Scotland EURO 2020 Preview - History and Expectations

Published on 24 May 2021 | Last updated on 01 Jul 2026 | Reading time: 4 minutes

Scotland is looking forward to returning to the European finals. The Scots had to wait 23 years to take part in a major international tournament. The ranking of the team for the Euro 2020 was an extremely joyful moment for the whole nation, but can the team led by Steve Clark surpass itself at Euro 2020?

Check out our preview of Scotland at the 2020 European Championships and what we can expect from the "Tartan Terriers".

Scotland European Championships - History and successes

Scotland will take part in the European finals for the third time in its history. The Scots failed to do anything memorable at the 1992 tournaments in Sweden and the 1996 tournaments in England. The nation has not had much success at the international level and the Euro 2020 ranking itself is something very positive. The Scottish team will try for the first time to skip the group phase of the tournament, but it will be a very difficult task.

The Road to Euro 2020

In the qualifying campaign, the Scots finished 3rd behind Belgium and Russia in their group. They collected 15 points in 10 games, seriously lagging behind the strong teams in the group. They managed to win their last three matches against Kazakhstan, Cyprus, and San Marino, which generated some boost in the playoffs, where they eventually fought Israel and Serbia. After failing to secure a Euro 2020 qualification in the traditional way, Scotland had a chance in the playoffs of the League of Nations, where they faced two tough teams in the face of Israel and Serbia. In the decisive playoffs, the Serbs were defeated 5:4 after penalties in Belgrade and so the nation will participate in the first major tournament since 1998.

Euro 2020 fixtures

Scotland is in Group D of Euro 2020 with the teams of England, Croatia, and the Czech Republic.

• June 14, 3:00 pm: Scotland - Czech Republic / Hampden Park, Glasgow /
• June 18, 9:00 pm: England - Scotland / Wembley Stadium, London /
• June 22, 9:00 pm: Croatia - Scotland / Hampden Park, Glasgow /

Scotland squad for the European Football Championship 2020

Almost all of Scotland's players play on the island, with the only exception being defender Jack Hendry, who competes in the Belgian league for Oostende. Scotland has two very experienced goalkeepers such as Craig Gordon and David Marshall, and in defense, we have to distinguish Andrew Roberston from Liverpool and Kieran Tierney from Arsenal. The team's midfield is made up of Premier League players - John McGinn (Aston Villa), Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), Scott McTominey (Man United), and John Fleck (Sheffield United). We can point to the Celtic players Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie. In the attacking phase, the Scottish team has quite good strikers - Lee Griffiths (Celtic), Oliver Burke (Sheffield United), Ryan Fraser (Newcastle), and Che Adams (Southampton).

Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Hearts), David Marshall (Derby County), Jon McLaughlin (Rangers) 
Defenders: Liam Cooper (Leeds), Nathan Patterson (Rangers), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), Grant Hanley (Norwich City), Scott McKenna (Nottingham Forest), Stephen O'Donnell (Motherwell), Kieran Tierney (Arsenal), Declan Gallagher (Motherwell), Greg Taylor (Celtic), Jack Hendry (Oostende) 
Midfielders: Billy Gilmour (Chelsea), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), Scott McTominay (Manchester United), David Turnbull, Ryan Christie (Celtic), John Fleck (Sheffield United) 
Forwards: Ryan Fraser (Newcastle United), Lyndon Dykes (Queens Park Rangers), Che Adams (Southampton), Kevin Nisbet (Hibernian), James Forrest (Celtic)

Source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

The Big Star: Scott McTominay

Scott McTominey is the most influential man in the Scottish midfield and can be called the biggest star of the team. The footballer continues to progress at Manchester United, as his combination of athleticism, defensive resilience, and taking the ball make him very good defensively. At just 24 years old, McTominey has 22 appearances for the Scottish national team as of April 2021. He has yet to score a goal for his country, but why not do so at Euro 2020 to help his team score points in this difficult group.

Expectations for Scotland at Euro 2020

Scotland to win Euro 2020 will be one of the biggest surprises in football. At the last European, however, Wales played in the semi-finals, so the team can be inspired by this achievement of the modest Welsh. In our opinion, the Scottish team does not have the necessary experience in major tournaments and does not have many stars in its composition to move forward from this group. We predict that "Tartan Terriers" will take the 4th and last place in group D.

Odds for Scotland

The boys of trainer Steve Clark are in a very tough group, with the strong teams of England and Croatia and the team of the Czech Republic, which is always prepared to make a surprise. So, bookmakers give Scotland a small chance to even pass the group stage. Bookmakers don't give them any chances to win their group or to win the trophy either. Here are the current odds for the "Tartan Terriers":

To win Euro 2020	251.00
To win Group D	17.00