Steve Clarke steps down as Scotland manager, nation's exit from 2026 World Cup confirmed

Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterSteve Clarke has resigned as manager of Scotland's national team after his side failed to achieve knockout stage progression at the World Cup.Scotland began their tournament with a 1-0 victory against Haiti, their first win on the World Cup stage in 36 years, before following it up with two disappointing results.Clarke's men failed to beat Morocco, losing 1-0, before enduring a 3-0 defeat to Brazil, in which Scotland gifted their opposition multiple goals through defensive errors.Steve Clarke steps down as Scotland manager as nation's exit from 2026 World Cup is confirmedIn Group L on Saturday evening, England prevailed by a scoreline of 2-0 against Panama to secure the table's first position.Elsewhere, Ghana fell 2-1 to Croatia, with the former finishing in third place and sealing Scotland's exit from the tournament. You may like Scotland squad World Cup 2026: Steve Clarke's team for opening game against Haiti Are Scotland out of the World Cup? Scotland's World Cup 2026 fixtures: Dates, kick-off times and group stage schedule Scotland, who finished the group stage with three points and a -3 goal difference, had fingers crossed to be one of the North American tournament's best third-placed sides.However, Ghana's third place finish in Group K, with four points, made it impossible for Scotland to progress.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.The Scottish Football Association released a statement from Clarke shortly after Ghana's game concluded.He said: "The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn't have had any of the memories that we've accumulated from 2019 until now."They deserve all the praise and adulation that they receive and it was truly an honour to be called their Gaffer."Thanks for having me and good luck to my successor."TOPICSSteve ClarkeScotlandWorld Cup 2026Kedar BayleySocial Links NavigationFreelance WriterKedar Bayley is a trained journalist specialising in culture reporting. As a fan of Liverpool FC,he writes on the Reds often. Knowledgable about all things sports, cinema and television,you can find his words in Screen International, FourFourTwo, Manchester Evening News and more.