Steve Clarke has stepped down as the head coach of Scotland’s national football team after the side was officially knocked out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Clarke’s departure comes in the aftermath of Scotland’s elimination from the group stage, ending their hopes of advancing to the knockout rounds.

Scotland began the tournament with a 1-0 win over Haiti — their first victory on the World Cup stage in 36 years — but were unable to build on that momentum, suffering two subsequent defeats.

The Scottish side fell 1-0 to Morocco and later endured a 3-0 loss to Brazil, a match marked by defensive lapses that gifted their opponents several goals.

In Group L action on Saturday evening, England claimed a 2-0 victory against Panama to secure the top spot in the table.

Elsewhere, Ghana suffered a 2-1 loss to Croatia. That result left Ghana in third place in Group K and effectively ended Scotland’s hopes of progressing further in the competition.

Scotland concluded the group stage with three points and a goal difference of -3, hoping to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams in the North American tournament.

However, Ghana’s four points in Group K ensured that Scotland’s campaign came to a premature end.

Following Ghana’s match, the Scottish Football Association released a statement from Clarke announcing his decision to step down.

In the statement, Clarke expressed his gratitude, saying: “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,” he added.

Clarke leaves his post as Scotland’s longest-serving manager, having guided the team through several memorable moments, including a 4-2 qualifying win over Denmark in November that secured their place in North America.

That victory was particularly significant for the Tartan Army, with two dramatic goals in stoppage time — in the 93rd and 98th minutes — sealing Scotland’s first World Cup appearance since 1998.

During his tenure, Clarke had previously missed out on World Cup qualification after a play-off semi-final defeat to Ukraine in 2022 but led Scotland to the UEFA European Championship in 2024.

He also guided the team to EURO 2020, where Scotland famously held England to a draw at Wembley before exiting at the group stage.

The 62-year-old had signed a four-year contract extension in May, set to run until 2030, but chose to resign following Scotland’s disappointing World Cup campaign.