Sebastien Pocognoli announced as new boss of Scotland men's team

Sebastien Pocognoli has been confirmed as new head coach of Scotland's men's team.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) said the Belgian had signed an initial two-year deal that will begin with the upcoming Nations League fixtures.

Pocognoli, 39, previously managed French side Monaco and had a stint with West Bromwich Albion during his playing career.

He said he was "honoured" to get the job and had been "doing a lot of research" on areas the team can build on.

"Along with my coaching staff, I will do everything I can to give them [the fans] a team to be proud of and build on the success that has been achieved already by my predecessor," Pocognoli said.

He added: "We don't have long until the first camp, so the coming weeks will be spent preparing for the UEFA Nations League and putting those plans into action on the training pitch when we meet up next month."

His appointment follows the resignation of Steve Clarke, who led the team to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years but couldn't get them out of the group stages.

The team registered just one goal and one win - against Haiti - in three matches.

Ian Maxwell, the head of the SFA, said he was "delighted" to have Pocognoli in the job, calling him 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".

Pocognoli played most of his career in Belgium - his home country - but also spent two seasons with West Bromwich Albion and a season on loan with Brighton in the Championship.

He guided Union Saint-Gilloise (USG) to the Belgian title last year but only lasted eight months at Monaco after a poor run of results at the end of the season saw them miss out on the Champions League.

Managing Scotland is only his third head coach role in senior men's football, but he did manage Belgium's under-16 and under-18 sides.

The first game for the new boss will be the Nations League clash away to Slovenia on 26 September, followed by a home game three days later against Switzerland, and a trip to North Macedonia on 3 October.

(c) Sky News 2026: Sebastien Pocognoli announced as new boss of Scotland men's team