Two-year deal puts Belgian Pocognoli on Scotland’s next chapter
Sebastien Pocognoli has signed an initial two‑year contract to become Scotland’s men’s head coach, taking over from Steve Clarke after a seven‑year reign and tasked with guiding the national side forward in a role that demands matching Clarke’s record‑breaking results while reshaping the team’s style.
The 39‑year‑old Belgian arrived as a title winner in his homeland while managing Union Saint‑Gilloise, a club whose name even includes La Saint‑Gilloise, and he is praised for eye‑catching football. The announcement was accompanied by a Getty Images photo captioned “ImagesImage”.
High expectations after Clarke era
Following Clarke’s record‑breaking spell, Pocognoli was made available to the Scottish FA after being sacked as Monaco boss in June, just eight months into his tenure.
Craig Mulholland, the Scottish FA’s chief football officer, said Pocognoli “will bring an aggressive, front‑foot style of play that will excite supporters” and added that Scotland aim to “evolve from a position of strength”.
Pocognoli describes his brand of football as “a dominant one, with and without the ball”, insisting his teams will be intense pressers with “real mastery in possession”.
Pocognoli says Scotland stay on track after Slovenia defeat
First tasks and Nations League calendar
His prior experience includes youth coaching for Belgium and stints in the academies of Union Saint‑Gilloise and Genk; he was named coach of the year after leading USG to their first league title in 90 years in the 2024‑25 season and earned 13 caps for Belgium as a player.
Scotland have enjoyed back‑to‑back European Championships and a World Cup under Clarke, qualifying for three of four tournaments, but the squad that went to the World Cup was one of the oldest and will need refreshing ahead of the Euros they co‑host in 2026.
The first assignment is a four‑game camp spanning the end of September and start of October, giving Pocognoli extra training time before the Nations League, where Scotland travel to Slovenia on Saturday 26 September, host Switzerland the following Tuesday, then face North Macedonia on 3 October and meet Slovenia again three days later in Glasgow.
Young talents such as 20‑year‑old Ben Gannon‑Doak, 19‑year‑old Findlay Curtis and 22‑year‑old striker Robbie Ure are already in the mix, offering Pocognoli fresh options as he looks to hit the refresh button on the national side.