SFA boss messaged by interested managers hours after Steve Clarke quit as Scotland head coach | OneFootball

Scotland’s search for a new head coach is already underway, with applications arriving just hours after Steve Clarke’s departure following the nation’s 2026 World Cup exit.

The Scots’ campaign concluded after securing only three points from a possible nine in Group C, placing them behind Brazil and Morocco with a goal difference of minus three.

This performance proved insufficient to secure one of the eight coveted spots for the best third-placed teams advancing to the last 32.

Clarke’s decision to step down was confirmed shortly after Croatia’s 2-1 victory over Ghana on Saturday night sealed Scotland’s elimination from the tournament.

Speaking from the team’s hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, as players began to disperse, SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell conveyed the "sadness" surrounding Clarke’s exit, describing the news as still "raw".

When he was asked what was next in terms of a replacement, he said: “The process for that starts now.

“Football is a very small world.

“I wakened this morning to a few messages from people who are interested in the job.

“We are a really attractive job for the right manager, right head coach.

“We have a Euros that we are hosting in 2028 to look forward to, there has been a lot of success over the last few years and we need to appoint someone who can improve on that and continue to drive us forward.

“It is really difficult to put dates on it, we obviously have (Nations League) games coming up in September.

“There is a four-game window at the end of that month.

“It will be soon as we can but as long as we get the right coach.”

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Steve Clarke leaving the Scotland team hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina (PA)

Maxwell did not rule out the possibility of a foreign boss, saying: “Nothing is off the table.

“We need to cast the net as wide as we can.

“It is about getting the right coach, it is not about necessarily where they come from.

“There are a lot of good managers out there it is up to us to make sure we pick the right one.”

Maxwell admitted that Clarke’s “mind was made up” when they spoke after the Brazil game.

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The Scots took three points from the available nine in Group C to end up behind Brazil and Morocco, and with a minus-three goal difference (PA)

He said: “He just wanted to step down. It was his decision.

“We speak a lot. We spoke after the Brazil game, everyone was very down.

“That was the lowest from a Scotland perspective that anyone has felt for a long, long time.

“I spoke to him yesterday and he made up his mind that he wanted to step down and that’s ultimately his decision.

“I can understand why, obviously we didn’t perform as well as we wanted to, I think there has been some fairly hysterical commentary back home, which hasn’t helped, but ultimately it is up to Steve.”