John McGinn

John McGinn is Scotland's vice-captain and one of Steve Clarke's most experienced midfielders, named in the squad for the 2026 World Cup as the second-most-capped player in the group. The Aston Villa midfielder, also club captain at Villa Park, is 31 at kick-off and brings 85 senior Scotland caps and 20 international goals into a tournament that will be his country's first World Cup since 1998.

Scotland face Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in Group C, opening against Haiti at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on 13 June. Clarke's side won UEFA Group C to qualify on 18 November 2025, ending a 28-year absence from the finals. Fourteen of McGinn's Scotland goals have come in major-tournament qualifiers, a national record.

McGinn is a box-to-box midfielder whose game is built on driving runs from midfield, work rate and goals from distance, the engine-room profile Clarke's 4-2-3-1 relies on to get forward. He breaks lines with the ball and arrives in the box late, turning midfield possession into chances.

His goal return is unusual for a midfielder: 20 for Scotland, with a crucial brace in the 2025-26 Europa League semi-final showing the same end product at club level. That blend of energy and goals makes him a constant in Scotland's midfield group.

Goals from midfield are what John McGinn brings to Scotland's Goal Rush slot: 20 for his country, a record 14 in major-tournament qualifiers, scored from a box-to-box role that drives into the box. That sits behind a Tier 4 side worth £10m, a low-end slot within the game's £200m card budget, with Clarke's 4-2-3-1 set up to send midfielders forward. The Group C schedule starts against Haiti on 13 June.