TheScotland national football team has appeared eight times at theFIFA World Cup,[1] including five consecutive tournaments from1974 to1990. The team has never advanced beyond the first round of the finals competition. They have missed out on progressing to the second round three times on goal difference: in1974, whenBrazil edged them out;[2] in1978, when theNetherlands progressed;[3] and in1982, when theSoviets qualified.[4] Although never qualifying for the next round, they have still caused some big upsets, for example their 3–2 win over theNetherlands in 1978. A 4–2 victory against Denmark[5] clinched a spot at the2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be their first appearance in the finals since1998.
TheScottish Football Association (SFA) is the second oldest in the world; it was founded in 1873, the year after the first official international match was played between Scotland andEngland atHamilton Crescent,Glasgow.
TheFIFA World Cup is an internationalassociation football competition contested by themen's national teams of the members of theFédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The competition has been held every four years since the first tournament in1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due toWorld War II.
The World Cup consists of two parts, thequalification phase and the final phase (officially called theWorld Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The current format of the Finals involves 32 teams competing at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup Finals is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the2006 tournament final.[6]
Scotland did not compete in the first three World Cup competitions, in1930,1934 and1938. Because of a dispute with FIFA over "broken-time" payments to players, the SFA – along with the football associations of England, Ireland and Wales – withdrew from FIFA in 1928,[7][8] and did not rejoin as a permanent member until 1946.[8][9]
The readmission of theScottish Football Association toFIFA in 1946 meant that Scotland were now eligible to enter the1950 FIFA World Cup. FIFA advised that places would be awarded to the top two teams in the1949–50 British Home Championship, but the SFA announced that Scotland would attend the finals only if Scotland won the competition.[10][11] Scotland won their first two matches, but a 1–0 home defeat byEngland meant that the Scots finished as runners-up.[10] The SFA stood by this proclamation, despite pleas to the contrary by the Scotland players, supported by England captainBilly Wright and the other England players.[10][12] SportswriterBrian Glanville later described the SFA as showing "baffling insularity and pique" in their refusal to send a team to the World Cup.[10]
The same qualification rules as in 1950 were in place for the1954 FIFA World Cup, with the1953–54 British Home Championship acting as a qualifying group. Scotland again finished second, but this time the SFA allowed a team to participate in the Finals, held in Switzerland. To quote the SFA website, "The preparation was atrocious".[13] The SFA only sent 13 players to the finals, even though FIFA allowed 22-mansquads at the tournament.[14][15] Despite this self-imposed hardship in terms of players, the SFA dignitaries travelled in numbers, accompanied with their wives.[14] Scotland lost 1–0 againstAustria in their first game in the finals.[15] After falling out with the SFA, probably due to the poor preparation of the team, managerAndy Beattie resigned hours before the game againstUruguay.[10][16][15] Uruguay were reigning champions and had never before lost a game at the World Cup finals. The gulf in class was exposed in horrific fashion as Uruguay won 7–0.[10][13][17][15]
Scotland qualified for the1958 FIFA World Cup, finishing ahead ofSpain.[10][11]Manchester United managerMatt Busby had been due to manage the Scotland team at the World Cup, but the severe injuries he suffered in theMunich air disaster in February meant that trainerDawson Walker took charge of the team instead.[10] In their first match at the finals Scotland achieved a creditable draw againstYugoslavia.[10] PlayersArchie Robertson andTommy Docherty were sent to watch next opponentsParaguay and they reported back that Paraguay was a "rough, fit and good" team.[10] Walker chose to ignore this advice and left out some of his combative players, including Docherty, and Scotland lost 3–2.[10] They exited the competition after also losing toFrance.[10]
Scotland failed to qualify for another World Cup in the next 16 years.[10] In the1962 competition, a "skilful but fragile" team finished joint-top ofUEFA qualification group 8 withCzechoslovakia.[10] This meant that the teams had to play-off in a neutral venue for the qualification place, which the Czechs won 4–2after extra time.[10]
Jock Stein was appointed manager on a part-time basis ahead of1966 FIFA World Cup qualification.[18] Scotland were drawn withItaly,Poland andFinland inUEFA qualification group 8. Scotland got off to a good start with two wins against Finland and a draw in Poland,[19] but then conceded two late goals to lose 2–1 to Poland at home.[20] A 1–0 home win against Italy kept hopes alive going into the final game, where Scotland either needed to win in Italy to qualify or draw to force another play-off.[21] Several first choice players withdrew due to injury; Scotland lost 3–0 and failed to qualify.[10][22] Stein relinquished the Scotland job after this defeat to concentrate on his full-time role withCeltic.
Now managed byBobby Brown, Scotland were drawn withWest Germany,Austria andCyprus in their1970 qualification group.[11] Scotland started well, beating Austria at home and scoring 13 goals in the two matches against Cyprus.[11] A draw at home with West Germany meant that Scotland needed to avoid defeat in the return game to retain any hope of qualification.[11] Scotland scored first in Hamburg, and then equalised midway through the second half, but succumbed to a 3–2 defeat.[10][11]
Willie Ormond was appointed Scotland manager in 1973. Ormond lost his first match in charge 5–0 to England, but recovered to steer Scotland to the1974 World Cup finals inWest Germany. Scotland then achieved their most impressive performance at a World Cup tournament,[23] as the team was unbeaten but failed to progress beyond the group stages ongoal difference.[10][23] After beatingZaire, they drew with bothBrazil andYugoslavia, and went out because they had beaten Zaire by the smallest margin.[2] This performance has been assessed as a "gallant failure", but the choice to retain possession instead of pressing for more goals against Zaire has been criticised.[10][24]
Scotland appointedAlly MacLeod as manager in 1977. Scotland qualified for the1978 FIFA World Cup with victories overCzechoslovakia andWales.[11][25] During the build-up to the tournament, MacLeod fuelled the hopes of the nation by stating that Scotland would come home from Argentina with a medal.[26] As the squad left for the finals, they were given an enthusiastic send off as they were paraded around a packedHampden Park.[27] Thousands more fans lined the route toPrestwick Airport as the team set off forSouth America.[26] This enthusiasm was not just generated internally, as respected coaches such asRinus Michels andMiljan Miljanić rated Scotland amongst the favourites to win the competition.[10][28] TheRoyal Mail commissioned designs of commemorative stamps that would have been circulated if Scotland had won the World Cup.[29]
Scotland's first game was againstPeru inCórdoba. Two spectacular goals byTeófilo Cubillas meant that the result was a 3–1 loss. The second game was a very disappointing 1–1 draw againstIran.[26] Scotland had not even scouted Iran. The disconsolate mood of the nation was reflected by footage of Ally MacLeod in thedugout with his head in his hands.[30] MacLeod had made strange selection choices, picking inexperienced full-backs and retaining the out-of-formBruce Rioch andDon Masson.[10]
After taking a single point from their opening two games, Scotland had to defeat theNetherlands by three clear goals to progress.[3] Despite the Dutch taking the lead, Scotland fought back to win 3–2 with a goal fromKenny Dalglish and two fromArchie Gemmill, the second of which is considered one of the greatest World Cup goals ever;[26] Gemmill beat three Dutch defenders before lifting the ball over goalkeeperJan Jongbloed into the net.[26][31] The victory was not sufficient to secure a place in the second round, however, as Scotland were eliminated on goal difference for the second successive World Cup.[3] This performance against strong opponents only heightened the frustration at the poor results earlier in the competition.[10] MacLeod initially retained his position, but resigned later that year.[10]
Jock Stein, who had won nine consecutiveScottish league titles and theEuropean Cup as manager ofCeltic, was appointed Scotland manager in 1978.[32] After failing to qualify for the1980 European Championship,[25] Scotland qualified for the1982 FIFA World Cup from a tough group includingSweden,Portugal,Israel andNorthern Ireland, losing just one match in the process.[33] They were then drawn in a "Group of death" withNew Zealand, Brazil and theSoviet Union.[10] Scotland beat New Zealand by 5–2 in their first game, but then lost 4–1 to aBrazil team containingSocrates,Zico,Eder andFalcão.[4] Scotland were again eliminated on goal difference, after a 2–2 draw with the Soviet Union. This match is best remembered for defendersAlan Hansen andWillie Miller colliding while chasing a long ball, which allowed the Soviets to run through and score.[10]
Scotland qualified for the1986 FIFA World Cup, their fourth in succession, in traumatic circumstances. The squad went into theirlast qualification match against Wales needing a point to progress to a qualifying playoff againstAustralia.[34] With only nine minutes remaining and Wales leading 1–0, Scotland were awarded apenalty kick, which was calmly scored byDavie Cooper.[35] The 1–1 draw meant that Scotland progressed, but as the players and fans celebrated, national coachJock Stein suffered a heart attack and died shortly afterwards.[35] His assistantAlex Ferguson took over.[32] Scotland qualified by winning 2–0 against Australia in a two-leg playoff, but were again drawn into agroup of death, this time withUruguay,Denmark and West Germany.[10][36] Scotland were eliminated from the tournament with just one point from their three matches, a goalless draw with Uruguay.[37]
Now managed byAndy Roxburgh, Scotland qualified for their fifth consecutive World Cup in1990 by finishing second in theirqualifying group behindYugoslavia and ahead ofFrance.[11][38] Drawn in a group withCosta Rica, Sweden, and Brazil, the Scots lost 1–0 to Costa Rica in their opening match.[39] While they recovered to beat Sweden 2–1 in their second game, they lost to Brazil in their third match 1–0 (goalkeeperJim Leighton fumbled a shot that allowed Brazil to score the only goal in the closing minutes)[10] and were once again eliminated after the first round.[39]
Scotland failed to qualify for the1994 FIFA World Cup; the team finished fourth in theirqualifying group behindItaly,Switzerland and Portugal. When it became clear that Scotland could not qualify,Andy Roxburgh resigned from his position as team manager.[40]
Craig Brown took over and guided Scotland to the1998 FIFA World Cup, finishing behindAustria inthe group but qualifying as the best European runners-up. Scotland were drawn against Brazil for a fourth time, and faced the holders in the opening game of the tournament.[41]John Collins scored from the penalty spot to level the score at 1–1, but aTom Boydown goal led to a 2–1 defeat. Scotland drew their next game 1–1 withNorway inBordeaux,[1] but the final match againstMorocco ended in a 3–0 loss.[42]
Scotland failed to qualify for the2002 FIFA World Cup, finishing third in their qualifying group behindCroatia andBelgium.[40] Craig Brown resigned after the final qualifying match.[40]
TheSFA then appointed the first foreign national team manager, former Germany coachBerti Vogts.[43] Poor results in friendly matches and a bad start to2006 FIFA World Cup qualification caused the team to drop to a record low of 77th in theFIFA World Rankings.[44] Vogts announced his resignation in 2004,[45] blaming the hostile media for his departure.[46]Walter Smith was brought in to replace Vogts and some improved results followed, but the team finished third in their group behindItaly andNorway and failed to qualify.
After a narrow failure to qualify forUEFA Euro 2008,George Burley was hired as the new manager. He was criticised by the media after the team lost their first2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match againstMacedonia.[47] After Scotland lost their fourth match 3–0 to the Netherlands,[48] captainBarry Ferguson and goalkeeperAllan McGregor were excluded from the starting lineup for the following match againstIceland due to a "breach of discipline".[49] Despite winning 2–1 against Iceland,[50] Scotland suffered a terrible 4–0 defeat by Norway in the next qualifier, and effectively needed to win their final two games to have a realistic chance of making the qualifying play-offs.[51] They defeated Macedonia 2–0,[52] but were eliminated by a 1–0 loss to the Netherlands in the last game.[53] Burley was sacked after a 3–0 friendly defeat by Wales soon afterwards.[54]
Craig Levein replaced Burley, but he left following a poor start to2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, having taken just two points from four games.[55]Gordon Strachan was appointed manager in January 2013,[56] but defeats in his first two competitive matches meant that Scotland were the first UEFA team to be mathematically eliminated from the 2014 World Cup.[57] Scotland finished by winning three of their last four matches, including two victories againstCroatia, placing fourth in the group when fifth or sixth looked likely[58][59] (they thus maintained a record of never having finished in the lowest two places of any World Cup qualification group).
Inqualification for the2018 FIFA World Cup, Scotland were drawn in the same group as England, facing their rivals in a competitive fixture for the first time since 1999.[60] On 11 November 2016, England won 3–0 atWembley;[61] the return match in June 2017 sawLeigh Griffiths score two late free-kicks to give Scotland a 2–1 lead, butHarry Kane scored in added time to force a 2–2 draw.[62] A draw away toSlovenia in the final game of the group ended Scottish hopes of a play-off position, and Strachan subsequently left his position by mutual consent.[63]
Steve Clarke was appointed Scotland manager in May 2019.[64] After qualifying forUEFA Euro 2020, their first major tournament since the 1998 World Cup,[65] Scotland finished second inGroup F of2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[66] This progressed the team into theplay-offs, where they lost 3–1 toUkraine in a semi-final at Hampden.[66]
In their2026 World Cup qualification group Scotland drew withDenmark away, beatBelarus twice andGreece at home.[67] A defeat in Greece endangered their chances of winning automatic qualification, but Denmark being held to a draw by Belarus kept their hopes alive.[67] Scotland then beat Denmark 4–2 at home in the last match of the section, clinching their ninth World Cup finals appearance, and their first since 1998.[5][67]
| Year | FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Position | ||
| 1930 | Not a FIFA Member[9] | Not a FIFA Member[9] | |||||||||||||||
| 1934 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1938 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1950 | Qualified but withdrew[68] | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 2nd / 4 | |||||||||
| 1954 | Group stage | 15th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | Squad | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2nd / 4 | |
| 1958 | 14th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 1st / 3 | ||
| 1962 | Did not qualify | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 2nd / 3[69] | |||||||||
| 1966 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 2nd / 4 | ||||||||||
| 1970 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 7 | 2nd / 4 | ||||||||||
| 1974 | Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1st / 3 | |
| 1978 | 11th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | Squad | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 1st / 3 | ||
| 1982 | 15th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | Squad | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 1st / 5 | ||
| 1986 | 19th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | Squad | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 2nd / 4[70] | ||
| 1990 | 19th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | Squad | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 2nd / 5 | ||
| 1994 | Did not qualify | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 13 | 4th / 6 | |||||||||
| 1998 | Group stage | 27th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | Squad | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 2nd / 6 | |
| 2002 | Did not qualify | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 6 | 3rd / 5 | |||||||||
| 2006 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 3rd / 6 | ||||||||||
| 2010 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 3rd / 5 | ||||||||||
| 2014 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 4th / 6 | ||||||||||
| 2018 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 12 | 3rd / 6 | ||||||||||
| 2022 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 10 | 2nd / 6[71] | ||||||||||
| 2026 | Qualified | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 7 | 1st / 4 | |||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 9/23 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 41 | — | — | 142 | 73 | 31 | 38 | 223 | 153 | |
| World Cup (manager) | Round | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue | Scotland scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 (Beattie) | Group stage |  Austria | 0–1 | L | Zürich | — |
 Uruguay | 0–7 | L | Basel | — | ||
| 1958 (Walker) | Group stage |  Yugoslavia | 1–1 | D | Västerås | Murray |
 Paraguay | 2–3 | L | Norrköping | Mudie,Collins | ||
 France | 1–2 | L | Örebro | Baird | ||
| 1974 (Ormond) | Group stage |  Zaire | 2–0 | W | Dortmund | Lorimer,Jordan |
 Brazil | 0–0 | D | Frankfurt | — | ||
| Yugoslavia | 1–1 | D | Frankfurt | Jordan | ||
| 1978 (MacLeod) | Group stage |  Peru | 1–3 | L | Córdoba | Jordan |
 Iran | 1–1 | D | Córdoba | Eskandarian (o.g.) | ||
 Netherlands | 3–2 | W | Mendoza | Dalglish,Gemmill (2) | ||
| 1982 (Stein) | Group stage |  New Zealand | 5–2 | W | Málaga | Dalglish,Wark (2),Robertson,Archibald |
 Brazil | 1–4 | L | Seville | Narey | ||
 Soviet Union | 2–2 | D | Málaga | Jordan,Souness | ||
| 1986 (Ferguson) | Group stage |  Denmark | 0–1 | L | Nezahualcóyotl | — |
 West Germany | 1–2 | L | Querétaro | Strachan | ||
| Uruguay | 0–0 | D | Nezahualcóyotl | — | ||
| 1990 (Roxburgh) | Group stage |  Costa Rica | 0–1 | L | Genoa | — |
 Sweden | 2–1 | W | Genoa | McCall,Johnston | ||
| Brazil | 0–1 | L | Turin | — | ||
| 1998 (Brown) | Group stage | Brazil | 1–2 | L | Saint-Denis | Collins |
 Norway | 1–1 | D | Bordeaux | Burley | ||
 Morocco | 0–3 | L | Saint-Étienne | — |
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 |
| Brazil | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0.00 |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 |
| Denmark | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 | 0.00 |
| France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0.00 |
 Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Morocco | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0.00 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 100.00 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 100.00 |
| Norway | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Paraguay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0.00 |
| Peru | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Soviet Union | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sweden | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Uruguay | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0.00 |
| West Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0.00 |
| Yugoslavia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Zaire | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 |
| Total | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 41 | −16 | 17.39 |
| Opponent | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | %W | %D | %L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 50 | 0 |
| Austria | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 50 | 33.33 | 16.67 |
 Belarus | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 66.67 | 16.67 | 16.67 |
 Belgium | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 25 | 75 |
 Croatia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 50 | 0 |
 Cyprus | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
 Czechoslovakia | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 42.86 | 0 | 57.14 |
| Denmark | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 66.67 | 16.67 | 16.67 |
 England | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 25 | 75 |
 Estonia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 75 | 25 | 0 |
 Faroe Islands | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
 Finland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 50 | 0 | 50 |
 Greece | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 50 | 0 | 50 |
 Iceland | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
 Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
 Israel | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 75 | 25 | 0 |
 Italy | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 16.67 | 33.33 | 50 |
 Latvia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
 Lithuania | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 50 | 0 |
 North Macedonia | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 25 | 50 | 25 |
 Malta | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
 Moldova | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 75 | 25 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
 Northern Ireland | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 33.33 | 66.67 | 0 |
| Norway | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 16.67 | 33.33 | 50 |
 Poland | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 50 |
 Portugal | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 50 | 50 |
 Republic of Ireland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
 San Marino | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
 Serbia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 50 |
 Slovakia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 50 | 0 | 50 |
 Slovenia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 50 | 50 | 0 |
 Spain | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 50 | 0 | 50 |
| Sweden | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 75 | 0 | 25 |
 Switzerland | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 50 | 25 | 25 |
 Ukraine | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
 Wales | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 37.5 | 25 | 37.5 |
| West Germany | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 50 |
| Yugoslavia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 50 |
| Rank | Player | Matches | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Leighton | 9 | 1986, 1990 and 1998 |
| 2 | Kenny Dalglish | 8 | 1974, 1978 and 1982 |
| 3 | Joe Jordan | 7 | 1974, 1978 and 1982 |
| 4 | Alan Rough | 6 | 1978 and 1982 |
| Graeme Souness | 6 | 1978, 1982 and 1986 | |
| Gordon Strachan | 6 | 1982 and 1986 | |
| Roy Aitken | 6 | 1986 and 1990 | |
| 8 | Martin Buchan | 5 | 1974 and 1978 |
| Danny McGrain | 5 | 1974 and 1982 | |
| Willie Miller | 5 | 1982 and 1986 | |
| David Narey | 5 | 1982 and 1986 | |
| Alex McLeish | 5 | 1982, 1986 and 1990 | |
| Maurice Malpas | 5 | 1986 and 1990 |
| Rank | Player | Goals | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Jordan | 4 | 1974 (2), 1978 (1) and 1982 (1) |
| 2 | Archie Gemmill | 2 | 1978 |
| Kenny Dalglish | 2 | 1978 and 1982 | |
| John Wark | 2 | 1982 | |
| 5 | Thirteen players | 1 | — |
Scotland squads at FIFA World Cup finals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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