Scotland’s Football Association chief executive Ian Maxwell has confirmed the search for a new national head coach begins immediately following Steve Clarke’s resignation.
Clarke stepped down after Scotland were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup, having failed to advance from Group C despite the tournament being the country’s first appearance since 1998.
The Scots began promisingly with a 1-0 victory over Haiti but suffered defeats to Morocco and Brazil, losing the latter match 3-0, which effectively ended their hopes of progressing.
Scotland ultimately finished 11th of the 12 sides who ended at the group stage in third place, missing out on a place in the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
“Nothing’s off the table,” Maxwell said from Charlotte, North Carolina, where the Scotland squad had been based throughout the tournament.
Maxwell confirmed interest had already been shown from potential candidates, saying “I’ve woken up this morning to a few messages from people that are interested in the job.”
“We need to cast the net as far and wide as we can,” he added. “It’s about getting the right coach, it’s not about necessarily where they come from.”
Maxwell was eager to stress that Scotland represents an appealing opportunity for the right managerial candidate, pointing to the co-hosted Euro 2028 tournament as a major draw.
“We’ve got a Euros that we’re co-hosting in 2028 to look forward to,” Maxwell said. “There’s been a lot of success over the last few years and we need to make sure that we appoint someone that can improve on that.”
The SFA chief acknowledged the difficulty in placing a firm timeline on the appointment, with Nations League fixtures against North Macedonia, Slovenia and Switzerland scheduled for the autumn.
“It’s really, really difficult to put dates on it,” Maxwell explained. “We’ve obviously got games coming up in September.”
Clarke, who previously managed Kilmarnock, Reading and West Bromwich Albion, took charge of Scotland in 2019 and oversaw their first tournament qualification in 23 years.
Across three tournaments under Clarke, Scotland recorded just one win, that solitary victory coming against Haiti two weeks ago, with two defeats at every group stage.
Maxwell described the mood as deeply emotional, revealing Clarke had informed the players of his decision in a meeting the previous evening that was filled with raw feeling.
“The emotion in that tells you how much they think of him and how much he thinks of them,” Maxwell said, adding that Clarke “has been incredible” throughout his seven-year tenure.
Despite the World Cup disappointment, Maxwell was firm that Clarke’s legacy should not be diminished, saying: “He’s been fantastic for us. The last thing that I would want is his reputation or legacy tarnished in any way, shape or form.”
