Billy Gilmour ruled out of World Cup 2026 with knee injury sustained against Curacao

Billy Gilmour will play no part in Scotland’s 2026 World Cup campaign after the knee injury he suffered during Saturday’s 4-1 friendly win over Curacao at Hampden Park was confirmed as serious enough to end his tournament before it began. The 24-year-old went down unchallenged in the first half and was substituted before the break, though the fact he left the pitch unaided had initially offered some hope.

Further tests, however, confirmed the worst, and the Scottish Football Association announced on X that Gilmour would be withdrawn from Steve Clarke’s 26-man squad. He will now return to Napoli for rehabilitation.

The SFA’s statement read: “We regret to announce that the knee injury sustained by Billy Gilmour in today’s win over Curacao will rule him out of participation in the FIFA World Cup. We’re all with you, Billy.”

Clarke made no attempt to hide his disappointment, describing the timing as particularly harsh given Gilmour’s contribution to the qualifying campaign. “I am devastated for Billy because he has been an integral part of our World Cup qualifying campaign,” the Scotland manager said. “The timing of this injury is so, so cruel and we all feel for him. He knows what we all think of him as a footballer and a person and while no words will give him any comfort tonight, I am certain Billy will have many major tournaments ahead of him in the future.”

Gilmour had been expected to form a central midfield partnership with his Napoli club teammate Scott McTominay, giving Scotland a combination of technical quality and physical presence in the engine room.

Scotland’s preparations now continue without one of their most influential players. Clarke’s side face Bolivia in a warm-up fixture on June 6 before opening their World Cup group stage against Haiti in Boston on June 14.