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By JOHN MCGARRY Published: 09: 30 AEDT, 28 March 2026 | Updated: 09: 30 AEDT, 28 March 2026 View comments Steve Clarke believes the spotlight on Scotland will now be even more intense after three British Isles nations were knocked out of the World Cup in the play-off matches on Thursday. Northern Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for the finals were dashed by Italy with Wales and the Republic of Ireland being eliminated on penalties at the hands of Bosnia and the Czech Republic, respectively. It means Scotland and England will now share the biggest stage in the international game for just the third time in history. A repeat of the situation the national team faced in 1954 and 1998, Clarke feels there’s now set to be a sharper focus on his players. ‘It probably will, ’ he said. ‘It has been quite a strange week and quite a different week where we have had to put in quite a lot of commercial stuff and bits and pieces which we’re trying to get out of the way in March so that it’s not affecting us when we’re out there in America preparing for the tournament. ‘We’re trying to get all that done now before we go out. I think there will be a bigger spotlight on both ourselves in England in the tournament, yes. ’ Scotland manager Clarke believes his players will be under increased scrutiny this summer Clarke admitted he felt for Wales boss Craig Bellamy after his side's play-off defeat With Ukraine and Slovakia joining the list of nations who were eliminated in midweek, Clarke feels the scale of his side’s achievement in topping their qualifying group has been underscored. ‘I think it shows you the perils of being in the play-off system if you have one off night off, ’ he added. ‘I think in the case of both Wales and the Republic of Ireland, lose late goals and suddenly you’re into extra time and you end up in a penalty shoot-out to try and stay in the World Cup. ‘I’ve got to be honest, we sat last night, we watched pretty much all the games, we had a split screen with three or four games on it. ‘It was nice to be in a position where we weren’t involved in those games. ‘I think it also shows the measure of how well our team did in actually qualifying direct for that tournament. ‘So, to finish top of our group and in front of a really good Denmark and Greece side was something we should be proud of. So, it was good. ’ Rather than contesting the play-off finals on Tuesday, those nations who were knocked out are now preparing for unwanted friendly matches as they lick their wounds. ‘I’ve been there. We’ve been there, ’ Clarke recalled. ‘We had it with the Ukraine game here and then we had to go and play Austria away in a friendly match that neither of us wanted to play. ‘So, I understand exactly how Heimer [Hallgrimsson], Craig [Bellamy] and Michael [O’Neill] feel. ‘I know Craig and Michael quite well and I feel for them because I know how much they’ll be hurting because I was the same when it happened. ‘But it also shows you how difficult it is for countries of our level to qualify for major tournaments and to qualify for World Cups. ‘I go back to it, for us to finish top of that section was great. And for us to be able to sit there last night and watch those playoff games and not be involved in them was also great. ’ Scotland face Japan this evening at Hampden before travelling to take on the Ivory Coast at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday. While Clarke is looking to use the two matches to finalise the 26-man squad he’ll take to the USA, he’ll be mindful of individual circumstances. ‘I think every game with a national team should be an important game, ’ he said. ‘In terms of preparation for the summer, very important. ‘We play against two teams, two top quality teams from different continents. They’ll bring their own challenge. The Japanese side in particular have a very interesting way of playing. ‘Obviously, we’ve got quite a number of players who are maybe coming back from a longer term injury or who are carrying little niggles at this stage of the season. So, some of the selections might raise an eyebrow a little bit. ‘But my job is to make sure that the players come out of these fit well and ready for the end of the season at the clubs and obviously to be ready for the summer. ’ Clarke is hopeful that Scotland can build on the sense of optimism that’s since swept the nation since the epic win over Denmark in November. Scotland take on Japan at Hampden this evening as preparations for the World Cup ramp up ‘I think there’s definitely a feel-good factor about it, ’ added the manager. ‘I’ve never had so many selfies or requests for people to have pictures, walking about, just going to all the games or whatever. ‘There has been a real feel-good factor about it. The thing is to try and continue that into the tournament and beyond. ’ Before getting down to business this week, the squad and the backroom staff were given a reminder of that historic night when they saw for the first time the mural on the side of a building near Hampden depicting Scott Mc Tominay’s acrobatic over-head kick. ‘The first thing I thought about when I saw it was what happened to the Danish players? Because there were no Danish players in it, ’ Clarke smiled. ‘When you see the actual shot, there were some Danish players in the picture. ‘Listen, whoever did that has done a fantastic job. It’s an absolutely stand-out, it is something that grabs your attention. ‘It shows that it was a special goal, a special moment and it’s nice that it’s up there for everybody to see. ‘All the boys came out and had a good look at it and obviously Scott is quite chuffed that it’s up there. ’

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