Clarke resigns as Scotland boss hours after World Cup
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- Steve Clarke resigned as Scotland head coach on Saturday, with the Scottish FA announcing his departure moments after Croatia beat Ghana to confirm Scotland's World Cup elimination.
- Players were informed while Clarke and the squad were still at their Charlotte base, just a month after he had signed a new four-year contract extension.
- Scotland's Group C campaign yielded one win and two defeats: a 1-0 victory over Haiti in Boston, a 1-0 loss to Morocco, and a 3-0 defeat to Brazil in Miami — the only victory across Clarke's three major tournaments in charge.
- Clarke, who took over in 2019 when Scotland were ranked as a pot-four side, led the team to two European Championships and qualification for this summer's World Cup — their first major finals since 1998.
- Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell hailed Clarke's "record-breaking contribution," noting he had "more than delivered" on the remit to return Scotland to the major tournament stage.
- Clarke called his players "the most emotional part of this goodbye," saying it was "truly an honour to be called their gaffer" and wishing his successor good luck.
Why it matters: The Scottish FA now begins an immediate search for a successor to the manager widely regarded as Scotland's most successful, with the timing — a new long-term contract signed only 30 days earlier — raising questions about what changed. Whoever replaces Clarke inherits a squad that qualified for a World Cup but failed to win a knockout-stage game across three major tournaments.
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