Former Belgium international Sebastien Pocognoli has been appointed as the new head coach of the Scotland national team on an initial two-year contract.
The 39-year-old manager succeeds Steve Clarke, becoming only the second foreign head coach in Scotland's history after German manager Berti Vogts, who led the team from 2002 to 2004. Clarke previously guided Scotland to their first three major tournaments of the 21st century after taking charge in 2019.
Pocognoli described his appointment by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) as an honour. He previously led Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise to the 2024-25 Belgian Pro League title in his first full season as a head coach before moving to French Ligue 1 side Monaco.
"When I first heard of the interest, I was immediately excited about the opportunity," Pocognoli said on the official SFA website. "Scotland's supporters are famous for their passion, most recently at the World Cup in the USA, and I have experienced it myself as a player for Belgium when we played in 2013."
"Along with my coaching staff, I will do everything I can to give them a team to be proud of and build on the success that has been achieved already by my predecessor," he added.
Coaching background and ambition
The former left-back, who played in England for West Bromwich Albion and Brighton & Hove Albion during his playing career, confirmed he has already begun preparing for the role.
"Since negotiations began, I have been doing a lot of research, asking a lot of questions and looking at areas that we can build on," Pocognoli said. "I am hugely excited by the prospect and look forward to working with the players to achieve even more success."
Pocognoli enjoyed a rapid rise in management after guiding Brussels-based Union Saint-Gilloise to their first ever league championship. He joined Monaco in October last year, leading the club into the UEFA Champions League knockout phase before a narrow elimination against Paris Saint-Germain. However, he was sacked following a seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1.
Sweeping structural changes at Hampden Park
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell praised the appointment, confirming Pocognoli emerged as the primary candidate during a thorough recruitment process.
"He was the standout candidate from a thorough process: a very impressive individual, with a real desire to take on the role and a clear vision for how he wants to go about it," Maxwell said.
The search was heavily led by Craig Mulholland, the SFA's recently appointed chief football officer. Mulholland's arrival comes amid broader structural changes across the national team setup, which have also seen the departures of Scotland Under-21 coach Scot Gemmill and Under-17s coach Brian McLaughlin.
Tactical vision and Nations League debut
Mulholland described Pocognoli's appointment as an exciting moment for Scottish football, pointing to his modern tactical approach.
"He is one of Europe's brightest and most sought-after coaches," Mulholland said. "He will bring an aggressive, front-foot style of play that will excite supporters. He will now build on the outstanding work and excellent foundations left by Steve Clarke and his staff."
"While our extensive search was informed by data and insight, and Sebastien's metrics matched what we believe necessary to enhance and evolve from a position of strength, it's as important to us that his personality and character will allow him to connect with a fantastic group of players," Mulholland added.
Pocognoli will start his tenure with a UEFA Nations League campaign against Slovenia, North Macedonia and Switzerland. His first match in charge will take place in Ljubljana on September 26.
