New Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli is laying out his vision for the national team at Hampden this morning. The 39-year-old Belgian has signed a two-year deal that takes him through the Euro 2028 qualifying campaign and the tournament itself.
Pocognoli's first statements
Pocognoli, who becomes Scotland's youngest boss in generations, has already spoken of his excitement. He said: “It’s an honour to be asked to become the Head Coach of the Scotland National Team. When I first heard of the interest, I was immediately excited about the opportunity. Scotland’s supporters are famous for their passion – most recently at the World Cup in the USA - and I have experienced it myself as a player for Belgium when we played in 2013.”
He added: “Along with my coaching staff, I will do everything I can to give them a team to be proud of and build on the success that has been achieved already by my predecessor. Since negotiations began, I have been doing a lot of research, asking a lot of questions and looking at areas that we can build on. I am hugely excited by the prospect and look forward to working with the players to achieve even more success.”
Background and expectations
The former Union Saint-Gilloise boss takes over from Steve Clarke, who resigned days after Scotland’s disappointing World Cup 2026 campaign. Pocognoli led Union Saint-Gilloise to their first Belgian top-flight title in 90 years in 2024-25 before moving to Monaco last season.
He is determined to lead Scotland to another major finals and to get out of the group stage, something his predecessors never managed. He has also revealed the Tartan Army left a profound effect on him with their exploits in the USA this summer.
Press conference underway
Pocognoli is being quizzed by the media alongside Scottish FA CEO Ian Maxwell at Hampden. Questions are expected to cover squad changes, comparisons with Clarke’s style, and his plans for the upcoming UEFA Nations League. He said: “We don’t have long until the first camp, so the coming weeks will be spent preparing for the UEFA Nations League and putting those plans into action on the training pitch when we meet up next month.”
