Scotland World Cup squad analysis: Strikers

Steve Clarke has announced his Scotland World Cup squad. As we approach this momentous event in the history of Scottish sport, we follow up our analysis of the midfielders in his squad. Specifically, this is the 4th & final part of our analysis of the Scotland World Cup squad. This time we look at the strikers.

Ché Adams

Age	29
Full Scotland caps	46*
Latest Scotland cap	March 2026 (v Côte d’Ivoire)
Club	Torino
Club division	Italian 1st
Club division Opta rating	86.3 (4th globally)

* All stats in this page are as at 21 May 2026

Adams has played 2,076 mins in Italy this season. So, like others in this series of articles analysing the Scotland World Cup squad, there’s little chance he’ll go to the finals feeling fatigued from the club season. Further, Adams has scored 7 goals this season for Torino & 3 assists. He didn’t though repeat his feat of last season, of making it into the EA Sports Serie A 23-man squad of the season. 

Also, Adams partnered George Hirst in the March international challenge game v Côte d’Ivoire. Consequently, Clarke has stated that he’d seen enough in that pairing to play the 2 of them together in at least 1 game at the finals. This is an interesting diversion by Clarke from his usual preferred strikers, Adams & Dykes.

A further opportunity exists for Adams to make some history at WC 2026, by adding his name further to the table of Scotland Men’s National Team (SMNT) players below:

SMNT Distinction	Player
1st non-white player (of Scotland & any nation globally)	Andrew Watson, 1881
1st player of Asian origin (and only non-white player in the 20th century)	Paul Wilson, 1975
1st non-white goalscorer (& 1st non-white player of the 21st century)	Nigel Quashie, 2004
1st non-white to play at a major tournament finals	Ché Adams, 2021
1st non-white to score at a major tournament finals	?
1st non-white added to the Scottish Football International Roll of Honour	?

With 2 pre-World Cup warm up games and at least 3 games at the finals, Adams currently on 46 caps could have the 50 caps to be added to the Scottish Football International Roll of Honour by the end of June. Further, will he score at the finals? Of course, there’s no guarantee that he will.

Ché Adams of course is a 100% team player. Indeed, Adam Clery of Four Four Two has produced analysis of Scotland in which Adams is highlighted for his work dragging CBs to the left, allowing Scott McTominay to exploit with lethal effect. Adams won’t mind if Scotland have a successful World Cup in which he personally doesn’t score.

Lyndon Dykes

Age	30
Full Scotland caps	50
Date of latest cap	March 2026 (v Côte d’Ivoire)
Club	Charlton Athletic
Club division	English 2nd tier
Club division Opta rating	81.6 (9th globally)

As predicted on this website, the level of trust Clarke places in Dykes would see Dykes making the squad. Dykes reached the 50 cap mark in the March international break. Dykes is profiled in detail in this article of 2 weeks ago.

Further, Dykes did reasonably OK in his 1/2 season stint just ended at Charlton, averaging a goal or assist every 215 mins when he played. Testament to that is Charlton have been reported as opening talks to offer Dykes a new contract. He is another in the Scotland World Cup squad who was used by his club as a squad player. Thus like others in that situation in the squad, he should be fresh at WC 2026. And of course if Dykes remains out of contract, the World Cup is a shop window for him.

George Hirst

Age	27
Full Scotland caps	8
Date of latest cap	March 2026 (v Côte d’Ivoire)
Club	Ipswich Town
Club division	English 1st tier
Club division Opta rating	92.1 (1st globally)

As reported in our post March internationals analysis, Hirst was generally considered to have done reasonably well versus Côte d’Ivoire. Subsequently, Clarke has validated that opinion, stating he intends to re-use the Adams & Hirst pairing from that game in at least 1 game at the finals.

Further, Hirst enjoyed a good end to the club season with Ipswich winning auto-promotion to the English Premier League. Specifically, in his last 15 games, he scored 5 & assisted 3. Ipswich were rotating him as a squad player. Hirst only played 588 mins in those 15 games. Thus for those 15 games, that equates to a very healthy 118 mins per goal, and 74 mins for either a goal or assist. As yet another squad player in the club season ended, he goes to WC 2026 feeling fresh.

Lawrence Shankland

For Shankland & his Hearts team-mates, the title of Scottish champions was not to be this year. However, it was still a good season for Shankland on an individual level, making it into the PFA Scotland Team of the Season.

Shankland remains one of only 2 forwards in the squad recognised as any kind of natural finisher. While lacking pace, his Kenny Dalglish style 2 footed shooting ability means Shankland needs only a touch to shoot when given sight of goal. Also, as per our profile of Shankland 2 weeks ago, 4 goals from his 524 mins playing for SMNT equates to a goal every 131 mins that he plays that he plays for Scotland.

Ross Stewart

Age	29
Full Scotland caps	2
Date of latest cap	June 2022 (v Republic of Ireland)
Club	Southampton
Club division	English 2nd tier
Club division Opta rating	81.6 (9th globally)

What an extraordinary end to the season for Stewart & his Southampton team-mates, this week kicked out of the play offs in England due to Spygate. However, looking at that clinically from a Scotland perspective, Southampton missing the play-off final, is one less game in which the injury prone Stewart can re-injure.

Stewart is the other forward in the Scotland World Cup squad who can claim to be a natural finisher. However, the aerially & physically dominant Stewart is a different type of player from the much more 2 footed Shankland. As per our article re Ross Stewart of a week ago, his output for Southampton since returning from injury in January looks good. Specifically in that time frame, he averaged scoring a goal every 110 mins, and averaged contributing a goal or assist every 91 mins.

Previously in this article in this series profiling the Scotland World Cup squad, we analysed the potential vulnerability of Brazil at FB, and their GK Alisson Becker not being renowned as the best at dealing with crosses. Hence, if the likes of Ben Gannon-Doak and/or Findlay Curtis are able to exploit Brazil FB weakness and get crosses in, Stewart could be just the man to capitalise. Whatever else Stewart does at the World Cup, like any player he must avoid injury. That is more difficult for the injury prone Stewart than it is for most other players. Southampton have done well managing his minutes since that January return from injury. Steve Clarke & co should take note.