Who Possibly Next for Scotland if Steve Clarke leaves after the World Cup?

The feeling of Scottish football and in particular the men's national team is still on cloud nine after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since France 1998. It goes without saying that Steve Clarke has done a spectacular job since taken the helm at Hampden Park in 2019, qualifying for three major tournaments out of four and also achieving a number of famous results, in particular at Hampden where they have defeated the pot one team in the last three campaigns.

However, it was revealed that Steve Clarke would be running down his contact, with the Scotland manager saying back in March 2025 that he was 75% sure that he wouldn't be staying on when his contract expires in the summer. But, after qualifying for the World Cup, it wouldn't be a total surprise to see Clarke sign a new contract heading into the UEFA Nations League matches in the Autumn which will lead into the qualification campaign for Euro 2028, which sees Scotland co-hosting the tournament and hosting six matches at Hampden, including a quarter final match.

Ian Maxwell, the SFA's CEO, revealed that he hopes to get Clarke's contract situation sorted before heading to the USA for the World Cup in order to be in a position where everyone knows exactly where they stand ahead of the tournament.

It would be hoped that Maxwell and Co. will have a shortlist of names of managers who could take over from Clarke or who they would like to interview from a shortlist in the event of a departure. Let's say that both do decide that a FIFA World Cup is the best place to end Clarke's tenure and move-on, who could be the new Scotland manager.

We have come up with a shortlist of names who will be names expected to be on the final shortlist plus some wildcard suggestions to think outside the box on managers who could do a job as the next national team manager of Scotland.

We have selected them based on either of the following categories: a wide knowledge of Scottish football and the players within the National Team setup, previous successful international football managerial experience, a manager who will represent a new style of football which suits the players in the full team squad and that of players coming through the U19s and U21s and managers with experience of working with young players breaking into first team surroundings.

Here is our final eight selections of who could land the keys to Hampden Park come the Summer:

David Moyes

For some the number one contender for the Scotland job. Also, for some, after the disappointing displays in UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany many believed Moyes, then working without a club after leaving West Ham, should take the job and replace Clarke immediately and become the Scotland boss heading into the UEFA Nations League group A matches and the FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. Moyes has now gone on to take up a second spell at Everton in the Premier League winning 18 out of his 45 games in charge of the Toffees.

Moyes has previously expressed a long-term interest in eventually becoming the Scotland manager, viewing it as a role that he would like to take up one day in the future, but prioritizes club management and day-to-day involvement with players.

Taking him away from his beloved Everton will provide a challenge for the SFA if they believe Moyes is the outstanding person for the job but with the passion of one day becoming the national team manager still lingering with him, perhaps the best time to fill the job is now.

Michael O'Neill

The current Northern Ireland manager who is enjoying his second spell in charge of his homeland currently building a young squad of players at his disposal. O'Neill guided Northern Ireland to their first European Championship back in 2016 and is currently planning a play-off route to guide the Green and White Army to the World Cup, at the expense of Italy, Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The SFA have previously attempted to get O'Neill as the National Team manager before when Gordon Strachan departed after failure to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, despite being classed as the number one target by the SFA, O'Neill declined the job citing that it wasn't the right time in his career to leave his first spell as Northern Ireland manager to take up the job at Hampden and instead signed a new contract at Windsor Park.

O'Neill knows Scottish football very well after living in Edinburgh for the majority of his adult life, regularly attends topflight Scottish football matches, has international managerial experience and had a long and successful career playing in Scotland with the likes of Dundee United, Hibernian, Aberdeen, St. Johnstone, Clydebank and Ayr United.

Ange Postecoglou

One of the biggest names on the shortlist; Postecoglou has shone in the spotlight after his successful tenure at Celtic, where he won five out six trophies in his two seasons in charge at the club. Since his spell in Glasgow, he went on to Tottenham where he won the UEFA Europa League, resulting in Tottenham's first trophy since 2008. His spell at Nottingham Forest earlier this season only lasted 39 days but is got enough credit in the bank after successful jobs at Celtic and Tottenham.

Postecoglou has international football experience managing Australia, at three different ages levels including the men's national team from 2013 to 2017 where he qualified the Socceroos to two FIFA World Cups along with winning the 2015 Asian Cup against South Korea. His attacking style will provide Scotland with a new focus which could be bold and exciting, especially with a new generation of players coming forward and who are already in Steve Clarke's senior team.

In 2024, Postecoglou worked for ITV's coverage of the European Championships where he covered two Scotland games for the network where he passionately spoke about the players in the squad and talked up their potential and playing style said that he missed being in Scotland and missed the Scotland fans and declared himself a Scotland fan for the Euros. Perhaps a return to club football might suit him better, but if a tempting offer from the SFA comes on the table perhaps we could see Postecoglou take the keys to Hampden Park.

Darren Fletcher

After the experience of Steve Clarke, could the SFA perhaps be looking for a new young coach to guide a potential new crop of players coming into the international scene? If so, perhaps Darren Fletcher could be the man for the job. Not only a former Scotland midfielder and captain but one of the players who has earned the most respect out of any player during the national team's omittance's of international football tournaments. So should have no problems getting the fans onside.

Fletcher entered football coaching officially at Manchester United becoming the club's U16s head coach. After impressing at youth team level, Fletcher was promoted to become the club's first-team coach and then became the technical director in 2021. Despite being replaced in 2024, United said that Fletcher would remain and the club and would "continue to play a key role in the football leadership team".

He was then appointed as the U18s head coach in 2025 where he has been his new role so much so that he became the caretaker manager of the club when Ruben Amorim was sacked. He lost out on the interim manager's job to Michael Carrick and Fletcher returned to the U18s role at his own request. Perhaps appointing a manager with so little first team experience could be a risk but his leadership skills and his experience in the youth team levels could provide the SFA a different type of option when it comes to a new manager.

Hervé Renard

If the SFA are prioritising in appointing a manager with a speciality solely on international football management then Hervé Renard could be the one for them. Renard is the current manager of Saudi Arabia, in his second spell with the Green Falcons and has guided them back to the FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Renard's track record in international football is impressive. Renard started his managerial career in France with Draguignan but went onto eventually become the manager of Cambridge United. His tenure in international football started off in 2007 when he became Claude Le Roy's assistant manager of Ghana but in the following year he was appointed manager of Zambia. He would eventually leave the Copper Bullets to go to Angolo but resigned only months into his tenure. He returned to Zambia in 2011 and the following year won the African Cup of Nations. What followed would be spells with Ivory Coast, Morocco, his first spell with Saudi Arabia, the France Women's team and then a second spell with Saudi Arabia.

Renard is a two-time AFCON champion and guided Saudi Arabia to third place in the FIFA Arab Cup. His time with France's Women team gave him his first foray into international football in Europe, however a spell at Scotland could provide him with his spell at men's team level.

Derek McInnes

It would perhaps take a lot to take Derek McInnes away from Hearts, but could the chance to become the Scotland manager be something that is too good to turn down? An experienced figure head in the Scottish football pyramid, McInnes only joined the Tynecastle club in the summer after a spell at Kilmarnock.

McInnes managed St. Johnstone to Scottish Premiership promotion in 2009 where he then went to become manager at Bristol City for 18 months. He returned to Scotland with Aberdeen where he won the 2014 League Cup, the club's first trophy in 19 years. The Dons would go into another three cup finals under McInnes but finished as runners-up. After his departure at Pittodrie he then joined Kilmarnock guiding the club back to the Scottish Premiership and eventually European football.

Would be considered a safe pair of hands to take up the Scotland job, however some fans who would prefer a new manager with a different style to that of Steve Clarke would perhaps be disappointed perhaps of McInnes coming in. But there is no doubt about his knowledge and experience of Scottish football if that is the leading point of the SFA's search for a new manager.

Lee Carsley

An experienced figure head in terms of international football, albeit from a different level to that of the senior team. Lee Carsley, a former Ireland midfielder, is currently the England U21 manager where he has guided the Young Lions to back-to-back European Under-21 Championships in 2023 and 2025.

An opportunity to come into senior international football came after UEFA Euro 2024 where he was appointed the interim head coach of England where he provided a pathway for some the under 21 internationals to senior international football experience and ultimately their first England caps. Carsley won five games out of six and lost out on the full-time role to Thomas Tuchel and returned to Under 21 level.

Carsley provides Scotland with international football managerial experience and will trust working with young players coming into the international full team squad environment. Some will say that after back-to-back titles with England U21s the time could be right for Carsley to be promoted to full team international football. The FAI made Carsley their preferred choice to become manager of Ireland in 2024 but ultimately failed in their approach when Carsley rejected the job to remain with England’s U21s. The Scotland job, however, should be a bigger appeal to that of Ireland if the SFA approach correctly if they are believe he is the number one candidate.

Jurgen Klinsmann

Another experienced figure head in international football if that is the SFA's preferred route to go down with. Klinsmann has managed three different countries on three different continents in multiple international football tournaments.

His first spell in international football came with Germany in 2004 where he created a youthful movement into an aging squad after a poor showing in Euro 2004. His trust in young players paid off as Germany finished the FIFA 2006 World Cup in third place restoring pride back into the international team standards, many of his young players would go on to become key players in Germany's World Cup success in Brazil. Despite this Klinsmann stood down as international manager and would eventually become the Bayern Munich boss. International football spells followed with a successful job with the USA national team and with South Korea, where he guided the nation to third place of the Asian Cup in 2023.

Klinsmann's figure head experience in international football could be the key factor if that is what the SFA would be looking for and the 62-year-old is currently out of work since February 2024 and could be looking for a way back into work.

Eight different types of candidates for the top job in Scottish football whenever the time is right to make a change in the National Team approach. However with the success of Scotland under Clarke of qualifying for three out of their last four international tournaments, it will go without saying, whoever would get the job has a hard task to follow Scotland's most successful manager.

In honest truth, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Steve Clarke remain in charge of Scotland heading into a home European Championships tournament, with an opportunity to put things right after the disappointing performances and results against Czech Republic and Croatia the last time Scotland hosted matches in the Euros back in 2021.

One thing though is that if Clarke and Ian Maxwell agree that the World Cup is the right time to part ways and end his reign as Scotland manager then the SFA need to act as quickly as possible to land a number one choice and not repeat old habits after Gordon Strachan's end of tenure back in October 2017.