Scotland has established itself as a regular contender in European qualifiers and will enter the 2026 tournament with a motivated squad under longtime coach Steve Clarke. The challenge in Group C is immense—Brazil and Morocco are top-tier opponents—but Scotland is known for its fighting spirit.

Coach Steve Clarke has named three goalkeepers for the Tartan Army: Craig Gordon, Angus Gunn, and Liam Kelly. Scotland is competing in the World Cup for the first time since 1998—a 28-year wait comes to an end this summer. In Group C, the Scots will face Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil. The trio of goalkeepers is one of the most unusual in the entire tournament: all three combined have made just four competitive appearances for their clubs this season.

Gunn, 30 years old and born in Norwich to Scottish former national team goalkeeper Bryan Gunn, is Clarke’s likely first choice—even though he has played exactly 45 minutes for Nottingham Forest this entire Premier League season. A single brief appearance in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace in February. The reason: Forest’s starting goalkeeper, Matz Sels, is one of the best keepers in the league—there is simply no regular spot for Gunn. After four years as the starting goalkeeper for Norwich City in the Championship, where he made 42 league appearances in the 2023–24 season, he moved to Nottingham in August 2025—and has spent almost all of his time on the bench.

At 6’5”, he is one of the most physically imposing goalkeepers in the tournament. He initially played for English youth national teams up to the U21 level, but then opted for Scotland—making his debut in 2023. With 21 international caps, he is the most experienced of the three goalkeepers. Clarke is confident that Gunn has maintained his rhythm in training and can perform at the level required for a World Cup tournament.

Gordon is 43 years old—and if he plays in North America, he would be the second-oldest outfield player in the 96-year history of the World Cup. Only Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, at 45, was older at the 2018 tournament. Gordon made his national team debut in 2004—some of his teammates on the current roster weren’t even born yet at the time.

His career is a story of glory and setbacks. Having come up through Hearts’ youth system, he moved to Sunderland in 2007 for £9 million—at the time a British record transfer fee for a goalkeeper. After years in the Premier League, he returned to Hearts via Celtic. In December 2022, he broke his leg and was sidelined for nearly a year. This 2025/26 season, he has been battling a shoulder injury—his last competitive match was a 2-2 draw against Celtic in January. Clarke sent goalkeeping coach Chris Woods to Edinburgh specifically to assess Gordon’s fitness and then put his trust in the keeper’s assurances. With over 70 international caps, Gordon is Scotland’s longest-serving goalkeeper—and wears the jersey with a pride that is evident in every gesture.

Kelly, 30 years old and born in Glasgow, is a true Rangers product: he joined the club’s academy at the age of ten and spent a total of nine years there. After leaving in 2018, he played for Livingston, Queen’s Park Rangers in the Championship, and spent four seasons at Motherwell before returning to Ibrox in 2024. At Rangers, he serves as the backup to starting goalkeeper Jack Butland and has made very few competitive appearances this season. Internationally, with just one senior cap to his name, he is still a relative newcomer to the national team. Clarke values him as a third-choice goalkeeper with solid Scottish league experience and a deep understanding of the playing culture that defines the team.