Steve Clarke resigned as Scotland's head coach in the early hours of Sunday, June 28, 2026, following the national team's elimination from the World Cup in the United States.
The departure came after Croatia defeated Ghana 2-1 on Saturday night, leaving Scotland outside the top-eight places in the third-place table with one victory and two defeats.
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Scotland had opened the tournament by defeating Haiti 1-0, but subsequent losses of 1-0 against Morocco and 3-0 against Brazil sealed their exit from their first World Cup since 1998.
The Scottish Football Association had recently signed Clarke to a new four-year contract just weeks before the tournament began, making his sudden resignation an unexpected development for administrative officials.
Boyd Defends Clarke's Legacy
Former Scotland international Kris Boyd strongly defended the departing manager during a broadcast, highlighting that Clarke was the first men's head coach to lead the nation to three major tournament finals.
"There's a lot of criticism flying around," Boyd told Sky Sports News.
The former striker argued that critics needed to re-evaluate the team's long-term historical context prior to Clarke taking full operational control of the squad.
"But I think a lot of people need to step back, realise where they've been, and realise where they are now," Boyd said.
Boyd emphasized that evaluating the team solely on tournament results overlooked the significant hurdle of qualification that had blocked previous managers for decades.
"It's been night and day since Steve Clarke took charge of the national team," Boyd said.
