 | |||
| Association | Scottish Football Association | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Melissa Andreatta | ||
| Mostcaps | Gemma Fay (203)[1] | ||
| Top scorer | Julie Fleeting (116) | ||
| Home stadium | Hampden Park | ||
| FIFA code | SCO | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 25 1 (7 August 2025)[2] | ||
| Highest | 19[3] (March 2014; September 2018) | ||
| Lowest | 31[3] (March – June 2004) | ||
| First international | |||
 Scotland 2–3England  (Greenock, Scotland; 18 November 1972)[4][5][6] | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Scotland 17–0Lithuania  (Glasgow, Scotland; 30 May 1998)[7] | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| England 8–0Scotland (Nuneaton, England; 23 June 1973)[8]  Spain 8–0Scotland (Seville, Spain; 30 November 2021) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in2019) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2019) | ||
| European Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in2017) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2017) | ||
| Website | Official website | ||
TheScotland women's national football team representsScotland in internationalwomen's football competitions. Since 1998, the team has been governed by theScottish Football Association (SFA). Scotland qualified for theFIFA Women's World Cup for the first time in2019, and for their firstUEFA Women's Championship in2017. As of June 2025, the team was placed 24th in theFIFA Women's World Rankings, their highest ranking being 19th in March 2014 and September 2018 respectively.[3]
Although most national football teams represent asovereign state, as a member of theUnited Kingdom'sHome Nations, Scotland is permitted byFIFA statutes to maintain its own national side that competes in all major tournaments, with the exception of theWomen's Olympic Football Tournament. Scotland is scheduled to co–host the2035 FIFA Women's World Cup and gained automatic qualification to the tournament as a result being co–hosts.[9]
Church documents recorded women playing football inCarstairs, Lanarkshire, in 1628.[10] Scotland first played a women's international match in May 1881.[10] Women's football struggled for recognition during this early period and was banned by the football authorities in 1921.[10] Club sides who were interested in using their grounds for women's football were subsequently denied permission by theScottish Football Association (SFA).[10] The sport continued on an unofficial basis until the 1970s, when the ban was lifted.[10] In 1971UEFA instructed its members to take control of women's football within their territories. The motion was passed 31–1, but Scotland was the only member to vote against it.[11]Football in Scotland has traditionally been seen as aworking class andmale preserve.[12]
Scotland's first official match, a 3–2 defeat toEngland, took place in November 1972.[4][5][6] The team was managed byRab Stewart. The 1921 ban on women's football was lifted in 1974, and the SFA assumed direct responsibility for Scottish women's football in 1998.[12] Scotland have participated in most international competitions since the ban was removed. The team's standing has improved significantly in recent years, reaching an all-time high of 19th place in theFIFA Women's World Rankings in March 2014.[3][13][14] They reached their first major tournament finals when they qualified forUEFA Women's Euro 2017.[15]
The team followed this up by qualifying for their firstWorld Cup finals tournament in2019.[16] Following their qualification, the Scottish Government announced they would provide funding to allow all the players to train full-time in the lead up to the World Cup, a welcome announcement as several players do not play professionally.[17] Their final home match (againstJamaica) before the 2019 World Cup saw a record attendance for the national team of 18,555.[18]Claire Emslie scored Scotland's first World Cup goal, netting in a 2–1 defeat against England on 9 June.[19] After losing their second game, 2–1 againstJapan, Scotland needed to win their third game againstArgentina to qualify for the last 16 as a third-placed team.[20] They appeared to be heading for qualification when they took a 3–0 lead, but they conceded three late goals to draw 3–3 and exited at the group stage.[20]
Three consecutive 1–0 defeats inqualification (two byFinland and one byPortugal) prevented Scotland from qualifying forUEFA Women's Euro 2022.[21] Head coachShelley Kerr, who had guided the team to their appearance at the 2019 World Cup, left her position following this failure.[22]
Pedro Martínez Losa was appointed manager in July 2021, ahead of the first2023 World Cup qualifiers.[23] The team failed to qualify for the2023 World Cup, losing a playoff final to theRepublic of Ireland.[24]
In December 2022 the players, led by team captainRachel Corsie, instigated a complaint regardinggender inequality of pay and treatment by the SFA.[25][26] Although the players are not employed directly by the SFA, they are paid out of a "player appearance pot".[26] The case was settled in September 2023, before anemployment tribunal was due to start its proceedings.[27][28]
The first official match played by the Scotland women's team was hosted by theRavenscraig Stadium, anathletics facility inGreenock.[4][5] Until 2020 the team normally played its home games at (men's) club stadiums around the country. Venues used includedFir Park inMotherwell,Tynecastle Park andEaster Road inEdinburgh, andSt Mirren Park inPaisley.[29][30]
Hampden Park in Glasgow is the traditional home of themen's national team and is described by theScottish Football Association as theNational Stadium.[31] A Scotland women's international was played at Hampden for the first time in October 2012, when it hosted the first leg of a European Championship qualifying playoff againstSpain.[32] Earlier in 2012, Hampden had hosted matches in the Olympic women's football tournament. In May 2019 the team attracted a record attendance for a women's football match in Scotland, when 18,555 were present at Hampden for aWorld Cup warm-up friendly withJamaica.[18]
In July 2021 the SFA announced that all of the2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification home matches would be played at Hampden, making it the regular home ground.[33]
Scotland women's internationals have been televised byBBC Alba and broadcast byBBC Radio Scotland.[34]BBC Radio Scotland presenterTam Cowan was temporarily taken off the air in 2013, after he criticised the use ofFir Park for women's internationals in hisDaily Record column.[29] In a November 2013 interview withThe Independent newspaper,Laura Montgomery ofGlasgow City FC suggested that media coverage of women's football in Scotland often reflectedsexist andmisogynist attitudes. This is due to a preponderance of "stupid male journalists", according to Montgomery.[35]
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Melissa Andreatta |
| Assistant coaches | Stuart GlennieLeanne Ross |
| Goalkeeper coach | Fraser Stewart |
Rab Stewart[36]Elsie Cook[37]John Pollatschek[38] Margaret McGough[39]Jim Fleeting[40]
Vera Pauw[41][42]
Anna Signeul[43][42]Shelley Kerr[44][42]Stuart McLaren (interim)[45]Pedro Martínez Losa[23] Michael McArdle (interim)[46]Melissa Andreatta[46]The following players were called up forfriendly matches againstUkraine andChina in November 2025.[47]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Lee Gibson | (1991-09-23)23 September 1991 (age 34) | 65 | 0 | Glasgow City | |
| 1GK | Eartha Cumings | (1999-06-11)11 June 1999 (age 26) | 7 | 0 | Manchester City | |
| 1GK | Sandy MacIver | (1998-06-18)18 June 1998 (age 27) | 5 | 0 |  Washington Spirit | |
| 2DF | Nicola Docherty | (1992-08-23)23 August 1992 (age 33) | 65 | 2 | Rangers | |
| 2DF | Sophie Howard | (1993-09-17)17 September 1993 (age 32) | 63 | 4 |  Como | |
| 2DF | Rachel McLauchlan | (1997-07-07)7 July 1997 (age 28) | 29 | 0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | |
| 2DF | Jenna Clark | (2001-09-29)29 September 2001 (age 24) | 27 | 1 | Liverpool | |
| 2DF | Emma Lawton | (2001-07-26)26 July 2001 (age 24) | 8 | 1 | Celtic | |
| 2DF | Amy Muir | (2000-03-07)7 March 2000 (age 25) | 8 | 0 | Glasgow City | |
| 2DF | Leah Eddie | (2001-01-23)23 January 2001 (age 24) | 5 | 0 | Rangers | |
| 2DF | Georgia Brown | (2002-08-31)31 August 2002 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | Sporting Club Jacksonville | |
| 3MF | Caroline Weir | (1995-06-20)20 June 1995 (age 30) | 114 | 21 | Real Madrid | |
| 3MF | Erin Cuthbert | (1998-07-19)19 July 1998 (age 27) | 80 | 24 | Chelsea | |
| 3MF | Samantha Kerr | (1999-04-17)17 April 1999 (age 26) | 34 | 1 | Liverpool | |
| 3MF | Lauren Davidson | (2001-10-01)1 October 2001 (age 24) | 24 | 1 |  Brann | |
| 3MF | Kirsty Maclean | (2005-04-12)12 April 2005 (age 20) | 12 | 0 | Liverpool | |
| 3MF | Freya Gregory | (2003-01-12)12 January 2003 (age 22) | 5 | 0 | Newcastle United | |
| 3MF | Miri Taylor | (2000-02-02)2 February 2000 (age 25) | 0 | 0 | Aston Villa | |
| 4FW | Martha Thomas | (1996-05-31)31 May 1996 (age 29) | 50 | 21 | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| 4FW | Kirsty Hanson | (1998-04-17)17 April 1998 (age 27) | 42 | 4 | Aston Villa | |
| 4FW | Kirsty Howat | (1997-05-19)19 May 1997 (age 28) | 4 | 0 | Crystal Palace | |
| 4FW | Kathleen McGovern | (2002-06-27)27 June 2002 (age 23) | 4 | 2 | Hibernian | |
| 4FW | Mia McAulay | (2006-08-16)16 August 2006 (age 19) | 2 | 0 | Rangers | |
The following players have also been called up to the squad within the past 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Erin Clachers | (1999-06-20)20 June 1999 (age 26) | 0 | 0 | Hibernian | v. Netherlands, 25 February 2025 |
| GK | Jenna Fife | (1995-12-01)1 December 1995 (age 29) | 10 | 0 | Rangers | v. Finland, 3 December 2024 |
| DF | Kirsty Smith | (1994-01-06)6 January 1994 (age 31) | 65 | 0 | Nottingham Forest | v. Switzerland, October 2025 |
| DF | Rachel Corsie | (1989-08-17)17 August 1989 (age 36) | 155 | 20 | Retired | v. Netherlands, 3 June 2025 |
| DF | Charlotte Newsham | (2000-05-14)14 May 2000 (age 25) | 0 | 0 | Charlton Athletic | v. Netherlands, 3 June 2025 |
| DF | Emma Mukandi | (1992-09-19)19 September 1992 (age 33) | 75 | 7 | Retired | v. Finland, 3 December 2024 |
| DF | Kelly Clark | (1994-06-10)10 June 1994 (age 31) | 6 | 1 | Celtic | v. Finland, 3 December 2024 |
| DF | Kathryn Hill | (1994-06-21)21 June 1994 (age 31) | 0 | 0 | Rangers | v. Hungary, 29 October 2024 |
| MF | Amy Rodgers | (2000-05-04)4 May 2000 (age 25) | 12 | 0 | Nottingham Forest | v. Switzerland, October 2025 |
| MF | Chelsea Cornet | (1998-11-24)24 November 1998 (age 27) | 12 | 1 | Birmingham City | v. Netherlands, 3 June 2025 |
| MF | Emma Watson | (2006-01-28)28 January 2006 (age 19) | 12 | 3 | Crystal Palace | v. Netherlands, 3 June 2025 |
| MF | Brogan Hay | (1999-03-01)March 1, 1999 (age 26) | 8 | 0 | Rangers | v. Netherlands, 3 June 2025 |
| MF | Eilidh Shore | (2002-01-22)22 January 2002 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | Hearts | v. Netherlands, 25 February 2025 |
| MF | Lisa Evans | (1992-05-21)21 May 1992 (age 33) | 115 | 17 | Glasgow City | v. Finland, 3 December 2024 |
| MF | Jamie-Lee Napier | (2000-04-26)26 April 2000 (age 25) | 15 | 0 | Crystal Palace | v. Finland, 3 December 2024 |
| MF | Shannon McGregor | (1999-12-07)7 December 1999 (age 25) | 1 | 0 | Celtic | v. Finland, 3 December 2024 |
| FW | Claire Emslie | (1994-03-08)8 March 1994 (age 31) | 73 | 16 | Angel City | v. Germany, 8 April 2025 |
| FW | Eilidh Adams | (2004-04-06)6 April 2004 (age 21) | 3 | 0 | Hibernian | v. Germany, 8 April 2025 |
| ||||||
The SFA operates aroll of honour for every female player who has made more than 50 appearances (initially 100) for Scotland.[49] TheScottish Football Museum operates ahall of fame, based atHampden Park, which is open to players andmanagers involved inScottish football.[50]Rose Reilly (2007) andJulie Fleeting (2018) are the only women to be inducted so far.Sportscotland operates theScottish Sports Hall of Fame, which hasinducted some footballers, also including Reilly.
Scotland is set to co-host the2035 FIFA Women's World Cup along with the three other countries in the United Kingdom, earning them automatic qualification as co-host.
| Year | Final Tournament | Qualification | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Round | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | ||
| 1991 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||
| 1995 | Did not qualify | Group – 4th[note 1] | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 22 | |||||||
| 1999 | Unable to qualify[note 2] | Unable to qualify[note 2] | |||||||||||||
| 2003 | |||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Did not qualify | Group – 3rd | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 20 | |||||||
| 2011 | Group – 2nd | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 5 | ||||||||
| 2015 | Play-offs | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 38 | 12 | ||||||||
| 2019 | Group – 4th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | Group – 1st | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 7 | |
| 2023 | Did not qualify | Play-offs | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 23 | 14 | |||||||
| 2027 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| 2031 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
| 2035 | Qualified | Qualified as co-host | |||||||||||||
| Total | 2/12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | Total | 46 | 26 | 3 | 17 | 99 | 67 | |
| FIFA Women's World Cup history | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Stadium |
 2019 | Group stage | 9 June | England | L 1–2 | Allianz Riviera,Nice |
| 14 June |  Japan | L 1–2 | Roazhon Park,Rennes | ||
| 19 June |  Argentina | D 3–3 | Parc des Princes,Paris | ||
At theOlympic Games theInternational Olympic Committee charter only permit aGreat Britain team, representing the whole of the United Kingdom, to compete.[51] As London hosted the2012 Summer Olympics, a Great Britain team was entered and two Scotland players (Kim Little andIfeoma Dieke) were selected for the squad.[52][53]
The FA indicated in June 2013 that they would be prepared to run women's teams at future Olympic tournaments, subject to one of the home nations meeting the qualification criteria (i.e. being one of the top three European nations at the Women's World Cup).[54] Following objections from theScottish,Welsh andNorthern Irish football associations, and a commitment fromFIFA that they would not allow entry of a British team unless all four Home Nations agreed, the FA said they would not seek entry into the2016 tournament.[55]
In October 2018, an agreement was reached between the four associations ahead of the2020 tournament, and qualification was secured by England reaching the semi-finals of the2019 World Cup;[56] Kim Little andCaroline Weir were the Scottish players selected for the squad.[57]
England's performance in theNations League determined whether Great Britain would qualify for the 2024 Olympics.[58] England and Scotland were drawn in the same Nations League group, which created a potential conflict of interest for the Scottish players.[58] The teams met in the last game of the group, when a 6–0 win for England was insufficient to keep Olympic qualification hopes alive.[59]
| Year | Final Tournament | Qualification | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Round | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | P/R | Rnk | ||
| 1984 | Did not qualify | Group – 2nd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | – | ||||||||
| 1987 | Group – 2nd | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 10 | ||||||||||
| 1989 | Group – 4th | Withdrew | |||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
| 1993 | Did not qualify | Group – 3rd | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | – | ||||||||
| 1995 | Group – 4th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 22 | ||||||||||
| 1997 | Unable to qualify[note 3] | Unable to qualify[note 3] | |||||||||||||||
| 2001 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Did not qualify | Group – 3rd | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 19 | – | |||||||||
| 2009 | Play-offs | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 19 | 11 | ||||||||||
| 2013 | Play-offs | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 16 | ||||||||||
| 2017 | Group – 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Group – 2nd | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 7 | |||
| 2022 | Did not qualify | Group E | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2025 | Play-offs | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 3 |  [note 4] | 18th | ||||||||
| Totals | 1/14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | Totals | 76 | 38 | 7 | 31 | 173 | 103 | 18th | ||
| UEFA Women's Championship history | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Stadium |
| 2017 | Group stage | 19 July | England | L 0–6 | Stadion Galgenwaard,Utrecht |
| 23 July |  Portugal | L 1–2 | Sparta Stadion,Rotterdam | ||
| 27 July | Spain | W 1–0 | De Adelaarshorst,Deventer | ||
When theUEFA Women's Nations League was inaugurated in2023–24, Scotland were allocated toLeague A.[60] After the first edition, they were relegated to League B forWomen's Euro 2025 qualifying,[61] but secured promotion back to League A for the2025 edition.[62]
| UEFA Women's Nations League record | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | League | Group | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | P/R | Rank |
| 2023–24 | A | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 15 |  | 15th |
| 2025 | A | 1 | ||||||||
| Totals | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 15th | |||
Draws include knockout matches decided onpenalty kicks; correct as of 1 December 2023 after the match against Belgium.
| Promoted at end of season |
|---|---|
 | No movement at end of season |
| Relegated at end of season |
| * | Participated in promotion/relegation play-offs |
| Year | Competition | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Three Nations Championship | 2nd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 1979 | European Competition | Group | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | [68] |
 1992 | Varna Tournament | 7th | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | [69] |
| 1999 | Albena Cup | 2nd | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 | [70] |
| 2000 | Albena Cup | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | [71] |
 2000 | Celt Cup | 3rd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 1 | [72] |
| 2000 | Veenendaal Tournament | 3rd | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | [73] |
| 2002 | Algarve Cup | 10th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 | [74] |
| 2006 | Torneo Regione Molise | 3rd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | [75] |
 2008 | Cyprus Women's Cup | 6th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | [76] |
| 2009 | Cyprus Women's Cup | 7th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2010 | Cyprus Women's Cup | 7th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | |
| 2011 | Cyprus Women's Cup | 4th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Cyprus Women's Cup | 9th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | |
| 2013 | Cyprus Women's Cup | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 6 | |
 2013 | Brazilian Invitational | 4th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | [77] |
| 2014 | Cyprus Women's Cup | 4th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 7 | |
| 2015 | Cyprus Women's Cup | 7th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | |
| 2017 | Cyprus Women's Cup | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | |
| 2019 | Algarve Cup | 5th | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | [78] |
| 2020 | Pinatar Cup | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | [79] |
| 2022 | Pinatar Cup | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2023 | Pinatar Cup | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2024 | Pinatar Cup | 2nd | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 80 | 31 | 14 | 35 | 133 | 125 | |||
ROBERT STEWART, Scottish Manager and former professional footballer with Kilmarnock and St Mirren.
Scotland squads – FIFA Women's World Cup | |
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Scotland squads – UEFA Women's Championship | |
|---|---|
Scotland at the FIFA Women's World Cup | |||||||||||||||||
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