoring midfielder (12) to help win Napoli the title.

• His 12 goals were worth 10 points and he put Napoli 1-0 up on an unrivalled eight occasions.

• His form has continued this season, scoring a further 14 goals and providing 3 assists.

• “We have to change the mentality of the fact that we might not be top 10, 15, whatever,” he said of reaching the World Cup. “We need to change that mentality that we can play against anybody.”
• An image of McTominay mid-air against Denmark hung in the Great Hall of the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh and has since been painted on the gable end of a building next to Hampden.
• § McTominay has played every minute for Scotland in the past two Euros, scoring against Switzerland in 2024.

• “The way he can cover the ground is elite,” says assistant coach Steven Naismith. “He can just glide across the pitch with elegance. It’s like in Super Mario where you get a mushroom and you're bigger. And he's become a brilliant leader.”

• The academy graduate previously made 255 appearances for Manchester United (29 goals, eight assists).

• “I thought we were pretty rubbish, but who cares?" is how Scotland’s vice-captain describes reaching the World Cup by beating Denmark. “That hit from KT… I will never feel like that in a football stadium ever again.” The second-most capped player in this squad started every game at Euro 2020 and 2024, while he played every minute in qualifying for this tournament.

• 14 goals in qualifying for major tournaments is a Scottish record, two ahead of Kenny Dalglish and Ally McCoist. 

• Aston Villa’s skipper says he has been “transformed” by the arrival of Unai Emery in October 2022. The club’s longest-serving player had been criticised towards the end of Steven Gerrard’s reign, but he has been instrumental in setting standards and dictating play under the Spaniard.

• Of Emery, he says: “Putting your foot on the ball in midfield in Scotland is frowned upon but the manager came in and said ‘why not? You haven’t got an opponent anywhere near you, take your time and create space for your team-mate’. That is something I have learnt and realised.”

• Ten goals this season, including a crucial brace in the Europa League semi-final second-leg win against Nottingham Forest, have resulted in McGinn’s “goggle” celebration. He uses his hands to don an imaginary pair of glasses - a gesture of support for his young nephew Jack, who needs to wear eye protectors when he plays football because of his poor eyesight.

• Christie is an almost certain starter in Scotland’s midfield having scored two goals in five qualifiers and he believes Scotland’s success in reaching a third major tournament under Steve Clarke is the environment that has been created. “When I was first capped in 2017, you'd arrive on night one of a camp and think 'oh my God, there's nine more nights of this'. But now it's how quickly can I get up the road to see all the boys,” he says. Christie could reach 70 caps at this tournament.

• Despite a raft of experience which includes 124 Premier League games (5 goals, 9 assists) since joining Bournemouth from Celtic in August 2021, pre-match nerves were acute ahead of the do-or-die qualifier with Denmark. “I spent about three hours just rolling around my bed, staring at the ceiling. I didn't get much sleep. A few of the other boys said the same, which made me feel better.”

• A niggly knee issue has disrupted his involvement in Bournemouth’s first European qualification this season, so to the form of Alex Scott and Tyler Adams. Christie made 19 Premier League starts.

• He was switched to a deeper role as part of the Cherries’ usual double pivot by Andoni Iraola and he has described Christie as “the most tactically intuitive player I have in the squad”.

• “The aim is the first game - to win,” says Gilmour of this tournament. “And then we take it step by step from there. We want to go there with confidence and show how good a team Scotland is.”

• Gilmour may start on the bench this summer, but he has impressed at a major tournament before, winning player-of-the-match in the draw with England at Euro 2020. He also made two starts at Euro 2024.

• However, he was unable to play the final group game versus Croatia in 2020 due to Covid.

• The Glaswegian began his career at Rangers’ academy but switched to Chelsea in 2017 and earned his first professional contract a year later. He made 81 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, Norwich and Brighton before leaving the Seagulls to join Napoli for £12m in August 2024.

• Gilmour has not been quite as successful in Naples as compatriot McTominay, although he still made 26 Serie A appearances last season (13 starts) as Napoli won the league title.

• An injury-hit season included a near four-month absence due to groin surgery at the start of November, which caused him to miss that month’s qualifiers. Even when fit he didn’t start against Denmark or Greece in September and October, while he’s played just 52 minutes since March. 

• Scotland’s qualifying win against Denmark in November was doubly special for Ferguson as it also fell on his daughter’s third birthday. “I was a wee bit gutted I didn't get to spend it with her, but it was all worth it to see her at the end," he said.

• Of the 3-2 defeat by Greece that looked to have left Scotland facing the play-offs: “There was so much optimism after a loss. It was like nothing made sense anymore.”

• He missed Euro 2024 because of injury, but played every minute of five qualifiers, scoring his first goal in the 3-1 home win against Greece. He is likely to play as the deepest of Scotland’s central midfielders.

• The 26-year-old swapped Aberdeen for Bologna in 2022 but injuries have disrupted his stint in Serie A, while he hasn’t always been first choice this season. He made 16 starts as Bologna finished eighth. 

• His highlight in Italy so far has been defeating Milan to win last season’s Coppa Italia – Bologna’s first major trophy in 51 years. He speaks fluent Italian after spending four years in Italy and has joked about helping Scott McTominay learn the language. He previously spent four seasons with Aberdeen.

• He faced Scotland team-mate John McGinn in the quarter-finals of this season’s Europa League, which Bologna lost 7-1 on aggregate to Aston Villa.

• The “third-best goal of the game” is how Kieran Tierney described McLean’s strike from the half-way line which sealed Scotland’s 4-2 win against Denmark that saw them reach the World Cup.

• “I heard some noise from the crowd that sounded like 'shoot!',” says McLean. “It was the crowd that first put the idea in my head. And, obviously, I took them up on the offer.”

• McLean hadn’t started against the Danes, instead replacing the injured Ben Gannon-Doak in the first half, reflecting the 34-year-old’s support role in the current Scotland squad. He started just once in qualifying in the 2-1 win against Belarus, but he did come off the bench three times at Euro 2024.

• He missed Euro 2020 after sustaining a knee injury on the final day of the Championship season.
• “Every player says it - and a lot of the time it's said for the sake of it - but we really are like a club side, we're like a family,” is how he describes the Scotland set-up under Steve Clarke.

• The former Aberdeen and St Mirren midfielder has just completed an eighth campaign with Norwich, missing just four Championship games as the Canaries finished ninth.

• November proved to be an eventful month for the 20-year-old winger. He scored his first international goal in the qualifying defeat in Greece and then three days later, on his fifth successive start of the qualifying campaign, he sustained a hamstring injury after just 20 minutes of the final game against Denmark. It subsequently required surgery, ruling him out for four months.

• Gannon-Doak returned in March but has struggled to regain fitness, playing just 18 minutes since. He joined Bournemouth from Liverpool for £20m last summer but he’s made just eight appearances.

• Scotland’s youngest-ever scorer for the under-21 side, Gannon-Doak had made two substitute appearances for Celtic when Liverpool paid a £600,000 compensation fee to sign him in March 2022.

• His debut in the EFL Cup against Derby in November 2022 aged 16 made him the sixth-youngest player to appear for Liverpool and he signed his first professional contract just five days later.

• 10 senior appearances on Merseyside were followed by a successful loan spell at Middlesbrough.

• “He offers something different,” is how Steve Clarke described the youngest member of this squad.
• The Rangers academy graduate spent the second half of this campaign on loan at Kilmarnock. He scored four goals in the final five matches of this campaign to push his credentials at a timely moment.
• “I was impressed with him when I brought him into the camp in March,” Clarke said of Curtis. "He fitted in very well. Findlay has finished the season in a great place and it's nice to have a young one in the squad. His call-up comes just 10 days after his 19^th birthday.
• He made his Scotland debut as a second-half substitute in March’s friendly loss to Japan.

• Dykes’ next cap for Scotland will be his 50^th although four of his six appearances in qualifying were as a replacement. His goal that sealed the 3-1 win against Greece is his only one in his past 20 caps.

• He’s struggled for first-team football – and goals – since ending a four-season spell at QPR to join Birmingham City for £1m in August 2024. He scored just seven goals in 55 games in the Midlands before moving to Charlton in January, going on to score three in the final 20 games of this season.

• Dykes missed out on Euro 2024 due to injury, but he started every match at Euro 2020.     

• He describes his career path as “hectic, crazy, nuts”. Born on the Gold Coast, he first came to Scotland with Australia’s schoolboys’ side and despite impressing during a stint with Queen of the South, made the “bad decision” to return Down Under to a routine of “pub football” and working in a factory. He returned to Palmerston Park for three seasons in 2016 and then joined Livingston.

• Adams’ two goals in qualifying came in games against Belarus. Lyndon Dykes was preferred for the final game against Denmark, and the form of Shankland may mean that Scotland’s long-term first-choice striker is looking over his shoulder this summer.

• A second season at Torino hasn’t been as prolific as his first, with Adams scoring seven goals in 35 games in all competitions, following 10 in 38 in 2024-25.

• Adams has been rotated with Duvan Zapata this season, resulting in 19 league starts.

• He’s scored five goals in his past eight caps, although three came in a friendly against Liechtenstein. Adams is yet to score in six appearances at major tournaments. 

• Released by Coventry at the age of 14 after being deemed too small, Adams played non-league football for Ilkeston Town before moving to Sheffield United in 2014.

• He is named after the Argentine-born revolutionary. “Che Guevara was in the news around the time I was born, and it was something to do with where his body was buried. My mum liked the name.”

• Shankland scored 15 goals in 28 games as Hearts missed out on a first Scottish top-flight title in 66 years by losing to Celtic on the final day of a dramatic domestic season despite his opening goal.
• He’s been prolific for Hearts since joining from Belgian side Beerschot in 2021, scoring 88 goals in 171 games, but his consistent form has yet to translate into a starting berth with Scotland. Just four of his 18 caps have been starts although he did score to briefly put Scotland ahead in the qualifying finale against Denmark. “I just had a feeling I’d get a goal. I had a sense I'd have a part to play.”

• He came off the bench three times at Euro 2024, but his playing time amounted to 25 minutes.

• § Nine years ago, he was ready to get a job as a delivery driver to supplement his stalling football career having been released by Aberdeen. Spells with Ayr United, Dundee United and Beerschot followed.

• Shankland’s first taste of senior football was playing in a Queen's Park team with Andy Robertson.
• Former Hearts striker and friend Ryan Stevenson describes him as “a diamond of a player. He can take a touch and calm everyone down, brings others into the game… his finishing is out of this world”.

• The target-man has frustrated Ipswich fans at times this season although his 11 Championship goals included the opener in the 3-0 win against QPR on the final day which sealed promotion. 

• Hirst has been rotated at times with Spanish forward Ivan Azon, but he still made 26 starts.

• The son of former Sheffield Wednesday and England forward David Hirst, George scored on his second Scotland start in last summer’s friendly against Liechtenstein, but he played 11 minutes in qualifying.
• The Wednesday academy graduate joined Ipswich from Leicester on a permanent £1.5m deal, following an initial loan spell, in 2023. However, his Premier League opportunities last season were limited, making just five starts as Liam Delap led the line. He scored three goals in 26 Premier League games overall.
• He was born in Sheffield and played for England up to under-20 level before switching allegiance to Scotland last year. He qualifies via his grandfather and said the switch had been backed by David: “His first words were 'go and do it - your grandad would be very proud of you going to play for Scotland’.”

• Stewart’s call-up is just reward for his form in the second half of this season for Southampton and also his resolve in the face of torrid injury problems. He scored five goals in the past 10 matches to help Saints reach the play-off final.
• Stewart has suffered badly because of injury. He made just 17 appearances in all competitions between the end of August 2022 and April 2025 before returning to fitness at the end of last season. However, he then missed another two months of this campaign from early October.
• Steve Clarke says the former Ross County and St Mirren striker can “score big goals in big games” – as evidenced by strikes against Fulham and Arsenal during Southampton’s run to the FA Cup semi-finals, and another in the play-off semi-final second leg against Middlesbrough earlier this month.
• The call-up ends four years in the international wilderness – the 29-year-old hasn’t played for Scotland since winning his only two caps in the Nations League in June 2022.
• His international playing time to date amounts to 37 minutes as a substitute.

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