Steve Clarke believes the spotlight on Scotland will now be even more intense after three British Isles nations were knocked out of the World Cup in the play-off matches on Thursday. It means Scotland and England will now share the biggest stage in the international game for just the third time in history. ‘I think it shows you the perils of being in the play-off system if you have one off night off,’ he added. ‘I think it also shows the measure of how well our team did in actually qualifying direct for that tournament. Scotland take on Japan at Hampden this evening as preparations for the World Cup ramp up‘I think there’s definitely a feel-good factor about it,’ added the manager.

Source: Metro March 28, 2026 03:05 UTC