Scotland
2020-2029
By the beginning of the second decade of the new Millennium, Scottish football was in a bad way. The team that had historically punched well above its weight had not qualified for a major tournament since 1998 and had slipped to 50th in the FIFA rankings. They failed to achieve qualification to the bloated Euro 2020 competition although by winning their group in the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League they were, however, awarded a slot in the play-offs. Penalties were needed to settle both of their matches and at long last Scotland secured a place in the Euro finals.
A survey of Premiership first team squads in 2019-20 reveals the root of Scotland's decline. Of the 300 players registered only 130 (43%) were qualified to play for the national team while just 30% of players contracted to the four leading teams were Scottish. The sheer number of imported players at the top level was choking off the opportunities for young, talented Scots to progress. Indeed, the most talented young players disappeared into the English academy system while the clubs preferred to import foreign players of varying quality to fill out their squads.
2020-2021
2022-2023
