Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has recalled goalkeeper Craig Gordon to his squad for October’s World Cup qualifiers.
The 42-year-old – who last featured for Scotland in the Nations League play-off defeat to Greece – replaces his Hearts team-mate Zander Clark.
Both players have struggled for minutes this season. Gordon has recently recovered from a neck injury, meaning he is yet to play for the Scottish Premiership leaders, while Clark has not featured since August.
Clarke’s other goalkeeping options have also struggled for action at club level. Angus Gunn – who kept back-to-back clean sheets in Scotland’s opening two games – has not featured for Nottingham Forest this season. Meanwhile, Rangers’ Liam Kelly has only played in one League Cup fixture.
Elsewhere, Celtic duo Kieran Tierney and Anthony Ralston are included in Clarke’s squad again – despite both dropping out ahead of the opening matches against Denmark and Belarus.
However, fellow defenders Dominic Hyam and Max Johnston do not feature in a smaller 23-player squad for the games against Greece and Belarus at Hampden Park.
Scotland squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Liam Kelly (Rangers).
Defenders: Grant Hanley (Hibernian), Jack Hendry (Al Etiffaq), Aaron Hickey (Brentford), Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Kieran Tierney (Celtic).
Midfielders: Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Ben Gannon Doak (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich), Scott McTominay (Napoli), Lennon Miller (Udinese).
Forwards: Che Adams (Torino), Kieron Bowie (Hibernian), Lyndon Dykes (Birmingham), George Hirst (Ipswich).
How the campaign started
Che Adams scored as Scotland beat Belarus
Scotland picked up four points from their opening two qualifiers ahead of this Hampden Park double-header, as Clarke bids to guide the men’s side to their first World Cup since 1998.
The campaign started with a draw away to top-seeds Denmark, followed by a 2-0 win away to Belarus – results that leave Scotland level on points with the Danes at the top of Group C.
It is certainly a sprint to the 2026 World Cup – with this squad being named just 22 days after Scotland’s last match. The game against Greece is just nine days away, with the Belarus game at Hampden Park three days later and the final group fixtures in mid-November.
Scotland’s World Cup qualifiers
- Greece (H) – October 9
- Belarus (H) – October 12
- Greece (A) – November 15
- Denmark (H) – November 18
