Scott McTominay's goalscoring form at Napoli makes him one to watch at World Cup 2026

Scott McTominay has emerged as one of Scotland’s most potent attacking weapons ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with the Napoli midfielder having scored 13 goals in all competitions last season as he helped the Naples club win the Serie A title.

The 27-year-old has carried that form into the current campaign, sitting on 13 goals again with two matches still to play — a remarkable return for a player who spent much of his Manchester United career operating as a defensive screen.

McTominay’s move to Napoli in the summer of 2024 proved transformative. Freed from the defensive responsibilities that defined his Old Trafford years, he has been given licence to arrive late into the box and contribute directly to goals, a role that has revitalised his international standing.

Scotland qualified for the 2026 World Cup — to be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and McTominay will be central to their ambitions in what is the nation’s first appearance at the tournament since France 1998.

His Serie A form will have opposing defences on notice. Thirteen league goals in a single season places him among the more productive midfielders in European football, and his ability to time runs from deep makes him difficult to track in transition.

Whether McTominay can replicate that output on the international stage, against the tightest defensive units in world football, remains the key question. Scotland’s group-stage draw will go a long way to determining how much opportunity he gets to add to his international goal tally.