One hundred days out from World Cup 2026, Scotland assistant coach Steven Naismith says he is “very optimistic” about the nation’s chances of progressing beyond the group stages for the first time.
Scotland were drawn in Group C with five-time champions Brazil, 2022 semi-finalists Morocco and Haiti. Naismith, a 51‑cap former forward who played under Steve Clarke and joined his coaching staff in 2021, believes this squad can build on ending a 28‑year wait for World Cup qualification.
“If I’m honest, if you looked at the teams involved and our squad and where it’s at, before the draw even came out, I had a feeling that our aim, and the manager’s been very big on this way back to when we narrowly missed out in the Ukraine play‑off, that we can’t not just get to the finals, we can definitely progress,” he told Sky Sports News. “So I think the games are all going to be tough, the conditions are going to be tough, but that’s the same for everybody. You’re playing against a lot of different nations that you don’t come up as much against. They’ll be tough games, but I definitely feel we’ve got what it takes within the group to progress and be the first team to do that at the World Cup.”
Naismith highlighted the squad’s experience and leadership as strengths. “What we’ve got is a squad of leaders who are at their prime, playing at big clubs to guide the potential younger guys in the squad as well. So we are very optimistic. It’s going to be hard work, but we will definitely do all we can. This group have continuously excelled and made their own history. The next step, and what would be really nice for some of the guys, is to finish their career to be the ones that push through the group stage and into the knockout stages of a World Cup.”
Base camp and preparations
Naismith spent months scouting the US east coast for a suitable training base. Scotland have confirmed their base will be in Charlotte, North Carolina, using MLS club Charlotte FC’s training facility. He cited location, climate and the professional environment as reasons for the choice.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve got a grasp of from being in America quite a bit is just the scale and the travel,” Naismith said. “The heat and the travel are going to be things that every country that is there is going to need to deal with, and we’ve got to prepare in the build‑up as well as we can to get used to that, and then make sure that our surrounding base camp is as comfortable as possible for the players. It was just about doing the legwork, getting to each facility, getting to every hotel and understanding what works for us.
“Charlotte was really high up in our pick because the location’s very good, it’s a lovely city, the humidity and the heat’s going to be there, it’s an MLS facility in terms of our training base, so that gives the players the feel that they are in the environment they are used to at their clubs. And then on top of that, travel, as I said before, travel’s going to be big. I think for any European team, a European away game or an international away game, four or four and a half hours, you’re thinking that travel’s quite long, I think that’s going to be the norm [at the World Cup], if not short… This is how we came to our final decision, and we’re delighted with it, and we think it’ll be a great base.”
Scotland will play their opening two group games at Gillette Stadium in Boston.
Players’ opportunities and selection
Scotland will face Japan at Hampden Park and Ivory Coast at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium in their next friendlies later this month. That camp will be the final opportunity before June send‑off and warm‑up matches for players to stake a claim for the initial World Cup squad.
“I think it’s open season, there are players that will be sitting there hoping that they can make the squad, that maybe haven’t been in a squad. There’ll be guys that have been on the fringes and maybe not played so much recently, that will want to be in the squad, so it’s all about showing your value to the 26‑man squad that gets to the World Cup,” Naismith said.
He praised the group dynamics and warned players not to overthink their approach. “Now the dynamics of this group, I’ve said many times, is the best I’ve seen. It’s the closest I’ve seen to being a club, and there’s an element that you need to keep that foundation to make sure that that amazing bond and that amazing fight that you’ve seen in the Denmark game here is still there, but you also need to make sure you’ve got the players that are on‑form and can contribute in the tournament.
“So I think it’s an opportunity for every player to basically be saying to the manager, get me in your squad. I think the first bit is don’t try and do anything different, because the reason you are maybe thinking I’ve got a chance is because your performances are doing well, you’re maybe playing in a good team. I think in the past at the first Euros [2020] that the manager called up a couple of guys that didn’t have many caps, if any at all, so the manager will make what he thinks is the right decision.”