"Scotland is a passionate country for football," were Sebastien Pocognoli's opening words as the new men's national team head coach. The travelling Tartan Army complete with their song and bonhomie were one of the stories of the World Cup. Boston fell in love with them. Miami welcomed them. But it was a two-week trip. Scotland ultimately failed in their mission to make the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time.
The fans' vibrant passion was not enough to carry Scotland through. Their attack was blunt, the defence vulnerable and their best players failed to find peak form. As confirmation came of their elimination, Steve Clarke fell on his own sword, just 30 days after he signed a new four-year contract to take him through to 2030. The Scottish FA's plans for the next World Cup cycle had been shredded by familiar heartbreak.
So as the disappointment of a short World Cup stay hung over the country, the Scottish FA started to look for Clarke's successor. The early names linked were eye-catching but ultimately unobtainable: David Moyes, Ange Postecoglou were two mentioned early on. Rafa Benitez was also linked at one stage. All the while the Scottish FA enlisted the help of sports intelligence company Twenty First Group to pore through reams of data and analysis to find a list of suitable candidates to hit their own criteria of what's needed to make a winning Scotland side. They wanted someone who would build on the foundations Clarke had laid, while offering their own flourish.
The Scottish FA's CEO Ian Maxwell and chief football officer Craig Mulholland went on their tour of Europe, speaking to potential candidates. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was mentioned as one who came close to securing the post, while back home, Steven Naismith, Clarke's assistant coach, was also a reported front-runner. Roberto Martinez also popped up. Then late last week, news broke of Pocognoli's ascension to the throne with the Belgian becoming Scotland's second foreign coach after Berti Vogts.
For Mulholland, his European interrailing trip also included information gathering, seeking to understand "what successful nations do to continually get to where we want to be", he said on Monday. This was a managerial pick based on far more than grit and determination. "We looked at metrics around playing style -- and Sebastien met all of that -- but beyond the data what's important is the person," Mulholland said. "We had to look the person in the eye and know they would add to what we already have."
Maxwell said Pocognoli's appointment was a "coup for the federation" as they'd secured one of the "most sought after, up and coming coaches in Europe".
Pocognoli's playing career saw him play for West Brom and Brighton in the UK, alongside time with Genk, AZ Alkmaar, Standard Liege, Hannover 96 and Union Saint-Gilloise. He also won 13 Belgium caps. His playing career finished in 2021 and he went on to work with the youth teams at USG in 2021-2022, the Genk under-18s the following season, as well as the Belgian U16 and U18 national teams in 2023 and 2024. In July 2024 he was named head coach of Union St.-Gilloise (part of Tony Bloom's stable alongside Brighton and Hearts) and helped guide them to the Belgian First Division title in the 2024-25 season, their first since 1935. He was appointed Monaco coach in October 2025, but lasted just eight months in the role having been dismissed in June.
He has an "aggressive, front-foot style of play that will excite supporters", according to Mulholland, and favours a 3-4-1-2 formation. "The game I like to play is a dominant one, with and without the ball," Pocognoli said when he got the Monaco job. "High pressing, counter-pressing, but also real mastery in possession." His coaching philosophy is drawn partly on lessons from Louis van Gaal and Vincent Kompany, while in an interview with the RTBF in Oct. 2024, he said: "For me, players are artists. And for an artist to put on a good show, they must be comfortable mentally and physically."
It's clearly done enough to woo the SFA. "Sebastien had a massive passion for us becoming a high-performing nation, his own experience as a player and a coach," Mulholland said. "We spent hours talking football, talking players and you'll hear today the work he's already done, which is quite incredible."
For Pocognoli, there's going to be limited time to find his feet in the role. Scotland's next match is on Sept. 26 away at Slovenia, then it's home to Switzerland on Sept. 29, away to North Macedonia on Oct. 3 then back at Hampden against Slovenia, all in Nations League B with their home Euros waiting in 2028. It'll be an intense three-week block, but in that time, he'll also look to evolve this group.
Since their World Cup exit, veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon has retired but the core remains. They have world-class talent in Andy Robertson, John McGinn and Scott McTominay but expect the personnel to change around that spine of the team. Scotland's attack was blunt in America, a far too familiar problem. So there will be regeneration there, with players like Ben Gannon-Doak and Findlay Christie likely key. He also needs to find a first-choice striker to lead Scotland into Euro 2028. That may come from the familiar pool of Ché Adams, Ross Stewart, Lawrence Shankland and Lyndon Dykes, but Pocognoli would have seen Sevilla pick up 22-year-old striker Robbie Ure from Swedish side Sirius, while Kieron Bowie is hoping to impress at Serie A side Sassuolo.
In midfield, Lennon Miller was on the periphery under Clarke and left out of the World Cup squad but Scotland have true strength in that area of the pitch. McTominay under-performed in the World Cup but remains their star man, while Lewis Ferguson is impressive. McGinn is also there if they can find someone else to start on the wing, while Lennon Miller will welcome the chance to impress Pocognoli having been left out of the World Cup squad. In defence, there's work to be done. The centre backs who went to America are all in around the 30 years old mark. Grant Hanley can't go on forever. That area of the pitch needs regeneration.
In Clarke's final press conference after the Brazil defeat in Miami, he said Scotland have work to do if they are to catch up with the rest of the world. "When you see the physicality, power and technique of Brazil and Morocco -- you see we have to do something about it," Clarke said. "We have to be better at producing young players that can grace the world stage."
It's no simple feat. The Scottish FA is holding a summit next month at St. Andrews on the future of the sport and how it can work with Scotland's clubs to provide more opportunities for young, promising talent to break through. Across the opening two weekends of the Scottish Premier League, 31% of players in the top flight were Scottish with a sixth of them under 21, according to the BBC. There's work to be done.
Pocognoli has a two-year contract. But given his predecessor had seven years in the hot seat, you sense the SFA are hoping this is a long-term appointment. Pocognoli is talking about the job as much. He has one eye on the immediate need for results, but another on nurturing and developing young Scottish talent. "There's a lot of young talent who are ready to shine," Pocognoli said on Sunday. "And it's also my job to keep and sharing the heritage but also to bring the new step in the style of play and the future of Scottish football."
For so long the Tartan Army has travelled to tournaments in hope of seeing their team in the knockouts. They've brought passion from the stands and that's fuelled Scotland. But Scotland cannot run on passion alone. Ultimately the fans have been the team's legacy in major tournaments.
Clarke has built the foundations, and did so well leading them back into European Championship and the World Cup. He is the architect of the project Pocognoli has picked up and leaves a huge legacy. Now it's time for the Belgian to add the next layer in Scotland's development, but the expectation is high. Clarke turned Scotland into a team used to being in major tournaments again, but they are bored of being nearly-men. "Scotland is a passionate country and I think also, regarding the strong foundation that Steve Clarke and his staff did, that I can use this heritage to put the next accent in the style of play while also developing players for the future," Pocognoli said. "That's why I'm here."