Scotland

They participate in prestigious tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, UEFA Nations League, and UEFA European Championship. Due to Scotland being part of the United Kingdom and not member of the International Olympic Committee, the national team does not take part in the Olympic Games. Most of Scotland's home games are held at Hampden Park, the national stadium. Scotland is one of the oldest national football teams globally, with England being the other, and they faced each other in the world's inaugural international football match in 1872. There's a historic rivalry between Scotland and England, with annual matches held from 1872 to 1989. Despite only playing each other nine times since, their most recent encounter was a friendly in September 2023. Scotland has qualified for the FIFA World Cup eight times and the UEFA European Championship four times, without progressing past the initial group stage in any finals tournament. The team has achieved notable victories, like the 3–2 win over the 1966 FIFA World Cup champions England at Wembley Stadium in 1967. Archie Gemmill's remarkable goal in the 1978 World Cup against the Netherlands, who made it to the tournament's final, is still remembered as one of the best World Cup goals. In the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2008, Scotland secured 1–0 victories over 2006 World Cup runners-up France in both matches. Fans of the Scotland national team are commonly referred to as the Tartan Army. The Scottish Football Association acknowledges players who have surpassed 50 appearances for Scotland in its roll of honour. Kenny Dalglish holds the record for the most Scotland appearances, playing 102 times between 1971 and 1986, with 30 goals scored. He shares the record for the highest number of goals scored for Scotland with Denis Law.