Scotland are back at the World Cup for the first time in 28 years this summer, meaning a whole generation of both fans and players will get their first taste of the game’s biggest tournament.
An unforgettable qualification campaign that climaxed with the dramatic win over Denmark last year has given hope among supporters that Scotland can more than make up the numbers.
Tasked with leading the squad in North America is skipper Andy Robertson, a player who has won almost everything at club level and now finally gets the chance to tick off another career goal.
Robertson on Scotland’s objectives this summer
“That was always the aim,” Robertson tells FourFourTwo when asked about what it means to play at a World Cup. “Qualifying for tournaments was one thing, but to help take your country to a World Cup was always the biggest driving factor. It’s the biggest stage – it’s the pinnacle – and the tournament that everyone in the world wants to be involved in.
“I’m not as young as I once was, time was probably a little bit against me in terms of it coming round every four years. So I knew this could potentially be my last chance and I didn’t want to give that up – I wanted to give absolutely everything to make that happen. We made sure everything off the pitch was spot on, then it was up to us to deliver on the pitch. Credit to the lads, we all did that. It’s a relief of course, but something I’m very proud of. We all are.”
Scotland’s qualification for Euro 2020 marked their return to tournament football for the first time since France 98, while a disappointing showing at Euro 2024 means the Scots head across the Atlantic with plenty of recent experience at major tournaments.
“Tournament football is unique,” Robertson adds. “It’s completely different to anything else you’ll play within the game. The more you experience that, the more you’re going to learn from it. With the two Euros, there were certain games we were happy with and certain games that we weren’t.
“It’s also about getting things right off the pitch to make the lads produce their best performances. That definitely helped us in qualifying campaigns, and I think a good part of your team journey is disappointment and how you react to it. After the Euros there was disappointment, but we then came back and qualified for a World Cup. It shows we can bounce back, but the one thing this team hasn’t achieved is to have a successful tournament.
“It’s up to us now to make the next step and prove we can be successful at that level. That’s what we want, and that’s what’s left for us to achieve. We’ve got another chance at it this summer – we hope this can be the tournament that clicks for us, and that we can show the best version of ourselves out there. Hopefully the team can create even more history.”
And as Robertson looks ahead, how does he feel about having the chance to become the first Scotland team to ever make it out of the group stage at a major tournament?
“We’re not thinking too much about being the first team to get out of the group,” he insist. “That’s always the aim – to win games and play in the knockouts. We know how difficult a group we’re in, and we want to be successful and win enough points to make that happen.
“But being able to play Brazil, the most successful and iconic team in World Cup history, is pretty special. And then playing against Morocco and Haiti too, I think they’re three really good games to have at a World Cup and fantastic to be involved in. We’re just excited for the matches, to try to be the best version of ourselves and aim to make it out of the group.
“It’s not about creating history, it’s about us wanting to be successful in this tournament, and we’ll create a bit of history along the way if we can make that happen.”
