World Cup: Clarke names 43-year-old Gordon in Scots squad, Neymar picked by Brazil

Scotland Head Coach Steve Clarke has named his squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Pic: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire.

Steve Clarke insists Craig Gordon deserves his place in Scotland’s 2026 World Cup squad as he admitted a “difficult” task in choosing his three goalkeepers.

The Scots’ boss selected the 43-year-old Hearts player, Angus Gunn of Nottingham Forest and Rangers’ back-up keeper Liam Kelly, with the three having played just seven club games between them all season.

Falkirk’s Scott Bain misses out having played against the Ivory Coast in March.

Gordon’s last of three appearances for the Jambos this season was in a 2-2 draw against Celtic in January and he is on way his back from a shoulder injury.

Clarke said: “Always difficult when you’ve got goalkeepers that are not playing regular.

“I think I’ve touched on this before, as long as goalkeepers are working to their maximum in training you feel that they can come in and play for a number of games.

“Obviously Craig’s slightly different in that he picked up an injury.

“We’ve had him monitored. We got good reports back from Hearts. I sent Chris Woods (Scotland goalkeeping coach) to watch him in training. He’s training very well.

“Craig assures us he’s fully fit. And he deserves to go because he played a part of the qualifying campaign.

“He missed the last tournament (Euro 2024). He showed tremendous resilience to be in the squad, and he deserves to be there.

“Obviously we can change a goalkeeper anytime across the tournament.

“So if Craig was to struggle a little bit with injury, which he hopefully won’t and we’re quite certain that he won’t do that, we can always have the option to change him.

“I will put a young goalkeeper into the squad, as a training goalkeeper, a fourth, which should alleviate a little bit of pressure on the goalkeepers in terms of training loads.

“So that’s something I’ve got in mind. I can’t give you a name just now, because we haven’t told the player himself.”

Elsewhere Cristiano Ronaldo will play at his sixth World Cup this summer after being named in Roberto Martínez’s Portugal squad.

The 41-year-old made his World Cup debut at the 2006 tournament in Germany and has played at subsequent editions in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.

Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who is likely to be called up by Argentina, will become the first male footballers to play at six World Cups.

Martinez read out the names of 27 players called up for the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States at Portugal’s City of Football complex in Lisbon.

One of the four goalkeepers is due to be cut ahead of the final deadline.

Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes and Old Trafford team-mate Diogo Dalot feature in a squad that also includes Paris St Germain trio Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha.

Manchester City trio Bernardo Silva, Matheus Nunes and Ruben Dias were also selected.

But the 37-times capped Joao Palhinha, on loan at Tottenham from Bayern Munich, and West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes both missed out.

Portugal, quarter-finalists in Qatar four years ago, are in the same World Cup group as Colombia, DR Congo and Uzbekistan.

They open their campaign against DR Congo in Houston on June 17 and play Uzbekistan at the same venue six days later.

Portugal conclude their group games against Colombia in Miami on June 27.

Neymar will make his fourth World Cup appearance after Brazil named him to their 26-man squad on Monday. The decision was not guaranteed as questions surrounded Neymar’s fitness since his anterior cruciate ligament tear more than two years ago.

The Brazil coach, Carlo Ancelotti, said that Neymar “has improved his fitness” after the squad announcement at a gala in Rio de Janeiro. “He will be an important player in this World Cup.” Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals, the 34-year-old rejoined his boyhood club Santos last year after a stay with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal. Neymar has scored eight goals across his three World Cups in 2014, 2018, 2022 and will try to guide the Seleção to their first title since 2002.

The Chelsea forward João Pedro was the most notable omission from the squad. Some expected he would make his first World Cup roster at 24 years old, and he has played for Brazil in international competition in the lead-up to this cycle, but Ancelotti favoured Neymar, Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior, Bournemouth’s Rayan, Brentford’s Igor Thiago and others at that position.

“It was very difficult to choose these 26 players,” said Ancelotti. “Why? Because the competition in this country is very, very high. I know some players who have been with us this year will be unhappy.”