Nathan Patterson included in Scotland squad for World Cup 2026

Nathan Patterson playing for Scotland against Japan in March 2026

(Photo by Zak Mauger/Getty Images)

Nathan Patterson has been included in Scotland's World Cup squad for this summer's tournament in North America.

Everton's overlooked full-back, who has hardly been played by fellow Scot and manager David Moyes this season, has been recognised by Scotland manager Steve Clark efor his energy and determination.

Patterson and the rest of the 26-man squad will be put through their paces at Lesser Hampden next week ahead of the final home-based friendly against Curacao – with tickets selling fast for the big send-off.

They’ll then fly off to a training camp at Inter Miami’s state-of-the-art Florida Blue Training Center before one final tune-up against Bolivia at New Jersey’s Sports Illustrated Arena.

From there, the players and staff will be based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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O'Brien should not be playing right back, that's on Moyes.

Personall,y I think Patterson is a better full back than Mykolenko but doesn't get a chance. Keane has put a few decent performances in this season, he had a little patch of good form but Tarks has been a major let down.

Tarks should have benched a long time ago but Moyes won't bench his favourites.

Christy Ring 2 Posted 19/05/2026 at 21:16:09

Jay,

I read today where Everton had a 66%win rate with Patterson at fullback, two wins and one draw in the Premier League games he has started this season!

Jay Lewis 3 Posted 19/05/2026 at 21:30:20

Christy @59,

Even when he came through his injuries and was half fit again, he was still good enough for the Scotland team.

He's just not been given a fair chance at Everton and I wouldn't blame him if he leaves.

Edward Rogers 4 Posted 19/05/2026 at 22:35:32

Not saying Patterson is anything special, but been treated with disdain. He should have left us ages ago.

Jack Convery 5 Posted 19/05/2026 at 22:38:29

Good for Patto. Better than a smack on the head any day. Hopefull he'll be brilliant and Moyes can make some money from selling him. Moyes will never play him unless injuries dictate he has to.

Tom Bowers 6 Posted 19/05/2026 at 23:09:31

The lad is quite a decent defender but I suppose Jake got the starting role because of the extra inches.

Despite that our defence still performed badly in many games.

You don't need three giants at the back. What they did need was a speedy sweeper like Jagielka but who can understand Moyes thinking.

As we thought, Spurs survival will come down to our final game and we all know Everton will help save them and probably Richarlison will score. Final thought, Palace,Villa and PSG will win the Euro cups.

Mark Ryan 7 Posted 19/05/2026 at 23:18:33

Hope he does well.A decent footballer who has been ignored by our stubborn Jurassic manager Moyesaurus

Si Cooper 8 Posted 19/05/2026 at 23:47:06

I think he has, unfortunately, generally been disappointing when he has been given opportunities over the years and you need to be careful extrapolating from those 3 games he started.

We simply haven’t seen enough to make bold claims either way. It seems peculiar that he is getting chosen for the Scottish squad when he clearly isn’t fancied by Moyes. I hope he does get to play so we can make a better assessment of whether he’s been harshly treated.

Mike Gaynes 9 Posted 19/05/2026 at 00:56:14

Mark #7, as he was by Lampard and Dyche. Also Jurassics?

Three different managers over 4 years have spent thousands of hours watching Patterson play and train, and all came to the same verdict -- no thanks.

Ian Bennett 10 Posted 20/05/2026 at 07:08:51

I hope he shines at the World Cup, he gets his move, and we get a decent transfer fee.

He is out of contract in 2027, and is unlikely to be offered a new one. His time is done, and he needs to move on for himself.

Christy Ring 11 Posted 20/05/2026 at 07:31:52

Hopefully he'll do well for Scotland and gets a move in the summer.

It must knock your confidence when not only playing a centreback at fullback, but then moving a midfielder to play there and you looking on from the bench.

I still don't understand when Moyes played him in 3 games in a row this season, we won two and drew one, then dropped him, typical Moyes.

Andy Meighan 12 Posted 20/05/2026 at 07:57:20

Made up for him.

He had a decent spell over Christmas and has since been treated like shit by the manager and his geriatric staff (Baines apart).

Mick O\\\'Malley 13 Posted 20/05/2026 at 08:01:28

No one on this earth will ever convince me that Jake OBrien is a better right back than Patterson, I'm absolutely delighted for Nathan that he has made the world cup squad, I hope he gets a few games so he can secure himself a move to a club where he will get a game over a lumbering centre half who should only be playing in his proper position

Allan Board 14 Posted 20/05/2026 at 08:14:37

Pleased for him. Perhaps he'll get better treatment than Moyes and his useless staff have offered him. And I agree — 10 times better than O'brien. Moyes holds grudges doesn't he? Piss off back to West Ham, Davey — I've had enough of you already.

Glasner!

Alan McGuffog 15 Posted 20/05/2026 at 08:47:04

Mick..I think there's only one person on God's green earth who is convinced that Jake O’Brien is a better right back than Patterson.

And we're lumbered with that person.

Anthony Dove 16 Posted 20/05/2026 at 09:00:27

Delighted for him. Despite all Moyes's efforts, he's going on the football trip of his life.

He was one of the few who gave his all in the Sunderland cup tie but basically hasn't been seen since.

Tony Abrahams 17 Posted 20/05/2026 at 09:41:35

Mike, Lampard was prepared to play Nathan Patterson.

Both Dyche and Moyes, who are a lot more cautious and unadventurous, both decided to eliminate Patterson, because defending is not his strongest point, but it’s a bit untrue saying Lampard, didn’t use him because I remember him doing okay a couple of times under Frank, but he never got a long enough sustained run in the team because of injuries.

Football, is and always will be built on having a good defence, but the teams who win, have usually got to be good at attacking as well.

Some people don’t mind having Jake O’Brien, playing fullback, but watching him playing there has definitely been the most infuriating thing I have witnessed in a lot of home games this season.

Good luck to Patterson, this summer, hopefully he has a good tournament and gets himself a good move.

Dave Abrahams 18 Posted 20/05/2026 at 10:06:16

Mike (9) Mike never mind the managers who have spent thousands (?) of hours watching him in training and have rejected him. Steve Clark didn’t have to see him in training he remembered him from the times he selected him to play for Scotland and kept him in mind, good on him for that, he knows what Nathan offers Scotland and is happy to have him in his squad.

Moyes has treated Nathan badly and worse than that he has taken the piss out of Charly Alcaraz, I would love to know the story about why Charly has been treated that way.

Ian Bennett 19 Posted 20/05/2026 at 10:19:18

I put up some stats Tony, of him under Frank.

20 games played out of 44. He won 3 games under Frank - including. Boreham Wood Fa cup 45 mins, West Ham H, & Fleetwood league cup

His influence wasnt great, nor his reliability. I cant accept a revisionist view from any of us that he was good under Lampard, and Dyche or Moyes have done him over.

He was a prospect that was seen to have good attributes. Has missed a lot of games from injury, and has failed to grasp his chance. A humiliation including a shocking performance vs Bradford in EPL2 match.

If one manager had overlooked him, I would argue that he has had a raw deal, but all of them, when weve played Young, Coleman, Garner, Obrien ahead of him, tells me something isn't right. They might be average managers, but theyre not all stupid to overlook at 24 year old for those players.

He will go on to play at a moderate level I am sure. But I don't believe he is the level what we need going forward.

I cant disagree with the decision not to invest more minutes into a player that is done. If I am any of the retained players, that is what id expect.

As soon as he was dropped again after the 3 games, you knew he was done.

Andrew Ellams 20 Posted 20/05/2026 at 10:23:15

Just to add, the Scotland team probably would struggle in the PL so sitting on their bench is not a massive achievement.

Rob Dolby 21 Posted 20/05/2026 at 10:28:11

This just highlights how poor Scottish football has become.

Scotland used to produce top players now Celtic and Rangers are full of foreigners whilst the Scottish players are forced to play lower leagues or pack in.

I wanted Patterson to succeed but when given a run of games he got injured and gave someone else an opportunity.

Without doubt O'Brien is the better defender and whilst we have a defence minded coach Patterson will not be given a chance.

Our youth set up must also be pretty poor if we can't produce either full back. Even trying to convert wingers into fullbacks can't be on the agenda in the academy.

Wish him well in the world cup, bet he was as surprised as anyone to get a call up.

Dave Abrahams 22 Posted 20/05/2026 at 10:29:32

Andrew (20),

Maybe it's not a massive achievement but it will certainly be a massive confidence booster for the lad considering he got none or very little from his club managers.

Mike Powell 23 Posted 20/05/2026 at 10:43:15

Shows how poor Scottish football is if Patterson gets in there team, watched him a few times for under 21s he is no where near good enough for the prem, O'Brien much better than him, and he is not great at right back, but besides that good luck to him

Steve Brown 24 Posted 20/05/2026 at 11:49:00

I don’t think O’Brien is better at full back than Nathan Patterson.

Tony Abrahams 25 Posted 20/05/2026 at 11:59:13

Thanks for putting those stats up Ian, which proves that Lampard, was prepared to use Nathan Patterson. I am not trying to use revisionist views, I am just saying that I thought Lampard, was prepared to use Patterson, a lot more than either Dyche or Moyes.

I remember Patterson, getting taken off against Boreham Wood, on his debut at half time, and his replacement Jonjoe Kenny, having a hand in our two goals during the second half. Some people thought he was miles away (he was raw, how many senior games had he played when Everton, signed him?) but I was impressed with parts of the kids game, because I like watching players who have got a good first touch and like to run forward.

The club, has been down a dark road. We have had some very good young footballers, who haven’t really progressed and got the best out of themselves, with my own view being that the most important thing in the world for a young footballers development, is that you have got to be playing senior football, on a regular basis, because there is simply no substitute with regards helping them learn the game

Tony Abrahams 26 Posted 20/05/2026 at 12:06:33

Steve, watching O’Brien playing fullback on a regular basis is horrible mate, with my own view being that this has affected young players like Dibling, when he has been given a chance.

I can still remember Dibling letting the ball go through his legs (deliberately) because he knew Nathan Patterson, was running into the space, at Forest. Do you think he would have done this If O’Brien would have been playing fullback?

Maybe I’m old fashioned but I’ve always believed that football is about partnerships. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates, is imperative, and when Moyes, has picked Dibling, to play in front of Jake O’Brien, the first thing he has done to the kid, imo, is expose his weakness.

Mark Ryan 27 Posted 20/05/2026 at 15:30:15

Mike @ 9 so why have we kept him ? Poor managers all 3 of em

John Collins 28 Posted 20/05/2026 at 15:42:27

Because nobody wanted him Mark?

Sean Mitchell 29 Posted 20/05/2026 at 18:03:38

I hope he has a decent World Cup. How soul destroying must it be seeing O’Brien ahead of you. Then again, look at who’s the manager who ‘gets the most out of players’. Ask the young players (face palm).

He will end up back in Scotland and my money is on either of the old firm, or Hearts.

Good luck to the lad.