Scotland knocked out of the World Cup after agonising two-day wait

Scotland’s World Cup dream is over.

Steve Clarke’s side have been confirmed as one of 16 teams exiting the tournament at the group stage with Croatia’s 2-1 Group L win over Ghana.

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Scotland, who were drawn in Group C alongside Brazil, Morocco and Haiti, faced an agonising two-day wait to see if they had done enough to reach the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

But a victory for Croatia confirmed that Scotland and the thousands of travelling members of the Tartan Army will be returning home.

Scotland out of the World Cup

Scotland opened their tournament in fine fashion when a John McGinn goal handed them a 1-0 win over Haiti.

But it proved to be their only goal of the tournament as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Morocco, followed by Wednesday’s 3-0 loss against Brazil.

That left Scotland on three points from their three games and, crucially, a goal difference of minus three.

After the game, a grouchy Clarke was asked about their wait to find out if they would reach the knockout stages.

He replied: “I don’t even think about that. Sorry, I don’t even think about that.”

He then abruptly walked out, drawing criticism across the board and from talkSPORT’s Scotland correspondent Shebahn Aherne.

Gradually, as the third round of matches was played, they slipped down the rankings of the teams finishing third in their groups.

Senegal’s 5-0 victory over 10-man Iraq was enough to see them overtake the Tartan Army into the top eight.

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However, it was Croatia’s win which sealed Scotland exit as they won and secured second spot behind England in Group L.

Will Steve Clarke be sacked?

Clarke was given a new four-year contract by the Scottish Football Association at the end of May.

His previous deal was due to end straight after the World Cup but a swift move was made to tie up his future.

The new deal was due to see him try and get Scotland to Euro 2028, which they will co-host with England, Wales, and Republic of Ireland, as well as the 2030 World Cup.

There will, though, be queries about this after such a poor showing at the 2026 edition.

However, some Scots are still backing Clarke, including former Premier League striker Kevin Gallacher.

He told talkSPORT Breakfast: “I’m all for Steve Clarke. I know him, he was my coach when I was at Newcastle, he was up and coming and worked under Bobby Robson, he had his own philosophies.

“Speaking to some of the players, they all understand what he’s about. He can change games, he can move teams around a bit. I think the issue at the minute is that we worry too much about the opposition and I think that puts a bit of fear factor into players as well.

“For me, I don’t know why people would say Steve is not good enough for the job at the minute. Two Euros, a World Cup, he’s become the best Scottish manager of all-time.

“It’s just another blip for us at the minute and we will keep our legs, arms and fingers crossed that the results go right for us.”

World Cup current third-place table