Steve Clarke will name Scotland's World Cup squad on Tuesday, and the wait comes with the kind of pressure the country has not felt for 28 years. Only 26 players will be chosen, which leaves little room for sentiment and even less for uncertainty.
Ross Stewart has pushed his case hard. The forward has scored five goals in his last 10 matches, including one in Southampton's Championship promotion play-off semi-final against Middlesbrough, and he has two caps for Scotland, though he last played for the national side in 2022.
Oli McBurnie has also made a case in front of goal, with 18 goals in 41 appearances for Hull City this season. Last month, he phoned Clarke to ask for the reasons behind his absence from the international set-up, a sign that the discussion around selection has already moved beyond form alone.
Tommy Conway adds another layer of doubt. He limped off in tears 73 minutes into Middlesbrough's defeat to Southampton last Tuesday, and Middlesbrough have not released details of the injury. There is wide belief he will miss out, which would be a blow for a player whose club form had put him in the frame.
Findlay Curtis has forced his way into the conversation too, scoring four times in Kilmarnock's five post-split matches. Those numbers matter because Clarke is not only picking names, he is choosing which recent performances will carry into Scotland's return to the biggest stage after nearly three decades away.
The scotland world cup fixtures talk will sharpen once the squad is announced, because every omission will tell its own story. For players like Stewart, McBurnie, Conway and Curtis, Tuesday is less about hope than final judgment.
