Steve Clarke outlines what Scotland must do for future success after World Cup exit

Steve Clarke believes the seasoned experience of Scotland’s core players, combined with a new wave of talent, will be instrumental in guiding the national team to unprecedented success at Euro 2028. The departing head coach expressed confidence that his successor will inherit a squad capable of reaching the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time when Scotland co-hosts the European Championship in two years. During his seven-year tenure, the 62-year-old manager brought an end to Scotland’s two-decade absence from major tournaments, securing qualification for two European Championships and a World Cup. He heavily relied on key figures such as Andy Robertson, John McGinn, Ryan Christie, and Scott McTominay, who formed the backbone of his successful teams. Clarke highlighted the blend of experience and youth, noting the integration of emerging players like Ben Gannon-Doak, Findlay Curtis, Tyler Fletcher, Tommy Conway, James Wilson, and Lennon Miller. Clarke feels Scotland's next generation must learn from experienced players such as Andy Robertson (Reuters) Speaking in a Scottish Football Association interview after stepping down, Clarke emphasised the importance of this generational transfer of knowledge. "You have to take the core group but you have to keep evolving round about it," he stated. "There are a number of younger players in the squad now who will become the next core group. They should learn from the senior players that I’ve been lucky enough to work with. We’ve grown together through 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 caps." He added: "Going into this tournament I think we had just about a thousand caps in the squad which is good experience at international level. We need to make sure the next generation learn from this core group and they can carry us into the future tournaments. That’s my hope and wish." Dismissing suggestions that the current senior players are past their prime, Clarke insisted: "Everybody keeps saying this core group is finished. They’re not finished yet, they’re definitely not finished because they can all make it for Euro 2028, home Euros." He looks forward to experiencing the tournament as a fan. “I look forward to sitting in the stand, if the Scottish FA are good enough to give me a couple of tickets for the tournament, watching the boys play without the stress of being their head coach and just watching, enjoying and hoping that this is the next time they manage to do what nobody’s ever done before for Scotland." While England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales will co-host Euro 2028, direct qualification is not guaranteed for all. Two spots will be reserved for the best-ranked co-hosts who do not qualify as group winners or best runners-up. However, Clarke urged his players not to rely on this safety net. In his farewell meeting with the squad in America, he stressed the importance of earning their place. "I think our qualification record is probably unsurpassed in Scottish history," he remarked. "We know how to qualify out the group, so all I said to the boys was ‘don’t use the free pass to get to the next tournament, make sure that you qualify as of right because that’s what we do, we do it well and it also gives you a great feeling going into the tournament that you know you’ve qualified as of right’." Clarke concluded with a hopeful message for the future: "So, like I say, I look forward to sitting watching the boys playing in the next Euros and next time they’ll get it right."