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Scotland’s preparations for the upcoming World Cup have suffered a major setback with confirmation that Billy Gilmour will miss the tournament. The SSC Napoli midfielder sustained a serious knee injury during the national team’s final warm-up match against Curaçao on Saturday.

The 24-year-old midfielder, a key figure in Steve Clarke’s plans, fell to the ground late in the first half without any contact, immediately raising concerns. Despite receiving on-field treatment, Gilmour could not continue and was substituted, dealing a heavy blow to Scotland’s final tune-up before heading to the United States.

After the match, Clarke confirmed that the former Chelsea and Brighton player had been sent for scans to determine the extent of the injury. With Scotland’s World Cup opener against Haiti in Boston just over two weeks away, the timing of this setback could not be worse for a player who has become crucial to the team’s midfield balance. The Scottish Football Association later confirmed the grim news.

In an official statement, the SFA announced: “We regret to confirm that the knee injury sustained by Billy Gilmour in today’s victory over Curaçao will rule him out of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

“Everyone associated with the Scotland Men’s National Team wishes Billy a swift and full recovery. He will now return to his club, SSC Napoli, to begin rehabilitation.”

Reacting to the development, Clarke expressed his disappointment: “I am heartbroken for Billy because he’s been such an important part of our qualification campaign. The timing of this injury is incredibly cruel, and we all feel deeply for him.

“He knows how highly we regard him both as a footballer and as a person. While no words can truly help him tonight, I have no doubt that Billy will have many more major tournaments ahead of him.”

Before the official announcement, Clarke had already voiced concern when speaking to the media. “One big disappointment is Billy’s injury. We’re just waiting for an assessment to know how bad it is,” he said. “He’s gone for a scan so I haven’t had the chance to speak to him yet, but I’m 100 per cent worried.”

The manager revealed that Gilmour had signalled himself that he could not continue, which often indicates a serious issue. “He felt it during the tackle and decided to come off — he knew something wasn’t right. There’s no point speculating; we’ll wait for the medical results. I’m just hoping and praying he’s still on that plane,” Clarke added.

The injury somewhat overshadowed what was otherwise a positive afternoon for Scotland at Hampden Park. Despite eventually securing a 4-1 win, they faced early challenges against Dick Advocaat’s side. Tahith Chong opened the scoring for Curaçao before Jurgen Locadia’s red card seven minutes before half-time shifted momentum towards the hosts.

Findlay Curtis, who replaced Gilmour after the injury, scored his first senior international goal to level the match. Lawrence Shankland added a brace, and Ryan Christie converted a penalty to seal the victory, ensuring a morale-boosting send-off despite the grim news about Gilmour.

Reflecting on the performance, Clarke acknowledged that the red card altered the contest and limited Scotland’s tactical test. “The red card completely changed the dynamic of the match. From that point, we were able to create more chances and score a few goals,” he said while analysing the game ahead of the group stage.

He added: “It’s always good to win an international match, but I would have preferred if it had stayed 11 versus 11. That would have given us a better chance to test our ability to find space and create scoring opportunities against a full team. It would have been a more valuable exercise for us.”