Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongsideEngland, whom they played in the world'sfirst international football match in 1872. Scotland has a long-standingrivalry with England,[5] whom they played annually from 1872 until 1989. The teams have met only nine times since then, most recently in afriendly in September 2023.
Scotland have qualified for the FIFA World Cup on nine occasions, and the UEFA European Championship four times, but they have never progressed beyond the first group stage of a finals tournament.[6] The team have achieved some noteworthy results, such as beating the1966 FIFA World Cup winners England 3–2 atWembley Stadium in 1967.Archie Gemmill scored what has been described as one of the greatest World Cup goals ever in a 3–2 win during the1978 World Cup against theNetherlands, who reached the final of the tournament.[7] In theirqualifying group forUEFA Euro 2008, Scotland defeated2006 World Cup runners-upFrance 1–0 in both fixtures.
Scotland supporters are collectively known as theTartan Army. The Scottish Football Association operates aroll of honour for every player who has made more than 50appearances for Scotland.[8]Kenny Dalglish holds the record for Scotland appearances, having played 102 times between 1971 and 1986.[8] Dalglish scored 30 goals for Scotland and shares the record for most goals scored withDenis Law.
Scotland andEngland are the oldest national football teams in the world.[9] Teams representing the two sides first competed atthe Oval infive matches between 1870 and 1872. The two countries contestedthe first official international football match, atHamilton Crescent inPartick, Scotland, on 30 November 1872. The match ended in a goalless draw.[9] All eleven players who represented Scotland that day played forGlasgow amateur clubQueen's Park.[9] Over the next forty years, Scotland played matches exclusively against the other threeHome Nations—England,Wales andIreland. TheBritish Home Championship began in 1883, making these games competitive. The encounters against England were particularly fierce and arivalry quickly developed.[5]
Scotland lost just two of their first 43 international matches. It was not until a 2–0 home defeat by Ireland in 1903 that Scotland lost a match to a team other than England. This run of success meant that Scotland would have regularly topped theElo ratings, which were calculated in 1998, between 1876 and 1904. Scotland won the British Home Championship outright on 24 occasions, and shared the title 17 times with at least one other team.[note 2][10] A noteworthy victory for Scotland before theSecond World War was the 5–1 victory over England in 1928, which led to that Scotland side being known as the "Wembley Wizards". Scotland played their first match outside the British Isles in 1929, beatingNorway 7–3 inBergen.[11] Scotland continued to contest regularfriendly matches against European opposition and enjoyed wins againstGermany andFrance before losing to theAustrian "Wunderteam" andItaly in 1931.[11]
Scotland, like the other Home Nations, did not enter the threeFIFA World Cups held during the 1930s. This was because the four associations had been excluded fromFIFA due to a disagreement regarding the status of amateur players.[12] The four associations, including Scotland, returned to the FIFA fold after the Second World War.[12] A match between aUnited Kingdom team and a"Rest of the World" team was played atHampden Park in 1947 to celebrate this reconciliation.[12]
The readmission of theScottish Football Association to FIFA meant that Scotland were eligible to enter the1950 FIFA World Cup. FIFA advised that places would be awarded to the top two teams in theBritish Home Championship, but the SFA announced that Scotland would only attend the finals if Scotland won that competition. Scotland won their first two matches, but a 1–0 home defeat byEngland meant that the Scots finished as runners-up. Scotland had qualified by right for the World Cup, but had not met the demand of the SFA to win the Championship. 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.[13] The SFA instead sent the team on a tour of North America.[14]
The same qualification rules were in place for the1954 FIFA World Cup, and Scotland finished second in theBritish Home Championship. This time the SFA allowed the team to participate in the World Cup, but its "preparation was atrocious".[15] The SFA only sent 13 players to the finals, even though FIFA allowed 22-man squads.[16] Despite this self-imposed hardship in terms of players, SFA dignitaries travelled in numbers, accompanied by their wives.[16] Scotland lost 1–0 againstAustria in their first game in the finals, which prompted the teammanagerAndy Beattie to resign hours before the game againstUruguay.[17] Uruguay were reigning champions and had never before lost a game at the World Cup finals, and they defeated Scotland 7–0.[15][18]
AfterTommy Docherty's brief spell as manager,Willie Ormond was hired in 1973.[20] Ormond lost his first match in charge 5–0 to England, but recovered to steer Scotland to their first World Cup finals in 16 years in 1974. At the1974 World Cup finals inWest Germany, Scotland achieved their most impressive performance at a World Cup tournament.[23] The team was unbeaten but failed to progress beyond the group stages ongoal difference.[23] After beatingZaïre, they drew with bothBrazil andYugoslavia, and went out because they had beaten Zaïre by the smallest margin.[24]
Scotland appointedAlly MacLeod as manager in 1977, with qualification for the1978 World Cup inArgentina far from assured.[20] The team made a strong start under MacLeod by winning the1977 British Home Championship, largely thanks to a 2–1 victory over England at Wembley.[10] TheScotland fans invaded the pitch after the match, ripping up the turf and breaking a crossbar.[25] Scotland's form continued as they secured qualification for the World Cup with victories overCzechoslovakia andWales.[26]
During the build-up to the1978 FIFA World Cup, MacLeod fuelled the hopes of the nation by stating that Scotland would come home with a medal.[7] As the squad left for the finals in Argentina, 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.[7] Scotland lost their first game 3–1 againstPeru inCórdoba, and drew the second 1–1 against newcomersIran.[7] The disconsolate mood of the nation was reflected by footage of MacLeod in thedugout with his head in his hands.[28] These results meant Scotland had to defeat theNetherlands by three clear goals to progress.[29] 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;[7] Gemmill beat three Dutch defenders before lifting the ball over goalkeeperJan Jongbloed into the net.[7][30] The victory was not sufficient to secure a place in the second round, and Scotland were eliminated on goal difference for the second successive World Cup.[29]
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. With only nine minutes remaining and Wales leading 1–0, Scotland were awarded apenalty kick, which was calmly scored byDavie Cooper.[33] The 1–1 draw meant that Scotland progressed, but as the players and fans celebrated, Stein suffered a heart attack and died shortly afterwards.[33] His assistantAlex Ferguson took over.[20] Scotland qualified by winning 2–0 against Australia in a two-leg playoff, but were eliminated from the tournament with just one point from their three matches, a goalless draw withUruguay following defeats byDenmark andWest Germany.[34]
In July 1986,Andy Roxburgh was the surprise appointment as the new manager of Scotland.[35] Scotland did not succeed in qualifying forEuro 1988, but their 1–0 away win overBulgaria in the final fixture in November 1987 helpedIreland to a surprise first-place finish and qualification for the finals inWest Germany.[36]
Scotland qualified for their fifth consecutiveWorld Cup in 1990 by finishing second in their qualifying group, ahead ofFrance.[37] Scotland were drawn in a group withCosta Rica, Sweden, and Brazil, but the Scots lost 1–0 to Costa Rica.[38] While they recovered to beat Sweden 2–1 in their second game, they lost to Brazil in their third match 1–0 and were again eliminated after the first round.[38]
By a narrow margin, Scotland qualified for theUEFA European Championship for the first time in1992.[39] A 1–0 defeat byRomania away from home left qualification dependent upon other results, but a 1–1 draw betweenBulgaria and Romania in the final group match saw Scotland squeeze through.[40] Despite playing well in matches against the Netherlands and Germany and a fine win against theCIS, the team was knocked out at the group stage.[40] 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.[41]
New managerCraig Brown successfully guided Scotland to the1996 European Championship tournament.[41] The first game against the Netherlands ended 0–0, raising morale ahead of a much anticipated game against England at Wembley.[41]Gary McAllister missed a penalty kick, and a goal byPaul Gascoigne led to a 2–0 defeat. Scotland recovered to beatSwitzerland 1–0 with a goal byAlly McCoist. England taking a 4–0 lead in the other match briefly put Scotland in a position to qualify, but a late goal for theNetherlands meant that they advanced instead of Scotland on goals scored.[41][42]
Brown again guided Scotland to qualification for a major tournament in 1998, and Scotland were drawn against Brazil in the opening game of the1998 World Cup.[43]John Collins equalised 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 with Norway inBordeaux,[44] but the final match againstMorocco ended in an embarrassing 3–0 defeat.[41]
During the qualification for the2000 European Championship, Scotland faced England in atwo-legged playoff nicknamed the "Battle of Britain" by the media.[45] Scotland won the second match 1–0 with a goal byDon Hutchison, but lost the tie 2–1 on aggregate.[45]
Berti Vogts, the only foreigner to coach Scotland to date
Scotland failed to qualify for the2002 FIFA World Cup, finishing third in their qualifying group behindCroatia andBelgium.[41] This second successive failure to qualify prompted Craig Brown to resign from his position after the final qualifying match.[41] TheSFA appointed former Germany managerBerti Vogts as Brown's successor.[46] Scotland reached the qualification play-offs forEuro 2004, where they beat theNetherlands 1–0 at Hampden Park, but suffered a 6–0 defeat in the return leg. Poor results in friendly matches and a bad start to the 2006 World Cup qualification caused the team to drop to a record low of 77th in theFIFA World Rankings.[47] Vogts announced his resignation in 2004,[48] blaming the hostile media for his departure.[49]
Walter Smith, a formerRangers andEverton manager, was brought in to replace Vogts. Improved results meant that Scotland rose up the FIFA rankings and won theKirin Cup, a friendly competition in Japan.[50] Scotland failed to qualify for the2006 FIFA World Cup, finishing third in their group behindItaly andNorway. Smith left the national side in January 2007 to return toRangers, with Scotland leading theirEuro 2008 qualification group.[51] New managerAlex McLeish[52] guided Scotland to wins againstGeorgia, theFaroe Islands,Lithuania, France andUkraine, but defeats by Georgia and Italy ended their chances of qualification for Euro 2008.[53] These improved results, particularly the wins against France, lifted Scotland into the top 20 of the FIFA world rankings.[2]
After the narrow failure to qualify for Euro 2008, McLeish left to joinPremier League clubBirmingham City.[54]Southampton managerGeorge Burley was hired as the new manager, but he came in for criticism from the media after the team lost their first qualifier againstMacedonia.[55] After Scotland lost their fourth match 3–0 to the Netherlands,[56] captainBarry Ferguson and goalkeeperAllan McGregor were excluded from the starting lineup for the following match againstIceland due to a "breach of discipline".[57] Despite winning 2–1 against Iceland,[58] Scotland suffered a 4–0 defeat by Norway in the following qualifier, which left Scotland effectively needing to win their last two games to have a realistic chance of making the qualifying play-offs.[59] Scotland defeated Macedonia 2–0 in the first of those two games,[60] but were eliminated by a 1–0 loss to the Netherlands in the second game.[61] Burley was allowed to continue in his post after a review by the SFA board,[62] but a subsequent 3–0 friendly defeat by Wales led to his dismissal.[63]
Gordon Strachan was appointed Scotland manager in January 2013.
The SFA appointedCraig Levein as head coach of the national team in December 2009.[64] InUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying, Scotland were grouped withLithuania,Liechtenstein, theCzech Republic and world championsSpain.[65][66] They took just four points from the first four games, leaving the team needing three wins from their remaining four games to have a realistic chance of progression.[66] They only managed two wins and a draw and were eliminated after a 3–1 defeat by Spain in their last match.[67] Levein left his position as head coach following a poor start to2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, having taken just two points from four games.[68]
Gordon Strachan was appointed Scotland manager in January 2013,[69] but defeats in his first two competitive matches meant that Scotland were the first UEFA team to be eliminated from the 2014 World Cup.[70] Scotland finished their qualification section by winning three of their last four matches, including two victories againstCroatia.[71][72]
UEFA Euro 2016 expanded from 16 teams to 24.[73] After losing their first qualifier inGermany, Scotland recorded home wins againstGeorgia, theRepublic of Ireland andGibraltar.[73]Steven Fletcher scored the firsthat-trick for Scotland since 1969 in the game with Gibraltar.[74] Later in the group, Scotland produced an "insipid" performance as they lost 1–0 in Georgia.[73] A home defeat by Germany and a late equalising goal byPoland eliminated Scotland from contention.[73] After a win against Gibraltar in the last qualifier, Strachan agreed a new contract with the SFA.[75]
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.[76] On 11 November 2016, England beat Scotland 3–0 at Wembley.[77] The return match 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.[78] A draw inSlovenia in the final game of the group ended Scottish hopes of a play-off position, and Strachan subsequently left his position by mutual consent.[79] In February 2018, Alex McLeish was appointed manager for the second time.[80] The team won their group in the2018–19 UEFA Nations League, but McLeish left in April 2019 after a poor start toUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, including a 3–0 loss to 117th-rankedKazakhstan.[81]
Six consecutive wins later that year meant that Scotland finished second inGroup F of2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[87] This progressed the team into theplay-offs, where they were paired withUkraine in a semi-final at Hampden; Scotland lost 3–1.[87] Later that year, Scotland won theirNations League group and promotion to League A.[88]
The Scots began theirUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with five wins out of five, including a 2–0 victory over Spain at Hampden.[89] Despite losing their sixth match, the return game against Spain, they qualified forEuro 2024 with two matches to spare afterNorway lost 1–0 to Spain. This meant they qualified through a qualifying group to reach a major tournament for the first time since 1998.[90][91][92] Scotland was drawn to faceGermany,Switzerland andHungary inGroup A. They were thrashed 5–1 by the Germans in the opening match,[93] drew 1–1 with the Swiss and lost 1–0 to Hungary to once again finish bottom of the group.[94] It was estimated that around 200,000 Scotland fans travelled to Euro 2024.[95]
In their2026 World Cup qualification group Scotland drew with Denmark away, beat Belarus twice and Greece at home while losing away. On 18 November 2025, they beatDenmark 4–2 at home in the last match of the section to qualify for their ninth World Cup finals, and their first since 1998.[96][97]
Hampden Park, the traditional home of the Scotland national football team
Hampden Park in Glasgow is the traditional home of the Scotland team and is described by the SFA as the National Stadium.[98] The present stadium is one of three stadiums to have used the name. Stadiums named Hampden Park have hosted international matches since 1878. The present site was opened in 1903 and became the primary home ground of the Scotland team from 1906. The attendance record of 149,415 was set by the Scotland v England match in 1937.[99] Safety regulations reduced the capacity to 81,000 by 1977 and the stadium was completely redeveloped during the 1990s, giving the present capacity of 52,000. Hampden is rated as a category four (elite) stadium within theUEFA stadium categories, having previously held the five-star status under the old rating system.[100]
Somefriendly matches are played at smaller venues.Pittodrie Stadium inAberdeen andEaster Road inEdinburgh were both used as venues during 2017. Other stadiums were also used while Hampden was being redeveloped during the 1990s.Celtic Park,Ibrox Stadium, Pittodrie Stadium andRugby Park all hosted matches during the1998 World Cup qualifying campaign,[101] whileTynecastle Stadium,[102] Pittodrie,[103] Celtic Park and Ibrox Stadium were used forEuro 2000 qualifying matches. Since the last redevelopment to Hampden was completed in 1999, Scotland have played most of their competitive matches there. The most recent exception to this rule was in 2014, when Hampden was temporarily converted into an athletics stadium for the2014 Commonwealth Games.[104] The SFA purchased Hampden fromQueen's Park in 2020,[105] and all of Scotland's home games have been played there since then.
Until the BBC acquired the rights in 2025, Scotland matches were regularly broadcast onsubscription services. These arrangements were criticised in 2008 by theScottish Government, who argued that all competitive internationals should be aListed Event that can only be broadcast onfree-to-air television.[107][121] Live coverage is only restricted during major tournament finals, which are normally shown on BBC Scotland or STV.[122][123] The SFA argued that limiting the rights for other games, such as qualifying matches, would reduce the revenue from that source.[124]
TheScottish Affairs Committee of MPs in theBritish House of Commons published a report in 2023 calling for more co-operation between rights holders.[125] They also pointed to the greater coverage given on free-to-air television for qualifying matches involvingEngland andWales.[125] Two friendly matches in 2024 were shown on the BBC, following an agreement with Viaplay,[126] and in March 2025 the BBC secured rights for all Scotland matches between then and the 2026 World Cup.[106]
Scotland traditionally wears dark blue shirts with white shorts and dark blue socks, the colours of theQueen's Park team who represented Scotland in the first international.[9] The blue Scotland shirt was earlier used in a February 1872rugby international, with reports stating that "the scotch were easily distinguishable by their uniform of blue jerseys.... the jerseys having thethistle embroidered".[127] The thistle had previously been worn to represent Scotland in the 1871 rugby international, but onbrown shirts.[128] The shirt is embroidered with a crest based upon the lion rampant of theRoyal Standard of Scotland.
Another style often used by Scotland comprises blue shirts, white shorts and red socks, whilst several kits have used navy shorts and socks.[129][130] Navy is routinely used as alternative colours for the shorts and socks when Scotland faces a team who share the same colours for these items, but when the home shirt is still appropriate.[131]
Scotland players, includingAndrew Watson (top centre), wearing an atypical light blue-and-white hooped jersey in 1882
Change colours vary, but are most commonly white or yellow shirts with blue shorts.[132] In 2016–17, Scotland wore pink shirts with black shorts and socks as the away kit; the kit was additionally used in a single home match againstSlovakia due to both Slovakia kits clashing with the Scotland home kit, which featured white sleeves.[131][133][134] Third kits have been produced on two occasions. Amber shirts, navy shorts and navy socks were used in 2005–06, as the alternative sky blue shirts were unsuitable when Scotland travelled to teams wearing any shade of blue shirt, while an all 'cherry red' kit was used a single time againstGeorgia in theEuro 2008 qualifiers in 2007.[129][135][136]
From 1994 to 1996, atartan kit was used; this kit was worn in all three of Scotland's matches atUEFA Euro 1996.[137][138]
Scotland have not always played in dark blue; on a number of occasions between 1881 and 1951 they played in the primrose and pink racing colours ofArchibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery.[139] A formerPrime Minister, Lord Rosebery was an influential figure in Scottish football, serving as honorary President of the SFA andEdinburgh teamHearts. His colours were used most frequently in the first decade of the 20th century. When Scotland defeated England 4–1 in1900, Lord Rosebery remarked, "I have never seen my colours so well sported sinceLadas won theDerby".[140] Rosebery colours were revived as achange kit for theUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches.[141][142]
The current version of the crest is a roundel similar to the crest used from 1961 to 1988 enclosing a shield, with "Scotland" written on the top and "Est 1873" on the bottom. In the shield background there are 11 thistles, representing the national flower of Scotland, in addition to the lion rampant. Since 2005, the SFA have supported the use ofScottish Gaelic on the national team's strip in recognition of the language's status in Scotland.[143]
Scotland fans are collectively known as theTartan Army. During the 1970s, Scotland fans were known for theirhooliganism in England, particularly after theyinvaded theWembley pitch and destroyed the goalposts after the England v Scotland match in 1977.[144] Since then, the Tartan Army have won awards fromUEFA for their combination of vocal support, friendly nature and charity work.[145][146] The Tartan Army have been awarded aFair Play prize by theBelgian Olympic Committee[147] and were named as the best supporters during the1992 European Championship.[147] The fans were also presented with a trophy for non-violence in sport and were voted by journalists to be the best supporters for their sense of fair play and sporting spirit at the1998 World Cup in France.[148]
Steve Clarke, the current Scotland manager (pictured in 2019).
The role of a team manager was first established in May 1954, asAndy Beattie took charge of six matches before and during the1954 FIFA World Cup. Until then the team had been picked by a SFA selection committee, and after the tournament the selection committee resumed control of the team until the appointment ofMatt Busby in 1958. Busby was initially unable to assume his duties due to the serious injuries he sustained in theMunich air disaster.[19]
German coachBerti Vogts became the first foreign manager of the team in 2002, but his time in charge was generally seen as a failure and theFIFA World Ranking declined to an all-time low of 88 in March 2005.[47][3]Walter Smith andAlex McLeish achieved better results, with the ranking improving to an all-time high of 13 in October 2007,[2] but both were only briefly in charge before returning to club management.George Burley andCraig Levein both had worse results with the team and were eventually sacked. Results improved somewhat underGordon Strachan, but he was unable to secure qualification for a tournament. After McLeish had a second spell as manager,Steve Clarke was appointed in May 2019.[82] Clarke guided the team to qualification forEuro 2020, their first major competition since 1998,[84]Euro 2024[90] and the2026 World Cup.
The following table provides a summary of the complete record of each Scotland manager, including their progress in both theWorld Cup and theEuropean Championship. Statistically the most successful manager wasAlex McLeish, who won seven of the ten games in his first spell. Discounting managers who took charge of less than ten games, the least successful manager wasGeorge Burley, with just three wins in 14 games.
Last updated: Scotland v Denmark, 18 November 2025. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches, five matches from the 1967 SFA tour that were reclassified as full internationals in 2021,[154] and a match against aHong Kong League XI played on 23 May 2002 that theScottish Football Association includes in its statistical totals.[155][156]
Scotland's1937 British Home Championship match against England set a new world record for a football attendance. The Hampden Park crowd was officially recorded as 149,415, though the true figure is unknown as a large number of additional fans gained unauthorised entry. This attendance was surpassed 13 years later by thedecisive match of the1950 FIFA World Cup, but remains a European record.[163][164]
Kenny Dalglish scored a joint record 30 goals in a record 102 international appearances
Kenny Dalglish holds the record for Scotland appearances, having played 102 times between 1971 and 1986. He is the only Scotland player to have reached 100caps.[8]Jim Leighton is second, having played 91 times, a Scottish record for appearances by agoalkeeper.[8]
The title of Scotland's highest goalscorer is shared by two players.Denis Law scored 30 goals between 1958 and 1974, during which time he played for Scotland on 55 occasions.Kenny Dalglish scored an equal number from 102 appearances.Hughie Gallacher as well as being the third highest scorer is also the most prolific with his 24 goals coming from only 20 games (averaging 1.2 goals per game).[166]
Scotland did not compete in the first three World Cup competitions, held in1930,1934 and1938.FIFA ruled that all its member associations must provide "broken-time" payments to cover the expenses of players who participated infootball at the 1928 Summer Olympics. In response to what they considered to be unacceptable interference, the football associations of Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales held a meeting at which they agreed to resign from FIFA.[168] TheScottish Football Association did not rejoin FIFA as a permanent member until 1946.[169] The SFA declined to participate in1950 although they had qualified, as Scotland were not theBritish champions.[170]
Scotland have since qualified for nine finals tournaments,[44] including five consecutive tournaments from1974 to1990. Scotland have never advanced beyond the first round of the finals competition – no country has qualified for as many World Cup finals without progressing past the first round. They have missed out on progressing to the second round three times on goal difference: in1974, whenBrazil edged them out;[24] in1978, when theNetherlands progressed;[29] and in1982, when theSoviet Union went through.[32]
Scotland have qualified for fourEuropean Championships, but have failed to advance beyond the first round. Their most recent participation was atEuro 2024.
Scotland won promotion toLeague A in their final match of the2022–23 competition, a goalless draw againstUkraine inKraków.[88] They were immediately relegated back toLeague B in the2024–25 competition, after losing a playoff againstGreece.[174]
Scotland has always participated by itself in most of the major football tournaments, such as theFIFA World Cup and theUEFA European Championship. At theOlympic Games theInternational Olympic Committee charter only permit aGreat Britain Olympic football team, representing the whole of the United Kingdom, to compete.[176] Teams of amateur players representedGreat Britain at the Olympics from 1900 until 1972, but the FA stopped entering a team after then because the distinction between amateur and professional was abolished. Thesuccessful bid by London for the2012 Summer Olympics prompted the FA to explore how a team could be entered.[177] The SFA responded by stating that it would not participate, as it feared that this would threaten the independent status of the Scotland national team.[178]FIFA PresidentSepp Blatter denied this,[179] but the SFA expressed concern that a future President could take a different view. An agreement was reached in May 2009 whereby the FA would be permitted to organise a team using only England-qualified players,[180] but this was successfully challenged by theBritish Olympic Association. Only English and Welsh players were selected for the men's squad,[181] but two Scottish players were selected for thewomen's team.[182]
^Steve Clarke'sprofile at the SFA website records penalty shootout victories overIsrael andSerbia in 2020 as wins; most statistical resources record the outcome of such matches as a draw, albeit the winner of the shootout progresses, and they have been counted as draws in the table.
^Scotland finished level on points with Czechoslovakia, but lost aone-game play-off on neutral ground.
^Scotland qualified by winningplay-offs against Israel and Serbia.
^Euro 2028 will be hosted by four associations including Scotland and normally only a maximum of two hosts are guaranteed automatic qualification, therefore it is currently unknown how hosts will qualify.[171][172]
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