How many of Scotland's World Cup squad were born in Scotland?

Scotland Euro 2024 squad Lyndon Dykes of Scotland during the international friendly match between Scotland and Northern Ireland at Hampden Park on March 26, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland.(Photo by AMA Archive - AMA/Getty Images).

Football supporters love a transfer window and we're all used to hearing about the recruitment teams at our clubs. Recruitment is a different discipline at international level but it's a more complicated art than it might appear at face value.

Scotland are no exception to that. In a World Cup full of teams boasting players of more diverse origins than the badge on their shirts would suggest, Steve Clarke has been able to call upon the services of players who weren't born in the country they represent.

But how many of Scotland's players were born beyond the nation's borders, and where did they draw their first breaths?

How many of Scotland's World Cup players were born outside Scotland?

Kieran Tierney

Of Scotland's 26 players, a total of seven were born in places other than Scotland. The most noteworthy on a purely geographical level is striker Lyndon Dykes, who was born in Queensland to Scottish parents and raised in Australia before joining Queen of the South in 2014.

Defender Kieran Tierney moved to Scotland before he was a year old but was actually born in Douglas, the capital city of the Isle of Man, and is its most famous footballer by far.

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The other five players in the Scotland squad for World Cup 2026 who were not born north of the border are from south of it.

Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay effectively grew up at Manchester United but he was born in Lancaster. Prior to his Scotland debut in 2018, there was a big question mark over the direction of his international future.

Another noteworthy English-born player is Tyler Fletcher. He was born in England while his father, Darren, played for United.

The 19-year-old boosted Scotland's ranks of the elsewhere when he was called in late to replace the injured Billy Gilmour, who was born in Ayrshire and grew up in Ardrossan.

Che Adams (Leicester), George Hirst (Sheffield) and Angus Gunn (Norwich) were born south of the border. While Bryan Gunn, the father of Angus, was very much a Scot, Hirst's father David played three times for England.

Scott McTominay (Image credit: Getty Images)

Scotland squad in full

Player	Nation of birth
Che Adams	England
Ryan Christie	Scotland
Findlay Curtis	Scotland
Lyndon Dykes	Australia
Lewis Ferguson	Scotland
Tyler Fletcher	England
Ben Gannon-Doak	Scotland
Craig Gordon	Scotland
Angus Gunn	England
Grant Hanley	Scotland
Jack Hendry	Scotland
Aaron Hickey	Scotland
George Hirst	England
Dominic Hyam	Scotland
Liam Kelly	Scotland
John McGinn	Scotland
Scott McKenna	Scotland
Kenny McLean	Scotland
Scott McTominay	England
Nathan Patterson	Scotland
Anthony Ralston	Scotland
Andy Robertson	Scotland
Lawrence Shankland	Scotland
John Souttar	Scotland
Ross Stewart	Scotland
Kieran Tierney	Isle of Man