Scotland national football team
Encyclopedia
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland
in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association
. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England
, whom they played in the world's first international football match
in 1872. Scotland maintains its own national side that competes in all major professional tournaments with the exception of the Olympic Games
, as Scotland is not a member of the International Olympic Committee
. The majority of Scotland's home matches are held at the national stadium, Hampden Park
, with friendly matches sometimes hosted at club stadiums.
Scotland have qualified for the FIFA World Cup
and the UEFA European Football Championship
several times, but have never progressed beyond the first group stage of a finals tournament. The team have achieved some noteworthy results, however, such as beating the 1966 FIFA World Cup
winners England 3–2 at Wembley 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 the 1978 World Cup
against the Netherlands
, who reached the final of the tournament. In their qualifying group for UEFA Euro 2008, Scotland defeated 2006 World Cup
runners-up France
1–0 in both fixtures.
Scotland have been World Football Elo Ratings leaders
for the longest continuous period of all nations, 5845 days from 4 March 1876 to 5 March 1892.
Scotland's supporters are collectively known as the Tartan Army
. Scotland's traditional rival
is England
, whom they played annually from 1872 until 1989, but there have only been three senior level fixtures since then. The last match between the sides was the second leg of a Euro 2000 qualifying play-off at Wembley Stadium
in 1999, which Scotland won 1–0, although England won the tie 2–1 on aggregate.
are the oldest national football teams in the world. Teams representing the two sides first competed at the Oval
in five matches between 1870 and 1872. The two countries contested the first official international football match
, at Hamilton Crescent
in Partick
, Scotland on 30 November 1872. The match ended in a goalless draw. All eleven players who represented Scotland that day played for Glasgow
amateur club Queen's Park
. Over the next forty years, Scotland played matches exclusively against the other three Home nations
—England, Wales
and Ireland. The British Home Championship
began in 1883, making these games competitive. The encounters against England were particularly fierce and a rivalry
quickly developed.
During these early years, defeats for Scotland were something of a rarity, losing just two of their first 43 international matches. It wasn't 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 the Elo ratings
, which were calculated in 1997, 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.The competition did not use goal difference or goal average to separate teams level on points, so the title was shared instead. A noteworthy victory for Scotland before the Second 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, beating Norway
7–3 in Bergen. Scotland continued to contest regular friendly matches against European
opposition and enjoyed wins against Germany
and France
before losing to the Austrian
Wunderteam
and Italy
in 1931.
Scotland, like the other Home Nations
, did not enter the three FIFA World Cup
s held during the 1930s. This was because the four associations had been excluded from FIFA
due to a disagreement regarding the status of amateur players. The four associations, including Scotland, returned to the FIFA fold after the Second World War. A match between a United Kingdom team
and a "Rest of the World" team was played at Hampden Park
in 1947 to celebrate this reconciliation.
to FIFA
meant that Scotland were now eligible to enter the 1950 FIFA World Cup
. FIFA advised that places would be awarded to the top two teams in the 1950 British Home Championship
, but the SFA announced that Scotland would only attend the finals if Scotland won the competition. Scotland won their first two matches, but a 1–0 home defeat by England
meant that the Scots finished as runners-up. This meant that the Scots 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 captain Billy Wright and the other England players. The SFA instead sent the Scots on a tour of North America.
The same qualification rules were in place for the 1954 FIFA World Cup
, with the 1954 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". The SFA only sent 13 players to the finals, even though FIFA allowed 22 man squads. Despite this self-imposed hardship in terms of players, the SFA dignitaries travelled in numbers, accompanied with their wives. Scotland lost 1–0 against Austria
in their first game in the finals. This prompted the team manager Andy Beattie
to resign hours before the game against Uruguay
. 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.
The 1958 FIFA World Cup
finals saw Scotland draw their first game against Yugoslavia
1–1, but they then lost to Paraguay
and France
and went out at the first stage. Matt Busby
had been due to manage the team at the World Cup, but the severe injuries he suffered in the Munich air disaster
meant that trainer Dawson Walker
took charge of the team instead.
, Scotland enjoyed consecutive British Home Championship successes in 1962 and 1963. Jock Stein
, John Prentice and Malcolm MacDonald
all had brief spells as manager before Bobby Brown was appointed in 1967. Brown's first match as manager was against the newly crowned world champions
England at Wembley Stadium. Despite being underdogs, Scotland won 3–2 thanks to goals from Denis Law
, Bobby Lennox
and Jim McCalliog
. Having defeated the world champions on their own turf, the Scotland fans hailed their team as the unofficial world champions
. Despite this famous win, the Scots failed to qualify for any major competitions during the 1960s.
's brief spell as manager, Willie Ormond
was hired in 1973. 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 the 1974 World Cup finals in West Germany, Scotland achieved their most impressive performance at a World Cup tournament. The team was unbeaten but failed to progress beyond the group stages on goal difference
. After beating Zaïre
, they drew with both Brazil
and Yugoslavia
, and went out because they had beaten Zaïre by the smallest margin.
Scotland appointed Ally MacLeod
as manager in 1977, with qualification for the 1978 World Cup
in Argentina
far from assured. The team made a strong start under MacLeod by winning the 1977 British Home Championship
, largely thanks to a 2–1 victory over England at Wembley. The Scotland fans
invaded the pitch after the match, ripping up the turf and breaking a crossbar. Scotland's good form continued as they secured qualification for the World Cup with victories over Czechoslovakia
and Wales
.
During the build-up to the 1978 FIFA World Cup
, MacLeod fuelled the hopes of the nation by stating that Scotland would come home with a medal. As the squad left for the finals in Argentina
, they were given an enthusiastic send off as they were paraded around a packed Hampden Park
. Thousands more fans lined the route to Prestwick Airport
as the team set off for South America. Scotland's first game was against Peru
in Cordoba. Two spectacular goals by Teófilo Cubillas
meant that the result was a 3–1 loss. The second game was a very disappointing 1–1 draw against Iran
. The disconsolate mood of the nation was reflected by footage of Ally MacLeod in the dugout
with his head in his hands.
After taking a single point from their opening two games, Scotland had to defeat the Netherlands
by three clear goals to progress. Despite the Dutch taking the lead, Scotland fought back to win 3–2 with a goal from Kenny Dalglish
and two from Archie Gemmill
, the second of which is considered one of the greatest World Cup goals ever; Gemmill beat three Dutch defenders before lifting the ball over goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed
into the net. 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.
MacLeod resigned as manager shortly after the 1978 World Cup, and Jock Stein
, who had won nine consecutive Scottish league titles and the European Cup
as manager of Celtic
, was appointed as his successor. After failing to qualify for the 1980 European Championship
, Scotland qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Cup
from a tough group including Sweden
, Portugal
, Israel
and Northern Ireland
, losing just one match in the process. They beat New Zealand 5–2 in their first game at the World Cup, but lost 4–1 to a Brazil
team containing Socrates
, Zico
, Eder
and Falcão
. Scotland were again eliminated on goal difference, after a 2–2 draw with the Soviet Union
.
Scotland qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup
, their fourth in succession, in traumatic circumstances. The squad went into their last qualification match against Wales needing a point to progress to a qualifying playoff against Australia. With only nine minutes remaining and Wales leading 1–0, Scotland were awarded a penalty kick
, which was calmly scored by Davie Cooper
. The 1–1 draw meant that Scotland progressed, but as the players and fans celebrated, national coach Jock Stein
suffered a heart attack and died shortly afterwards. His assistant Alex Ferguson
took over. 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 with Uruguay
following defeats by Denmark
and West Germany.
by finishing second in their qualifying group, ahead of France
. Scotland were drawn in a group with Costa Rica
, Sweden, and Brazil, but the Scots lost 1–0 to Costa Rica. While they recovered to beat Sweden 2–1 in their second game, they lost to Brazil in their third match 1–0 and were once again eliminated after the first round.
By a narrow margin, Scotland qualified for the UEFA European Football Championship
for the first time in 1992. A 1–0 defeat to Romania
away from home left qualification dependent upon other results, but a 1–1 draw between Bulgaria
and Romania in the final group match saw Scotland squeeze through. Despite playing well in matches against the Netherlands and Germany and a fine win against the CIS
, the team was knocked out at the group stage. Scotland failed to qualify, however, for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
. The team finished fourth in their qualifying group
behind Italy
, Switzerland
and Portugal. When it became clear that Scotland could not qualify, Andy Roxburgh
resigned from his position as team manager.
New manager Craig Brown successfully guided Scotland to the 1996 European Championship
tournament. The first game against the Netherlands ended 0–0, raising morale ahead of a much anticipated game against England at Wembley Stadium. Gary McAllister
missed a penalty kick
and a goal by Paul Gascoigne
led to a 2–0 defeat. Scotland recovered to beat Switzerland
1–0. England taking a 4–0 lead in the other match briefly put both teams in a position to qualify, but a late goal for the Netherlands
meant that Scotland were once again knocked out on goal difference.
Brown again guided Scotland to qualification for a major tournament in 1998, and Scotland were drawn against Brazil in the opening game of the 1998 World Cup
. John Collins equalised from the penalty spot to level the score at 1–1, but a Tom Boyd own goal
led to a 2–1 defeat. Scotland drew their next game 1–1 with Norway in Bordeaux
, but the final match against Morocco
ended in an embarrassing 3–0 defeat.
During the qualification for the 2000 European Championship, Scotland faced England in a two-legged
playoff nicknamed the "Battle of Britain" by the media. Scotland won the second match 1–0, but lost the tie 2–1 on aggregate.
Scotland failed to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup
, finishing third in their qualifying group behind Croatia
and Belgium. This second successive failure to qualify prompted Craig Brown to resign from his position after the final qualifying match. The SFA
appointed former Germany manager Berti Vogts
as Brown's successor. Scotland reached the qualification play-offs for Euro 2004. Scotland beat Netherlands
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 in the FIFA World Rankings
. Vogts announced his resignation in 2004, blaming the hostile media for his departure.
Walter Smith
, a former Rangers
and Everton
manager, was brought in to replace Vogts. Improved results meant that Scotland rose up the FIFA rankings and won the Kirin Cup
, a friendly competition in Japan. Scotland failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, however, finishing third in their group behind Italy
and Norway
. Smith left the national side in January 2007 to return to Rangers
, with Scotland leading their Euro 2008 qualification group. Alex McLeish
was named as Smith's successor and Scotland's twentieth manager. McLeish guided Scotland to wins against Georgia
, Faroe Islands
, Lithuania
, France and Ukraine
, but defeats to Georgia and Italy ended their chances of qualification for Euro 2008. These improved results, particularly the wins against France, lifted Scotland into the top 20 in the FIFA rankings for the first time since their conception in the mid 1990s.
After the narrow failure to qualify for Euro 2008, McLeish left to join Premier League club Birmingham City
. Southampton
manager George Burley
was hired as the new manager, but he came in for criticism from the media after the team lost their first qualifier against Macedonia. After Scotland lost their fourth match 3–0 to the Netherlands, captain Barry Ferguson
and goalkeeper Allan McGregor
were excluded from the starting lineup for the following match against Iceland
due to a "breach of discipline". Despite winning 2–1 against Iceland, Scotland suffered a terrible 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. Scotland defeated Macedonia 2–0 in the first of those two games, but were eliminated by a 1–0 loss to the Netherlands in the second game. Burley was allowed to continue in his post after a review by the SFA
board, but a subsequent 3–0 friendly defeat by Wales led to the SFA sacking Burley.
The SFA appointed Craig Levein
as head coach
of the national team in December 2009. In UEFA Euro 2012 qualification, Scotland were grouped with Lithuania
, Liechtenstein
, Czech Republic
and world champions Spain
. 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. Scotland were eliminated after a 3–1 defeat by Spain in their last match.
s, including five consecutive tournaments from 1974
to 1990
. During the preparations for the 1928 Olympic Football Tournament
, FIFA
ruled that all its member associations must provide "broken-time" payments to cover the expenses of players from their country who participated. 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. As a result, Scotland did not compete in the three interwar World Cup competitions. The Scottish Football Association
did not rejoin FIFA as a permanent member until 1946.
, when Brazil
edged them out; in 1978
, when the Netherlands
progressed; and in 1982
, when the USSR
went through. The Scottish Football Association declined to participate in 1950
although they had qualified, as Scotland were not the British champions
.
, Serbia
, Belgium, Macedonia and Wales
for a place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup
in Brazil
.
but have failed to advance beyond the first round on both occasions, most recently at the 1996 European Championship, where the Netherlands progressed on goals scored
.
, Czech Republic
, Lithuania
and Liechtenstein
.
in Glasgow
is the traditional home of the Scotland team and is described by the Scottish Football Association
as the National Stadium. The present stadium, which has a 52,000 capacity, is one of several stadiums to have used the name. Hampden and its predecessors have hosted international matches since 1878. The attendance record of 149,415 was set by the Scotland v England match in 1937. Hampden is one of only two Scottish football stadiums to receive a UEFA 5–star
rating.
Some friendly matches are played at smaller venues, such as when Scotland played the Faroe Islands
at Pittodrie Stadium
in Aberdeen
during November 2010. Easter Road
Stadium in Edinburgh
has hosted four friendly matches since 1998. Other stadiums were also used while Hampden was being redeveloped during the late 1990s. Celtic Park
, Pittodrie Stadium
, Ibrox Stadium
and Rugby Park
all hosted matches during the 1998 World Cup
qualifying campaign, while Tynecastle Stadium
, Pittodrie, Celtic Park and Ibrox were used for Euro 2000
qualifying matches.
Since the last redevelopment to Hampden was completed in 1999, Scotland have played all but one of their competitive matches there. The exception to this rule was when Celtic Park hosted the first Euro 2008 qualification match against the Faroe Islands
. Celtic Park was used because the fixtures were decided by a random draw and Hampden had already been booked for a Robbie Williams
concert on the same date.
. Extended highlights of every Scotland home international are shown on terrestrial television by BBC Sport Scotland
. Television rights to away games vary, although the rights to all of Scotland's away matches in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
are held by BBC Scotland
. 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
away match rights were held by Setanta Sports
, another pay-TV broadcaster, until their UK
business ceased trading in June 2009.
The arrangements to show Scotland matches on pay-TV have been criticised by the Scottish Government, who have argued that qualifying matches should be included in the list of sporting events which can only be broadcast on free-to-air television. The Scottish Football Association
have argued, however, that limiting the rights to free-to-air
broadcasters would severely reduce the amount of revenue that they could generate. An independent advisory panel recommended that qualifying matches played by all four Home Nations
be added to the list, but UK Sports Minister Hugh Robertson deferred a decision until the completion of the digital switchover.
BBC Scotland
, STV, Sky Sports
, and Five are among other networks that have previously shown live fixtures. All matches are broadcast with full commentary on BBC Radio Scotland
and, when schedules allow, BBC Radio 5 Live
also. In Australia, Scotland's national football team home games and selected away games are broadcast by Setanta Sports Australia
.
team who represented Scotland in the first international. The blue Scotland shirt was earlier used in a February 1872 rugby
international, with reports stating that "the scotch were easily distinguishable by their uniform of blue jerseys.... the jerseys having the thistle embroidered". The thistle had previously been worn to represent Scotland in the 1871 rugby international, but on brown
shirts. The shirt is embroidered with a crest based upon the lion rampant of the Royal Standard of Scotland
. Another style often used by Scotland comprises blue shirts, white shorts and red socks. Change colours vary, but are most commonly white or yellow shirts with blue shorts. From 1994–96 a tartan kit was used. The current version of the crest includes the Scottish flag and a background of thistles, representing the national flower of Scotland, in addition to the lion rampant.
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 of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
. A former Prime Minister
, Lord Rosebery was an influential figure in Scottish football, serving as honorary President of the Scottish Football Association
and Edinburgh
team Hearts
. His colours were used most frequently in the first decade of the twentieth century, but were discontinued in 1909. The colours were briefly reprised in 1949, and were last used against France
in 1951. In 1900, when Scotland defeated England 4–1. Lord Rosebery remarked, "I have never seen my colours so well sported since Ladas won the Derby".
Since 2005, the SFA have supported the use of Scots Gaelic on the national team's strip in recognition of the language's revival in Scotland.
Scotland fans are collectively known as the Tartan Army
. During the 1970s, Scotland fans became known for their hooliganism, particularly after they invaded
the Wembley pitch and destroyed the goalposts after the England v Scotland match in 1977. Since then, the Tartan Army have won awards from UEFA
for their combination of vocal support, friendly nature and charity work. The Tartan Army have been awarded a Fair Play
prize by the Belgian Olympic Committee
and were named as the best supporters during the 1992 European Championship. 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 the 1998 World Cup
in France.
in November 2011.
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|}
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|}
operates a roll of honour for every player who has made more than 50 appearances for Scotland. As of October 2010, there are 27 members of this roll, with Kenny Miller
the most recent addition to the list. The qualifying mark of 50 appearances means that many notable Scotland players including Jim Baxter
, Hughie Gallacher
, John Greig
, Jimmy Johnstone
, Billy McNeill
, Bobby Murdoch
and Lawrie Reilly
are not on the roll of honour.
The Scottish Football Museum
operates a hall of fame
which is open to players and managers
involved in Scottish football
. This means that membership is not restricted to people who have played for Scotland; inductees include Brian Laudrup
and Henrik Larsson
. At the most recent induction ceremony, Willie Maley
, David Meiklejohn
, Jimmy Delaney
, Alan Gilzean
, Bertie Auld
, Mo Johnston
, Paul Lambert
and Steve Archibald
were added to its membership. Sportscotland
operates the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
, which has inducted some footballers.
was manager for six matches in 1954 when Scotland competed at their first World Cup. After the tournament the selection committee resumed their duties, continuing until the appointment of Matt Busby
in 1958. Busby was initially unable to assume his duties due to the serious injuries he sustained in the Munich air disaster
.
Statistically the most successful manager was Alex McLeish
, who won seven of the ten games he took charge of. Discounting managers who took charge of less than ten games, the least successful manager was George Burley
, with just three wins in 14 games.
Last updated: Cyprus 1–2 Scotland on 11 November 2011. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.
holds the record for Scotland appearances, having played 102 times between 1971 and 1986. He is the only Scotland player to have reached 100 caps
. Jim Leighton
is second, having played 91 times, a record for appearances by a goalkeeper. Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish
played for Scotland 77 times and is the third most capped player.
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 23 goals coming from only 20 games (averaging 1.15 goals per game). Other notable strikers include, Lawrie Reilly
, Ally McCoist
, Mo Johnston
and Joe Jordan
.
The largest margin of victory achieved by a Scotland side is 11–0 against Ireland
in the 1901 British Home Championship
. The record defeat occurred during the 1954 FIFA World Cup
, a 7–0 deficit against reigning world champions Uruguay
.
Scotland's 1937 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 the decisive match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup
, but remains a European record.
and the UEFA European Championship. At the Olympic Games
, however, the International Olympic Committee
charter only permit a United Kingdom team
to compete. Teams of amateur players represented Great Britain at the Olympics from 1900 until 1972, but no team has been entered since. The successful bid
by London
for the 2012 Summer Olympics
prompted suggestions that a combined UK team be created for the tournament. The Scottish Football Association
responded by stating that it would not participate, as it feared this would threaten the independent status of the Scottish side. FIFA
President Sepp Blatter
stated that a UK team would not threaten the continued existence of the Scotland team, but the SFA expressed concern that a future President could take a different view. Groups representing the supporters of all four national teams stated their opposition to a UK team in a joint statement. In the end, amid fears that the row between the four Home Nations
was threatening their unique position within FIFA, an agreement was reached whereby the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland associations would not participate in a UK team, but they would not prevent The Football Association
from organising a team using only England-qualified players.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, whom they played in the world's first international football match
Scotland v England (1872)
Scotland v England was the first ever official international football match to be played. It was contested by the national teams of Scotland and England. The match took place on 30 November 1872 at West of Scotland Cricket Club's ground at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, Scotland...
in 1872. Scotland maintains its own national side that competes in all major professional tournaments with the exception of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, as Scotland is not a member of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
. The majority of Scotland's home matches are held at the national stadium, Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, with friendly matches sometimes hosted at club stadiums.
Scotland have qualified for the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and the UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
several times, but have never progressed beyond the first group stage of a finals tournament. The team have achieved some noteworthy results, however, such as beating the 1966 FIFA World Cup
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
winners England 3–2 at Wembley Stadium in 1967. Archie Gemmill
Archie Gemmill
Archibald "Archie" Gemmill is a Scottish former footballer, most famous for a goal he scored against the Netherlands in the 1978 FIFA World Cup...
scored what has been described as one of the greatest World Cup goals ever in a 3–2 win during the 1978 World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
against the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, who reached the final of the tournament. In their qualifying group for UEFA Euro 2008, Scotland defeated 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
runners-up France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
1–0 in both fixtures.
Scotland have been World Football Elo Ratings leaders
World Football Elo Ratings leaders
The following is the list of nations that would have held the number one position on the World Football Elo Ratings since the first international match in 1872...
for the longest continuous period of all nations, 5845 days from 4 March 1876 to 5 March 1892.
Scotland's supporters are collectively known as the Tartan Army
Tartan Army
The Tartan Army is a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work...
. Scotland's traditional rival
England and Scotland football rivalry
The England–Scotland football rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry that exists between their respective national football teams. It is the oldest international fixture in the world, first played in 1872 at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow...
is England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, whom they played annually from 1872 until 1989, but there have only been three senior level fixtures since then. The last match between the sides was the second leg of a Euro 2000 qualifying play-off at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
in 1999, which Scotland won 1–0, although England won the tie 2–1 on aggregate.
Early history
Scotland and EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
are the oldest national football teams in the world. Teams representing the two sides first competed at the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
in five matches between 1870 and 1872. The two countries contested the first official international football match
Scotland v England (1872)
Scotland v England was the first ever official international football match to be played. It was contested by the national teams of Scotland and England. The match took place on 30 November 1872 at West of Scotland Cricket Club's ground at Hamilton Crescent in Partick, Scotland...
, at Hamilton Crescent
Hamilton Crescent
Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground located in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club.Hamilton Crescent is famous for holding the first ever international football match, played between Scotland and England...
in Partick
Partick
Partick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch. Partick was a Police burgh from 1852 until 1912 when it was incorporated into the city.-History:...
, Scotland on 30 November 1872. The match ended in a goalless draw. All eleven players who represented Scotland that day played for Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
amateur club Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
. Over the next forty years, Scotland played matches exclusively against the other three Home nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
—England, Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
and Ireland. The British Home Championship
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
began in 1883, making these games competitive. The encounters against England were particularly fierce and a rivalry
England and Scotland football rivalry
The England–Scotland football rivalry is a highly competitive sports rivalry that exists between their respective national football teams. It is the oldest international fixture in the world, first played in 1872 at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow...
quickly developed.
During these early years, defeats for Scotland were something of a rarity, losing just two of their first 43 international matches. It wasn't 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 the Elo ratings
World Football Elo Ratings
The World Football Elo Ratings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football. The method used to rank teams is based upon the Elo rating system method but modified to take various football-specific variables into account...
, which were calculated in 1997, 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.The competition did not use goal difference or goal average to separate teams level on points, so the title was shared instead. A noteworthy victory for Scotland before the Second World War was the 5–1 victory over England in 1928, which led to that Scotland side being known as the Wembley Wizards
Wembley Wizards
- Aftermath :When asked for his comment after the game, Alex James simply beamed a smile and said, “We could have had ten!”Back in Scotland the pubs did rather well and the newspapers were not slow in piling praise on the heads of those little no-hopers of the Scottish side...
. Scotland played their first match outside the British Isles in 1929, beating Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
7–3 in Bergen. Scotland continued to contest regular friendly matches against European
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
opposition and enjoyed wins against Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
and France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
before losing to the Austrian
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
Wunderteam
Wunderteam
Wunderteam was the name given to the Austria national football team of the 1930s. Led by manager Hugo Meisl, the team had an unbeaten streak of 14 games between April 1931 and December 1932. The style of the team was based on the Scottish school of football that focused on quick passing introduced...
and Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in 1931.
Scotland, like the other Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
, did not enter the three FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s held during the 1930s. This was because the four associations had been excluded from FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
due to a disagreement regarding the status of amateur players. The four associations, including Scotland, returned to the FIFA fold after the Second World War. A match between a United Kingdom team
United Kingdom national football team
No United Kingdom national football team currently exists, as there are separate teams representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in football. These national teams compete in the World Cup and European Championships and other internationals. A UK team has played in friendly...
and a "Rest of the World" team was played at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
in 1947 to celebrate this reconciliation.
1950s
The readmission of the Scottish Football AssociationScottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
to FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
meant that Scotland were now eligible to enter the 1950 FIFA World Cup
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
. FIFA advised that places would be awarded to the top two teams in the 1950 British Home Championship
1950 British Home Championship
1950 British Home Championship was one of the most significant competitions of the British Home Championship football tournament. This year saw the competition doubling up as Group 1 in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was the first time that either England, Wales, Scotland or...
, but the SFA announced that Scotland would only attend the finals if Scotland won the competition. Scotland won their first two matches, but a 1–0 home defeat by England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
meant that the Scots finished as runners-up. This meant that the Scots 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 captain Billy Wright and the other England players. The SFA instead sent the Scots on a tour of North America.
The same qualification rules were in place for the 1954 FIFA World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
, with the 1954 British Home Championship
1954 British Home Championship
The 1954 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1953–54 season which also provided the home nations qualifying tournament for the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Both England and Scotland qualified as first and second placed...
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". The SFA only sent 13 players to the finals, even though FIFA allowed 22 man squads. Despite this self-imposed hardship in terms of players, the SFA dignitaries travelled in numbers, accompanied with their wives. Scotland lost 1–0 against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
in their first game in the finals. This prompted the team manager Andy Beattie
Andy Beattie
Andrew "Andy" Beattie was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He was the first manager of the Scottish national team.- Playing days :...
to resign hours before the game against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
. 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.
The 1958 FIFA World Cup
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
finals saw Scotland draw their first game against Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
1–1, but they then lost to Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
and France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
and went out at the first stage. Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
had been due to manage the team at the World Cup, but the severe injuries he suffered in the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
meant that trainer Dawson Walker
Dawson Walker
Dawson Walker was manager of the Scotland national football team in 1958. Walker was left in charge of the players due to the Munich air disaster, in which official manager Matt Busby was seriously injured. He was born in Dundee.- References :*...
took charge of the team instead.
1960s
Under the management of Ian McCollIan McColl
John Miller "Ian" McColl was a Scottish association football defender who played for Queen's Park, Rangers and the Scotland national team...
, Scotland enjoyed consecutive British Home Championship successes in 1962 and 1963. Jock Stein
Jock Stein
John 'Jock' Stein CBE was a Scottish association football player and manager. He became the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967...
, John Prentice and Malcolm MacDonald
Malcolm MacDonald
Malcolm John MacDonald OM, PC was a British politician and diplomat.-Background:MacDonald was the son of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald and Margaret MacDonald. Like his father he was born in Lossiemouth, Moray...
all had brief spells as manager before Bobby Brown was appointed in 1967. Brown's first match as manager was against the newly crowned world champions
1966 FIFA World Cup
The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as...
England at Wembley Stadium. Despite being underdogs, Scotland won 3–2 thanks to goals from Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
, Bobby Lennox
Bobby Lennox
Robert "Bobby" Lennox, MBE is a former Scottish professional footballer who played for Celtic Football Club and was a member of their 1967 European Cup winning team known as the Lisbon Lions. He also earned ten international caps for his national team Scotland...
and Jim McCalliog
Jim McCalliog
James "Jim" McCalliog is a Scottish former footballer who played for Sheffield Wednesday, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United and Southampton....
. Having defeated the world champions on their own turf, the Scotland fans hailed their team as the unofficial world champions
Unofficial Football World Championships
The Unofficial Football World Championships is a way of calculating the world's best football team, using a knock-out title system similar to that used in boxing and wrestling. The title is currently held by , having been won from Japan in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 15 November...
. Despite this famous win, the Scots failed to qualify for any major competitions during the 1960s.
1970s
After Tommy DochertyTommy Docherty
Thomas Henderson "Tommy" Docherty , commonly known as "The Doc", is a Scottish former footballer and football manager.-Playing career:...
's brief spell as manager, Willie Ormond
Willie Ormond
William 'Willie' Esplin Ormond OBE was a Scottish football player and manager. As a player, Ormond was well known as one of Hibernian's Famous Five forward line, winning three league championships in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He then returned to prominence as a manager, first with a...
was hired in 1973. 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 the 1974 World Cup finals in West Germany, Scotland achieved their most impressive performance at a World Cup tournament. The team was unbeaten but failed to progress beyond the group stages on goal difference
Goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
. After beating Zaïre
Congo DR national football team
The Congo DR national football team is the national team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is controlled by the Fédération Congolaise de Football-Association , and are nicknamed The Leopards.Congo have been ranked as high as 51 in the FIFA Rankings...
, they drew with both Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
, and went out because they had beaten Zaïre by the smallest margin.
Scotland appointed Ally MacLeod
Ally MacLeod
Alistair Reid MacLeod was a Scottish professional football player. He is perhaps better known for his time as a football manager, which included being in charge of Scotland at the 1978 FIFA World Cup....
as manager in 1977, with qualification for the 1978 World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
far from assured. The team made a strong start under MacLeod by winning the 1977 British Home Championship
1977 British Home Championship
The 1977 British Home Championship exemplified a new era in Home Nations football during its final game, when jubilant Scottish fans invaded the pitch at Wembley Stadium following their team's surprise victory...
, largely thanks to a 2–1 victory over England at Wembley. The Scotland fans
Tartan Army
The Tartan Army is a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work...
invaded the pitch after the match, ripping up the turf and breaking a crossbar. Scotland's good form continued as they secured qualification for the World Cup with victories over Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
and Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
.
During the build-up to the 1978 FIFA World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
, MacLeod fuelled the hopes of the nation by stating that Scotland would come home with a medal. As the squad left for the finals in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, they were given an enthusiastic send off as they were paraded around a packed Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
. Thousands more fans lined the route to Prestwick Airport
Glasgow Prestwick International Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport is an international airport serving the Greater Glasgow urban area, situated northeast of the town of Prestwick in South Ayrshire and 32 miles from the city centre of Glasgow....
as the team set off for South America. Scotland's first game was against Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
in Cordoba. Two spectacular goals by Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga is a Peruvian former footballer. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50...
meant that the result was a 3–1 loss. The second game was a very disappointing 1–1 draw against Iran
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
. The disconsolate mood of the nation was reflected by footage of Ally MacLeod in the dugout
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
with his head in his hands.
After taking a single point from their opening two games, Scotland had to defeat the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
by three clear goals to progress. Despite the Dutch taking the lead, Scotland fought back to win 3–2 with a goal from Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
and two from Archie Gemmill
Archie Gemmill
Archibald "Archie" Gemmill is a Scottish former footballer, most famous for a goal he scored against the Netherlands in the 1978 FIFA World Cup...
, the second of which is considered one of the greatest World Cup goals ever; Gemmill beat three Dutch defenders before lifting the ball over goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed
Jan Jongbloed
Jan Jongbloed was a football goalkeeper with the Netherlands national football team at the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups, wearing the number 8 jersey....
into the net. 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.
1980s
Jock Stein
John 'Jock' Stein CBE was a Scottish association football player and manager. He became the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967...
, who had won nine consecutive Scottish league titles and the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
as manager of Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
, was appointed as his successor. After failing to qualify for the 1980 European Championship
1980 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1980 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Italy. This was the sixth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. With eight teams competing, the final tournament took place between 11 and 22 June 1980...
, Scotland qualified for the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
from a tough group including Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
, Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, Israel
Israel national football team
The Israel national football team is the national football team of Israel, controlled by the Israel Football Association .Israel National Football is the direct successor of the Eretz Yisrael National Team during British Mandate...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
, losing just one match in the process. They beat New Zealand 5–2 in their first game at the World Cup, but lost 4–1 to a Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
team containing Socrates
Sócrates
Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, MD, , more commonly known simply as Sócrates, is a Brazilian former association footballer....
, Zico
Zico
Arthur Antunes Coimbra , better known as Zico , is a Brazilian coach and former footballer. He is the current head coach of the Iraq national football team. Often called the "White Pelé", he is commonly considered one of the most skilled finishers and one of the best passers ever and possibly the...
, Eder
Éder Aleixo de Assis
Éder Aleixo de Assis, was also known as Éder or Éder Assis , is a former Brazilian footballer. He played as a left winger and striker, most notably with Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, Clube Atlético Mineiro in the Campeonato Brasileiro and with the Brazilian national team...
and Falcão
Paulo Roberto Falcão
Paulo Roberto Falcão is a Brazilian head coach and former footballer, currently managing Sport Club Internacional. He is widely considered one of the best players in Internacional and Roma history, and one of the most talented midfielders of all time, especially at his peak in the mid 1980s...
. Scotland were again eliminated on goal difference, after a 2–2 draw with the Soviet Union
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
.
Scotland qualified for the 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
, their fourth in succession, in traumatic circumstances. The squad went into their last qualification match against Wales needing a point to progress to a qualifying playoff against Australia. With only nine minutes remaining and Wales leading 1–0, Scotland were awarded a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
, which was calmly scored by Davie Cooper
Davie Cooper
David "Davie" Cooper was a professional football player. He was a Scotland international and played as a left winger....
. The 1–1 draw meant that Scotland progressed, but as the players and fans celebrated, national coach Jock Stein
Jock Stein
John 'Jock' Stein CBE was a Scottish association football player and manager. He became the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967...
suffered a heart attack and died shortly afterwards. His assistant Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
took over. 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 with Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
following defeats by Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
and West Germany.
1990s
Scotland qualified for their fifth consecutive World Cup in 19901990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
by finishing second in their qualifying group, ahead of France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
. Scotland were drawn in a group with Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
, Sweden, and Brazil, but the Scots lost 1–0 to Costa Rica. While they recovered to beat Sweden 2–1 in their second game, they lost to Brazil in their third match 1–0 and were once again eliminated after the first round.
By a narrow margin, Scotland qualified for the UEFA European Football Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
for the first time in 1992. A 1–0 defeat to Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
away from home left qualification dependent upon other results, but a 1–1 draw between Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
and Romania in the final group match saw Scotland squeeze through. Despite playing well in matches against the Netherlands and Germany and a fine win against the CIS
CIS national football team
The CIS national football team represented the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional confederation formed by 12 of the 15 newly formed sovereign states that emerged out of the break-up of the Soviet Union between 1990 and early 1992...
, the team was knocked out at the group stage. Scotland failed to qualify, however, for the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
. The team finished fourth in their qualifying group
1994 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification....
behind Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
and Portugal. When it became clear that Scotland could not qualify, Andy Roxburgh
Andy Roxburgh
Andy Roxburgh is a former Scottish football player and coach. He has been UEFA Technical Director since 1994.- Playing career :...
resigned from his position as team manager.
1996 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by England, who won the right to host the tournament ahead of bids from Austria, Portugal and the Netherlands. It was the tenth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. It was the first to use the...
tournament. The first game against the Netherlands ended 0–0, raising morale ahead of a much anticipated game against England at Wembley Stadium. Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20...
missed a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
and a goal by Paul Gascoigne
Paul Gascoigne
Paul John Gascoigne , commonly referred to as Gazza, is a retired English professional footballer.Playing in the position of midfield, Gascoigne's career included spells at Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton and Gansu Tianma, where he scored at least a goal...
led to a 2–0 defeat. Scotland recovered to beat Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
1–0. England taking a 4–0 lead in the other match briefly put both teams in a position to qualify, but a late goal for the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
meant that Scotland were once again knocked out on goal difference.
Brown again guided Scotland to qualification for a major tournament in 1998, and Scotland were drawn against Brazil in the opening game of the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
. John Collins equalised from the penalty spot to level the score at 1–1, but a Tom Boyd own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
led to a 2–1 defeat. Scotland drew their next game 1–1 with Norway in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, but the final match against Morocco
Morocco national football team
The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and...
ended in an embarrassing 3–0 defeat.
During the qualification for the 2000 European Championship, Scotland faced England in a two-legged
Two-legged match
In sport , a two-legged tie is a contest between two teams which comprises two matches or legs, with each team as the home team in one leg. The winning team is usually determined by aggregate score, the sum of the scores of the two legs...
playoff nicknamed the "Battle of Britain" by the media. Scotland won the second match 1–0, but lost the tie 2–1 on aggregate.
2000s
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, finishing third in their qualifying group behind Croatia
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
and Belgium. This second successive failure to qualify prompted Craig Brown to resign from his position after the final qualifying match. The SFA
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
appointed former Germany manager Berti Vogts
Berti Vogts
Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts is a German former footballer. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach and won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974. He later managed Germany , Scotland and Nigeria...
as Brown's successor. Scotland reached the qualification play-offs for Euro 2004. Scotland beat Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
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 in the FIFA World Rankings
FIFA World Rankings
The FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
. Vogts announced his resignation in 2004, blaming the hostile media for his departure.
Walter Smith
Walter Smith
Walter Smith, OBE is a Scottish football manager. His most recent job was at Scottish Premier League club Rangers.Smith had a relatively modest playing career, consisting of two spells with Dundee United which was split by a short time at Dumbarton.A pelvic injury meant he moved in to coaching at...
, a former Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
manager, was brought in to replace Vogts. Improved results meant that Scotland rose up the FIFA rankings and won the Kirin Cup
Kirin Cup
The Kirin Cup is an annual association football tournament sponsored in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 as an international club competition. From 1992 onwards the format was changed to a round robin national...
, a friendly competition in Japan. Scotland failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, however, finishing third in their group behind Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
and Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
. Smith left the national side in January 2007 to return to Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, with Scotland leading their Euro 2008 qualification group. Alex McLeish
Alex McLeish
Alexander "Alex" McLeish , is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager, who is currently managing English Premier League club Aston Villa...
was named as Smith's successor and Scotland's twentieth manager. McLeish guided Scotland to wins against Georgia
Georgia national football team
The Georgia national football team is the national association football team of Georgia and is controlled by the Georgian Football Federation. The Georgian team's first match took place in 1990, while Georgia was still part of the Soviet Union. The team have attempted to qualify for each major...
, Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
, Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
, France and Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
, but defeats to Georgia and Italy ended their chances of qualification for Euro 2008. These improved results, particularly the wins against France, lifted Scotland into the top 20 in the FIFA rankings for the first time since their conception in the mid 1990s.
After the narrow failure to qualify for Euro 2008, McLeish left to join Premier League club Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
manager George Burley
George Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...
was hired as the new manager, but he came in for criticism from the media after the team lost their first qualifier against Macedonia. After Scotland lost their fourth match 3–0 to the Netherlands, captain Barry Ferguson
Barry Ferguson
Barry Ferguson MBE is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Blackpool.Ferguson has made 82 appearances in European competitions, all for Rangers, which makes him the record European appearance holder at the club. He was also inducted into the Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame...
and goalkeeper Allan McGregor
Allan McGregor
Allan James McGregor is a Scottish association footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Rangers and the Scotland national team...
were excluded from the starting lineup for the following match against Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
due to a "breach of discipline". Despite winning 2–1 against Iceland, Scotland suffered a terrible 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. Scotland defeated Macedonia 2–0 in the first of those two games, but were eliminated by a 1–0 loss to the Netherlands in the second game. Burley was allowed to continue in his post after a review by the SFA
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
board, but a subsequent 3–0 friendly defeat by Wales led to the SFA sacking Burley.
2010s
Craig Levein
Craig William Levein is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager of the Scotland national team. During his playing career he played for Cowdenbeath and Heart of Midlothian...
as head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the national team in December 2009. In UEFA Euro 2012 qualification, Scotland were grouped with Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
and world champions Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
. 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. Scotland were eliminated after a 3–1 defeat by Spain in their last match.
FIFA World Cup record
Scotland have played at eight FIFA World CupFIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
s, including five consecutive tournaments from 1974
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
to 1990
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
. During the preparations for the 1928 Olympic Football Tournament
Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Football at the 1928 Summer Olympics tournament, won by Uruguay against Argentina, would be the precursor to the first FIFA World Cup held in 1930 in Uruguay.-Medalists:-Background:...
, FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
ruled that all its member associations must provide "broken-time" payments to cover the expenses of players from their country who participated. 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. As a result, Scotland did not compete in the three interwar World Cup competitions. The Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
did not rejoin FIFA as a permanent member until 1946.
Competition
Scotland have 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: in 19741974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
, when Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
edged them out; in 1978
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
, when the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
progressed; and in 1982
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
, when the USSR
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
went through. The Scottish Football Association declined to participate in 1950
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
although they had qualified, as Scotland were not the British champions
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
.
| Year | Round | Position | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GFGoals for / scored | GAGoals against / conceded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 19301930 FIFA World Cup The 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930... |
Did Not Enter | |||||||
 19341934 FIFA World Cup The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934.... |
||||||||
 19381938 FIFA World Cup The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:... |
||||||||
 19501950 FIFA World Cup The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II... |
WithdrewScotland qualified for the tournament as they finished in the top two positions in the 1950 British Home Championship 1950 British Home Championship 1950 British Home Championship was one of the most significant competitions of the British Home Championship football tournament. This year saw the competition doubling up as Group 1 in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 FIFA World Cup. It was the first time that either England, Wales, Scotland or... , but the SFA withdrew Scotland's entry because they were not British champions. |
|||||||
 19541954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game... |
Round 1 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
 19581958 FIFA World Cup The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European... |
Round 1 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
 19621962 FIFA World Cup The 1962 FIFA World Cup, the seventh staging of the World Cup, was held in Chile from 30 May to 17 June. It was won by Brazil, who retained the championship by beating Czechoslovakia 3–1 in the final... |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 19661966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as... |
||||||||
 19701970 FIFA World Cup The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by... |
||||||||
 19741974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded... |
Round 1 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
 19781978 FIFA World Cup The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth... |
Round 1 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
 19821982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:... |
Round 1 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| 1986 1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially... |
Round 1 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 19901990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated... |
Round 1 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
 19941994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988... |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
| 1998 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
Round 1 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
  20022002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
Did Not Qualify | |||||||
 20062006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
||||||||
 20102010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
||||||||
| Totals | 8/19 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 41 | |
2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification
Scotland will compete alongside CroatiaCroatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
, Serbia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
, Belgium, Macedonia and Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
for a place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
European Championship record
Scotland have qualified for two European ChampionshipsUEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
but have failed to advance beyond the first round on both occasions, most recently at the 1996 European Championship, where the Netherlands progressed on goals scored
Goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
.
Euro 2012 Qualification
Scotland were paired in Group I, alongside the reigning world champions SpainSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
, Lithuania
Lithuania national football team
The national football team of Lithuania is under the auspices of the Lithuanian Football Federation. It played its first match in 1923. In 1940, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union; the country regained its independence in 1990 and played their first match as a new nation against Georgia on...
and Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
.
Stadium
Hampden ParkHampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
is the traditional home of the Scotland team and is described by the Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
as the National Stadium. The present stadium, which has a 52,000 capacity, is one of several stadiums to have used the name. Hampden and its predecessors have hosted international matches since 1878. The attendance record of 149,415 was set by the Scotland v England match in 1937. Hampden is one of only two Scottish football stadiums to receive a UEFA 5–star
UEFA Stadia List
UEFA stadium categories are categories for football stadia laid out in the UEFA Stadium Infrastructure Regulations. Using these regulations, stadiums are rated as category one, two, three, or four in ascending ranking order. These categories replaced the previous method of ranking stadiums on one...
rating.
Some friendly matches are played at smaller venues, such as when Scotland played the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
at Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium is an all-seated football stadium situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It was first used in 1899 and from 1903 has been the home of Aberdeen Football Club...
in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
during November 2010. Easter Road
Easter Road
Easter Road is a football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hibernian . The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of 20,421, which makes it the fifth-largest football stadium in Scotland. Easter Road is also...
Stadium in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
has hosted four friendly matches since 1998. Other stadiums were also used while Hampden was being redeveloped during the late 1990s. Celtic Park
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
, Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium is an all-seated football stadium situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It was first used in 1899 and from 1903 has been the home of Aberdeen Football Club...
, Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
and Rugby Park
Rugby Park
Rugby Park is a football stadium situated in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock. It was first used in 1899 and is the home of Kilmarnock F.C..It underwent a major redevelopment in 1994–95, becoming an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 18,128...
all hosted matches during the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
qualifying campaign, while Tynecastle Stadium
Tynecastle Stadium
Tynecastle Stadium is a football stadium situated in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Hearts. Tynecastle has a seating capacity of 17,420, which makes it the seventh largest football stadium in Scotland...
, Pittodrie, Celtic Park and Ibrox were used for Euro 2000
2000 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, or Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Football Championship, which is held every four years and organized by UEFA, association football's governing body in Europe....
qualifying matches.
Since the last redevelopment to Hampden was completed in 1999, Scotland have played all but one of their competitive matches there. The exception to this rule was when Celtic Park hosted the first Euro 2008 qualification match against the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
. Celtic Park was used because the fixtures were decided by a random draw and Hampden had already been booked for a Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
concert on the same date.
Media coverage
Scotland's home matches are presently covered by the pay-TV broadcaster Sky SportsSky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. Extended highlights of every Scotland home international are shown on terrestrial television by BBC Sport Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
. Television rights to away games vary, although the rights to all of Scotland's away matches in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...
are held by BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
. 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament...
away match rights were held by Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
, another pay-TV broadcaster, until their UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
business ceased trading in June 2009.
The arrangements to show Scotland matches on pay-TV have been criticised by the Scottish Government, who have argued that qualifying matches should be included in the list of sporting events which can only be broadcast on free-to-air television. The Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
have argued, however, that limiting the rights to free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
broadcasters would severely reduce the amount of revenue that they could generate. An independent advisory panel recommended that qualifying matches played by all four Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
be added to the list, but UK Sports Minister Hugh Robertson deferred a decision until the completion of the digital switchover.
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland is a constituent part of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the publicly-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. It is, in effect, the national broadcaster for Scotland, having a considerable amount of autonomy from the BBC's London headquarters, and is run by the BBC Trust, who...
, STV, Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
, and Five are among other networks that have previously shown live fixtures. All matches are broadcast with full commentary on BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
and, when schedules allow, BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
also. In Australia, Scotland's national football team home games and selected away games are broadcast by Setanta Sports Australia
Setanta Sports Australia
Setanta Sports Australia is a sports television channel operating in Australia and is available to homes and businesses across all of Australia...
.
Colours
Scotland traditionally wear dark blue shirts with white shorts and dark blue socks, the colours of the Queen's ParkQueen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
team who represented Scotland in the first international. The blue Scotland shirt was earlier used in a February 1872 rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
international, with reports stating that "the scotch were easily distinguishable by their uniform of blue jerseys.... the jerseys having the thistle embroidered". The thistle had previously been worn to represent Scotland in the 1871 rugby international, but on brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
shirts. The shirt is embroidered with a crest based upon the lion rampant of the Royal Standard of Scotland
Royal Standard of Scotland
The Royal Standard of Scotland, , also known as the Banner of the King of Scots, or more commonly the Lion Rampant of Scotland, is the Scottish Royal Banner of Arms...
. Another style often used by Scotland comprises blue shirts, white shorts and red socks. Change colours vary, but are most commonly white or yellow shirts with blue shorts. From 1994–96 a tartan kit was used. The current version of the crest includes the Scottish flag and a background of thistles, representing the national flower of Scotland, in addition to the lion rampant.
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 of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, KG, PC was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. Between the death of his father, in 1851, and the death of his grandfather, the 4th Earl, in 1868, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Dalmeny.Rosebery was a Liberal Imperialist who...
. A former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Lord Rosebery was an influential figure in Scottish football, serving as honorary President of the Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
and Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
team Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
. His colours were used most frequently in the first decade of the twentieth century, but were discontinued in 1909. The colours were briefly reprised in 1949, and were last used against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in 1951. In 1900, when Scotland defeated England 4–1. Lord Rosebery remarked, "I have never seen my colours so well sported since Ladas won the Derby".
Since 2005, the SFA have supported the use of Scots Gaelic on the national team's strip in recognition of the language's revival in Scotland.
Supporters
Tartan Army
The Tartan Army is a name given to fans of the Scotland national football team. They have won awards from several organisations for their friendly behaviour and charitable work...
. During the 1970s, Scotland fans became known for their hooliganism, particularly after they invaded
Pitch invasion
A pitch invasion or field invasion, known as rushing the field in the United States, occurs when a crowd of people who are watching a sports game run onto the field, to celebrate or protest about an incident...
the Wembley pitch and destroyed the goalposts after the England v Scotland match in 1977. Since then, the Tartan Army have won awards from UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
for their combination of vocal support, friendly nature and charity work. The Tartan Army have been awarded a Fair Play
Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors...
prize by the Belgian Olympic Committee
Belgium at the Olympics
Belgium has competed at most editions of the Olympic Games after making its first appearance at the 1900 Games. The nation was host to the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp....
and were named as the best supporters during the 1992 European Championship. 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 the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
in France.
Players
Current squad
The following players were selected for the squad to play CyprusCyprus national football team
The Cyprus national football team represents Cyprus in association football and is controlled by the Cyprus Football Association, the governing body for football in Cyprus. Cyprus' home ground is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia and the current coach is Nikos Nioplias...
in November 2011.
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|}
Recent players
The following players have been selected by Scotland in the past 12 months, but were not selected in the squad to play against Cyprus in November 2011, or withdrew from that squad due to injury or suspension.|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|}
Honoured players
The Scottish Football AssociationScottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
operates a roll of honour for every player who has made more than 50 appearances for Scotland. As of October 2010, there are 27 members of this roll, with Kenny Miller
Kenny Miller
Kenneth "Kenny" Miller is a Scottish footballer who plays as a striker for Cardiff City and the Scotland national football team...
the most recent addition to the list. The qualifying mark of 50 appearances means that many notable Scotland players including Jim Baxter
Jim Baxter
James Curran Baxter was a left-footed Scottish footballer who played as a midfielder. He is regarded by some as the country's greatest ever footballer...
, Hughie Gallacher
Hughie Gallacher
Hugh Kilpatrick "Hughie" Gallacher was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 times....
, John Greig
John Greig
John Greig MBE is a Scottish former professional football player who, despite his boyhood allegiance to hometown team Heart of Midlothian, spent his entire career in Glasgow with Rangers as a player, manager and director.Greig was voted "The Greatest Ever Ranger" in 1999 by the Rangers supporters...
, Jimmy Johnstone
Jimmy Johnstone
James Connolly "Jimmy" Johnstone was a Scottish football player. Johnstone was best known for his time with Celtic, and was voted their best ever player by the club's fans in 2002...
, Billy McNeill
Billy McNeill
William "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic....
, Bobby Murdoch
Bobby Murdoch
Bobby Murdoch was a Scottish professional footballer who played for Celtic and was one of the Lisbon Lions, the Celtic team who won the European Cup in 1967. He and Bertie Auld formed Celtic's central midfield....
and Lawrie Reilly
Lawrie Reilly
Lawrance "Lawrie" Reilly is a former Scottish association football player. He was one of the "Famous Five", the Hibernian forward line during the 1950s. The others were Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith, Eddie Turnbull, and Willie Ormond...
are not on the roll of honour.
The Scottish Football Museum
Scottish Football Museum
The Scottish Football Museum is the Scottish Football Association's National Museum of football, located in Hampden Park in Glasgow.-The Museum:...
operates a hall of fame
Scottish Football Hall of Fame
The Scottish Football Hall of Fame is located at the Scottish Football Museum. Inductees are picked each year by fans and a committee selects the eight finalists who are inducted at an annual dinner....
which is open to players and managers
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
involved in Scottish football
Football in Scotland
Association football is the national sport in Scotland and highly popular throughout the country. There is a long tradition of "football" games in Orkney, Lewis and southern Scotland, especially the Scottish Borders, although many of these include carrying the ball and passing by hand, and despite...
. This means that membership is not restricted to people who have played for Scotland; inductees include Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup is a Danish former football player and current football commentator, pundit and analyst on TV3+. Along with former international goalkeeper Lars Høgh, Laudrup manages a football academy for marginalized youth...
and Henrik Larsson
Henrik Larsson
Henrik Edward Larsson MBE is a retired Swedish footballer and current manager of Landskrona BoIS.Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. He moved to Helsingborg, where he was one of the key players when they qualified to Allsvenskan 1993. Larsson then moved to Feyenoord for four years before...
. At the most recent induction ceremony, Willie Maley
Willie Maley
William "Willie" Patrick Maley , 25 April 1868 - 2 April 1958, Glasgow, Scotland was a famous Scottish football coach, and the first manager of Celtic Football Club and one of the most successful managers in Scottish football history...
, David Meiklejohn
David Meiklejohn
David "Davie" Ditchburn Meiklejohn was a Scottish professional footballer most famous for his time with Scottish club Rangers.-Career:Born in Govan, Glasgow, Meiklejohn joined Rangers from junior club Maryhill F.C...
, Jimmy Delaney
Jimmy Delaney
James "Jimmy" Delaney was a Scottish football player who enjoyed a 24-year playing career.- Career :...
, Alan Gilzean
Alan Gilzean
Alan John Gilzean is a former professional footballer from the 1960s and 1970s and played for Dundee in his native country and English club Tottenham Hotspur.-Dundee:...
, Bertie Auld
Bertie Auld
Robert "Bertie" Auld is a Scottish former football player and manager, perhaps most notable as a member of Celtic's Lisbon Lions side of 1967. As a player, he made more than 200 appearances in the Scottish League playing for Celtic, Dumbarton and Hibernian, and more than 100 in the Football League...
, Mo Johnston
Mo Johnston
Maurice John Giblin "Mo" Johnston is a former football striker.Johnston began his football career with Partick Thistle in 1981 before moving to Watford in 1983. With Watford Johnston scored 23 league goals, made his international debut, and helped the team reach the 1984 FA Cup Final...
, Paul Lambert
Paul Lambert
Paul Christopher Lambert is a Scottish football manager and former player who is the manager of Norwich City. He won numerous trophies as a player, winning the Scottish Cup with St...
and Steve Archibald
Steve Archibald
Steven Archibald is a former Scottish football player and manager.- Club career :He first came to prominence playing in midfield for Scottish First Division side Clyde, but was converted to striker when he signed for Aberdeen, forging a prolific partnership with Joe Harper...
were added to its membership. Sportscotland
Sportscotland
Sportscotland , formerly the Scottish Sports Council, is the national agency for sport in Scotland. Their stated aim is to help everyone in Scotland enjoy sport's many benefits....
operates the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame in Scotland, initiated on St Andrew's Day 2001. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and the National Museums of Scotland. It is also funded by BBC Scotland and...
, which has inducted some footballers.
Managers
From 1872 to 1953, and 1954 to 1957, the Scotland national team was appointed by a selection committee. Andy BeattieAndy Beattie
Andrew "Andy" Beattie was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He was the first manager of the Scottish national team.- Playing days :...
was manager for six matches in 1954 when Scotland competed at their first World Cup. After the tournament the selection committee resumed their duties, continuing until the appointment of Matt Busby
Matt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
in 1958. Busby was initially unable to assume his duties due to the serious injuries he sustained in the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
.
Statistically the most successful manager was Alex McLeish
Alex McLeish
Alexander "Alex" McLeish , is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager, who is currently managing English Premier League club Aston Villa...
, who won seven of the ten games he took charge of. Discounting managers who took charge of less than ten games, the least successful manager was George Burley
George Burley
George Elder Burley is a Scottish football manager and former player and manager, formerly the manager of Crystal Palace Football Club. Burley had a professional career spanning 21 years as a player making 628 appearances and earning 11 Scotland caps...
, with just three wins in 14 games.
| Name | Scotland career | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Selection committee |
1872–1953 |
|||||
| |
1954 |
|||||
| Selection committee |
1954–1957 |
|||||
| Dawson Walker was left in charge of the players due to the Munich air disaster, in which official manager Matt Busby was seriously injured. |
1958 |
|||||
| |
1958 |
|||||
| |
1959–1960 |
|||||
| |
1960–1965 |
|||||
| |
1965–1966 |
|||||
| |
1966 |
|||||
| |
1966–1967 |
|||||
| |
1967–1971 |
|||||
| |
1971–1972 |
|||||
| |
1973–1977 |
|||||
| |
1977–1978 |
|||||
| |
1978–1985 |
|||||
| |
1985–1986 |
|||||
| |
1986–1993 |
|||||
| |
1993–2002 |
|||||
| |
2002–2004 |
|||||
| Tommy Burns was manager on a caretaker basis only. |
2004 |
|||||
| |
2004–2007 |
|||||
| |
2007 |
|||||
| |
2008–2009 |
|||||
| |
2009– |
|||||
| Totals | 706 | 334 | 154 | 218 | ||
Last updated: Cyprus 1–2 Scotland on 11 November 2011. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.
Records
Kenny DalglishKenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
holds the record for Scotland appearances, having played 102 times between 1971 and 1986. He is the only Scotland player to have reached 100 caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
. Jim Leighton
Jim Leighton
James "Jim" Leighton MBE is a Scottish former football goalkeeper. Among the clubs he played for are Aberdeen , Manchester United, Arsenal, Dundee and Hibernian.-Club:...
is second, having played 91 times, a record for appearances by a goalkeeper. Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish
Alex McLeish
Alexander "Alex" McLeish , is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager, who is currently managing English Premier League club Aston Villa...
played for Scotland 77 times and is the third most capped player.
The title of Scotland's highest goalscorer is shared by two players. Denis Law
Denis Law
Denis Law is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s....
scored 30 goals between 1958 and 1974, during which time he played for Scotland on 55 occasions. Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
scored an equal number from 102 appearances. Hughie Gallacher
Hughie Gallacher
Hugh Kilpatrick "Hughie" Gallacher was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 times....
as well as being the third highest scorer is also the most prolific with his 23 goals coming from only 20 games (averaging 1.15 goals per game). Other notable strikers include, Lawrie Reilly
Lawrie Reilly
Lawrance "Lawrie" Reilly is a former Scottish association football player. He was one of the "Famous Five", the Hibernian forward line during the 1950s. The others were Bobby Johnstone, Gordon Smith, Eddie Turnbull, and Willie Ormond...
, Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
, Mo Johnston
Mo Johnston
Maurice John Giblin "Mo" Johnston is a former football striker.Johnston began his football career with Partick Thistle in 1981 before moving to Watford in 1983. With Watford Johnston scored 23 league goals, made his international debut, and helped the team reach the 1984 FA Cup Final...
and Joe Jordan
Joe Jordan (footballer)
Joseph "Joe" Jordan is a Scottish football coach and former player and manager. He is currently first team coach for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, under manager Harry Redknapp....
.
The largest margin of victory achieved by a Scotland side is 11–0 against Ireland
Ireland national football team (IFA)
The Ireland national football team represented Ireland at association football, it was organised by the Irish FA , and is the fourth oldest international team in the world. It mainly played in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland and Wales...
in the 1901 British Home Championship
1901 British Home Championship
The 1901 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. England won the competition with five points after strong victories over Wales and Ireland...
. The record defeat occurred during the 1954 FIFA World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
, a 7–0 deficit against reigning world champions Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
.
Scotland's 1937 British Home Championship
1937 British Home Championship
The 1937 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1936–37 seasons. The trophy was won by Wales with Scotland coming second. This was the last Home Championship that Wales would win exclusively, all subsequent victories would be...
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 the decisive match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
, but remains a European record.
United Kingdom team
Scotland has always participated by itself in most of the major tournaments, such as the FIFA World CupFIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
and the UEFA European Championship. At the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, however, the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
charter only permit a United Kingdom team
Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team
The Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team represents Great Britain and Northern Ireland in international football competitions in the Olympic Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players...
to compete. Teams of amateur players represented Great Britain at the Olympics from 1900 until 1972, but no team has been entered since. The successful bid
London 2012 Olympic bid
London 2012 was the successful bid for the 2012 Summer Games, to be held in London with most events taking place in Stratford, Newham. The British Olympic Association had been working on the bid since 1997...
by London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
prompted suggestions that a combined UK team be created for the tournament. The Scottish Football Association
Scottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
responded by stating that it would not participate, as it feared this would threaten the independent status of the Scottish side. FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
President Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
stated that a UK team would not threaten the continued existence of the Scotland team, but the SFA expressed concern that a future President could take a different view. Groups representing the supporters of all four national teams stated their opposition to a UK team in a joint statement. In the end, amid fears that the row between the four Home Nations
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
was threatening their unique position within FIFA, an agreement was reached whereby the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Ireland associations would not participate in a UK team, but they would not prevent The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
from organising a team using only England-qualified players.
See also
- List of Scotland national football team results and fixtures
- List of Scotland international footballers born outside Scotland