# List of Scotland national football team captains

This article lists all the captains of the men's Scotland national football team. As of 18 November 2024, Scotland have played 839 officially recognised international matches and have had 156 different team captains. Andrew Robertson has captained Scotland most often, in 58 games. Four other players (George Young, Billy Bremner, Darren Fletcher and Gary McAllister) have captained the team at least 30 times.
The first captain of the Scotland team was Robert Gardner, who led the team in the first ever international match, against England on 30 November 1872. He went on to captain Scotland on just one further occasion, the second international match, on 8 March 1873, against the same opposition.

## List of captains
### Key

| * | Still active for the national team |
| Caps as captain | Appearances made while captain |
| Total caps | Total number of appearances made |
    As of Poland v Scotland, 18 November 2024
| Player | Scotland career | Caps as captain | Total caps | First captaincy | Last captaincy |
| Robert Gardner | 1872–1878 | 2 | 5 | 30 November 1872 | 8 March 1873 |
| James J. Thomson | 1872–1874 | 1 | 3 | 7 March 1874 | 7 March 1874 |
| Joseph Taylor | 1872–1876 | 2 | 6 | 6 March 1875 | 4 March 1876 |
| Charles Campbell | 1874–1886 | 8 | 13 | 25 March 1876 | 21 March 1885 |
| Robert W. Neill | 1876–1880 | 2 | 5 | 23 March 1878 | 13 March 1880 |
| John McDougall | 1877–1879 | 1 | 5 | 7 April 1879 | 7 April 1879 |
| David Davidson | 1878–1881 | 1 | 5 | 27 March 1880 | 27 March 1880 |
| Andrew Watson | 1881–1882 | 2 | 3 | 12 March 1881 | 14 March 1881 |
| Archie Rowan | 1880–1882 | 1 | 2 | 25 March 1882 | 25 March 1882 |
| Andrew Holm | 1882–1883 | 2 | 3 | 10 March 1883 | 12 March 1883 |
| Walter Arnott | 1883–1893 | 3 | 14 | 26 January 1884 | 4 April 1891 |
| Michael Paton | 1883–1886 | 2 | 5 | 29 March 1884 | 23 March 1885 |
| John McPherson | 1879–1885 | 1 | 8 | 14 March 1885 | 14 March 1885 |
| William Semple | 1886 | 1 | 1 | 10 April 1886 | 10 April 1886 |
| John Lambie | 1887–1888 | 1 | 2 | 19 February 1887 | 19 February 1887 |
| James McAulay | 1882–1887 | 2 | 9 | 19 March 1887 | 21 March 1887 |
| Bob Smellie | 1887–1893 | 2 | 6 | 10 March 1888 | 13 April 1889 |
| Donald Gow | 1888 | 1 | 1 | 17 March 1888 | 17 March 1888 |
| Duncan Stewart | 1888 | 1 | 1 | 24 March 1888 | 24 March 1888 |
| Thomas Robertson | 1889–1892 | 3 | 4 | 9 March 1889 | 19 March 1892 |
| Andrew Thomson | 1889 | 1 | 2 | 15 April 1889 | 15 April 1889 |
| George Gillespie | 1880–1891 | 2 | 7 | 22 March 1890 | 28 March 1891 |
| John McLeod | 1888–1893 | 1 | 5 | 29 March 1890 | 29 March 1890 |
| James McLaren | 1888–1890 | 1 | 3 | 5 April 1890 | 5 April 1890 |
| John Hill | 1891–1892 | 1 | 2 | 26 March 1892 | 26 March 1892 |
| William Sellar | 1885–1893 | 1 | 9 | 2 April 1892 | 2 April 1892 |
| Donald Sillars | 1891–1895 | 2 | 5 | 18 March 1893 | 23 March 1895 |
| James Kelly | 1888–1896 | 4 | 8 | 25 March 1893 | 28 March 1896 |
| Robert Marshall | 1892–1894 | 1 | 2 | 31 March 1894 | 31 March 1894 |
| Dan Doyle | 1892–1898 | 1 | 8 | 7 April 1894 | 7 April 1894 |
| Jock Drummond | 1892–1903 | 4 | 14 | 30 March 1895 | 21 March 1903 |
| Jimmy Oswald | 1889–1897 | 1 | 3 | 6 April 1895 | 6 April 1895 |
| John Gillespie | 1896 | 1 | 1 | 21 March 1896 | 21 March 1896 |
| John L. Ritchie | 1897 | 1 | 1 | 20 March 1897 | 20 March 1897 |
| William Lambie | 1892–1897 | 1 | 9 | 3 April 1897 | 3 April 1897 |
| Matthew Scott | 1898 | 1 | 1 | 19 March 1898 | 19 March 1898 |
| Bob Kelso | 1885–1898 | 1 | 7 | 26 March 1898 | 26 March 1898 |
| James Cowan | 1896–1898 | 1 | 3 | 2 April 1898 | 2 April 1898 |
| Nicol Smith | 1897–1902 | 2 | 12 | 18 March 1899 | 8 April 1899 |
| David Storrier | 1899 | 1 | 3 | 25 March 1899 | 25 March 1899 |
| Robert Hamilton | 1899–1911 | 2 | 11 | 3 February 1900 | 23 February 1901 |
| Henry Marshall | 1899–1900 | 1 | 2 | 3 March 1900 | 3 March 1900 |
| John Tait Robertson | 1898–1905 | 5 | 16 | 7 April 1900 | 9 April 1904 |
| Albert Buick | 1902 | 1 | 2 | 1 March 1902 | 1 March 1902 |
| John Campbell | 1893–1903 | 1 | 12 | 15 March 1902 | 15 March 1902 |
| Andy Aitken | 1901–1911 | 2 | 14 | 3 May 1902 | 18 March 1911 |
| Alex Raisbeck | 1900–1907 | 4 | 8 | 9 March 1903 | 6 April 1907 |
| Jimmy Sharp | 1904–1909 | 1 | 5 | 12 March 1904 | 12 March 1904 |
| Tom Jackson | 1904–1907 | 1 | 6 | 6 March 1905 | 6 March 1905 |
| Neilly Gibson | 1895–1905 | 1 | 14 | 18 March 1905 | 18 March 1905 |
| Charles Bellany Thomson | 1904–1914 | 13 | 21 | 1 April 1905 | 5 April 1913 |
| James Stark | 1909 | 2 | 2 | 15 March 1909 | 3 April 1909 |
| Jimmy Hay | 1905–1914 | 3 | 11 | 5 March 1910 | 1 April 1911 |
| Peter McWilliam | 1905–1911 | 1 | 8 | 6 March 1911 | 6 March 1911 |
| Alec McNair | 1906–1920 | 5 | 15 | 16 March 1912 | 10 April 1920 |
| Donald Colman | 1911–1913 | 1 | 4 | 15 March 1913 | 15 March 1913 |
| Peter Nellies | 1913–1914 | 1 | 2 | 28 February 1914 | 28 February 1914 |
| Jimmy Gordon | 1912–1920 | 1 | 10 | 4 April 1914 | 4 April 1914 |
| William Cringan | 1920–1923 | 3 | 5 | 26 February 1920 | 14 April 1923 |
| Kenny Campbell | 1920–1922 | 1 | 8 | 12 February 1921 | 12 February 1921 |
| Andrew Wilson | 1920–1923 | 1 | 12 | 26 February 1921 | 26 February 1921 |
| Jack Marshall | 1921–1924 | 2 | 7 | 9 April 1921 | 4 February 1922 |
| Andy Cunningham | 1920–1927 | 1 | 12 | 4 March 1922 | 4 March 1922 |
| Jimmy Blair | 1920–1924 | 3 | 8 | 8 April 1922 | 16 February 1924 |
| Jock Hutton | 1923–1928 | 1 | 10 | 1 March 1924 | 1 March 1924 |
| Jimmy McMullan | 1920–1929 | 6 | 16 | 12 April 1924 | 13 April 1929 |
| David Morris | 1923–1925 | 3 | 6 | 14 February 1925 | 4 April 1925 |
| Tom Townsley | 1925 | 1 | 1 | 31 October 1925 | 31 October 1925 |
| Willie McStay | 1921–1928 | 5 | 13 | 27 February 1926 | 2 April 1927 |
| Tommy Muirhead | 1922–1929 | 1 | 8 | 25 February 1928 | 25 February 1928 |
| Tully Craig | 1927–1930 | 4 | 8 | 26 May 1929 | 26 October 1929 |
| David Meiklejohn | 1922–1933 | 6 | 15 | 22 February 1930 | 29 November 1933 |
| Jimmy Crapnell | 1929–1932 | 4 | 9 | 18 May 1930 | 17 September 1932 |
| Robert Gillespie | 1926–1933 | 3 | 4 | 25 October 1930 | 1 April 1933 |
| Alan Morton | 1920–1932 | 1 | 31 | 21 February 1931 | 21 February 1931 |
| Danny Blair | 1928–1932 | 1 | 8 | 16 May 1931 | 16 May 1931 |
| Jimmy McDougall | 1931 | 1 | 2 | 20 May 1931 | 20 May 1931 |
| John Johnstone | 1929–1932 | 1 | 3 | 26 October 1932 | 26 October 1932 |
| Peter McGonagle | 1933–1934 | 1 | 6 | 16 September 1933 | 16 September 1933 |
| Andrew Anderson | 1933–1938 | 4 | 23 | 4 October 1933 | 7 December 1938 |
| Alex Massie | 1931–1937 | 2 | 18 | 14 April 1934 | 20 October 1934 |
| Jimmy Simpson | 1934–1937 | 13 | 14 | 21 November 1934 | 10 November 1937 |
| George Brown | 1930–1938 | 2 | 19 | 9 April 1938 | 21 May 1938 |
| Jimmy Carabine | 1938–1939 | 1 | 3 | 8 October 1938 | 8 October 1938 |
| Jimmy Dougal | 1939 | 1 | 1 | 15 April 1939 | 15 April 1939 |
| Jock Shaw | 1946–1947 | 6 | 6 | 23 January 1946 | 4 October 1947 |
| Jimmy Stephen | 1946–1947 | 1 | 2 | 19 October 1946 | 19 October 1946 |
| Davie Shaw | 1946–1948 | 1 | 9 | 27 November 1946 | 27 November 1946 |
| Willie Woodburn | 1947–1952 | 1 | 24 | 12 November 1947 | 12 November 1947 |
| George Young | 1946–1957 | 48 | 54 | 10 April 1948 | 19 May 1957 |
| Sammy Cox | 1948–1954 | 1 | 25 | 3 April 1954 | 3 April 1954 |
| Tommy Docherty | 1951–1959 | 8 | 25 | 5 May 1954 | 19 April 1958 |
| Willie Cunningham | 1954–1955 | 5 | 8 | 25 May 1954 | 2 April 1955 |
| Gordon Smith | 1946–1957 | 2 | 19 | 19 May 1955 | 29 May 1955 |
| Tommy Younger | 1955–1958 | 4 | 24 | 7 May 1958 | 11 June 1958 |
| Bobby Evans | 1948–1960 | 12 | 48 | 15 June 1958 | 8 June 1960 |
| Dave Mackay | 1957–1965 | 7 | 22 | 18 October 1958 | 20 November 1963 |
| Eric Caldow | 1957–1963 | 15 | 40 | 22 October 1960 | 6 April 1963 |
| Denis Law | 1958–1974 | 5 | 55 | 9 June 1963 | 26 April 1972 |
| Billy McNeill | 1961–1972 | 8 | 29 | 11 April 1964 | 13 October 1965 |
| Jim Baxter | 1960–1967 | 4 | 34 | 25 November 1964 | 10 May 1967 |
| John Greig | 1964–1975 | 15 | 44 | 7 December 1965 | 29 October 1975 |
| Ian Ure | 1961–1967 | 1 | 12 | 16 May 1967 | 16 May 1967 |
| Doug Fraser | 1967–1968 | 4 | 7 | 28 May 1967 | 13 June 1967 |
| Billy Bremner | 1965–1975 | 39 | 54 | 16 October 1968 | 3 September 1975 |
| Frank McLintock | 1963–1971 | 1 | 9 | 18 April 1970 | 18 April 1970 |
| Bobby Moncur | 1968–1972 | 7 | 16 | 11 November 1970 | 9 June 1971 |
| Pat Stanton | 1966–1974 | 3 | 16 | 14 June 1971 | 16 May 1973 |
| David Hay | 1970–1974 | 2 | 27 | 17 October 1973 | 27 March 1974 |
| Sandy Jardine | 1970–1979 | 9 | 38 | 30 October 1974 | 19 December 1979 |
| Gordon McQueen | 1974–1981 | 1 | 30 | 1 June 1975 | 1 June 1975 |
| Martin Buchan | 1971–1978 | 2 | 34 | 17 December 1975 | 18 June 1977 |
| Tom Forsyth | 1971–1978 | 1 | 22 | 7 April 1976 | 7 April 1976 |
| Archie Gemmill | 1971–1981 | 23 | 43 | 6 May 1976 | 25 March 1981 |
| Kenny Dalglish | 1971–1986 | 6 | 102 | 27 April 1977 | 26 March 1986 |
| Bruce Rioch | 1975–1978 | 10 | 24 | 28 May 1977 | 11 June 1978 |
| Don Masson | 1976–1978 | 2 | 17 | 7 September 1977 | 12 October 1977 |
| Danny McGrain | 1973–1982 | 10 | 62 | 28 May 1980 | 15 June 1982 |
| Asa Hartford | 1972–1982 | 3 | 50 | 16 May 1981 | 18 November 1981 |
| Graeme Souness | 1974–1986 | 27 | 54 | 24 May 1982 | 8 June 1986 |
| Paul Hegarty | 1979–1983 | 1 | 8 | 24 May 1983 | 24 May 1983 |
| Willie Miller | 1975–1989 | 11 | 65 | 12 June 1983 | 19 October 1988 |
| Roy Aitken | 1979–1991 | 27 | 57 | 15 October 1986 | 20 June 1990 |
| Alex McLeish | 1980–1993 | 8 | 77 | 2 December 1987 | 17 February 1993 |
| Jim Leighton | 1982–1998 | 4 | 91 | 30 May 1989 | 7 June 1995 |
| Paul McStay | 1983–1997 | 7 | 76 | 12 September 1990 | 12 October 1994 |
| Maurice Malpas | 1984–1992 | 2 | 55 | 14 November 1990 | 3 June 1992 |
| Richard Gough | 1983–1993 | 8 | 61 | 6 February 1991 | 28 April 1993 |
| Gordon Strachan | 1980–1992 | 5 | 50 | 1 May 1991 | 25 March 1992 |
| Craig Levein | 1990–1994 | 1 | 16 | 24 March 1993 | 24 March 1993 |
| Gary McAllister | 1990–1999 | 32 | 57 | 8 September 1993 | 31 March 1999 |
| Ally McCoist | 1986–1998 | 1 | 61 | 27 March 1996 | 27 March 1996 |
| Colin Hendry | 1993–2001 | 22 | 51 | 26 May 1996 | 28 March 2001 |
| Tom Boyd | 1990–2001 | 6 | 72 | 12 November 1997 | 25 April 2001 |
| Paul Lambert | 1995–2003 | 17 | 40 | 9 October 1999 | 10 September 2003 |
| Kevin Gallacher | 1988–2001 | 1 | 53 | 7 October 2000 | 7 October 2000 |
| Craig Burley | 1995–2003 | 1 | 46 | 6 October 2001 | 6 October 2001 |
| Christian Dailly | 1997–2008 | 12 | 66 | 16 May 2002 | 12 November 2005 |
| Barry Ferguson | 1998–2009 | 28 | 45 | 6 September 2003 | 28 March 2009 |
| Darren Fletcher | 2004–2017 | 34 | 80 | 27 May 2004 | 8 October 2017 |
| Steven Pressley | 2000–2006 | 1 | 32 | 30 May 2004 | 30 May 2004 |
| Jackie McNamara | 1996–2005 | 1 | 33 | 17 November 2004 | 17 November 2004 |
| David Weir | 1997–2010 | 4 | 68 | 11 May 2006 | 6 September 2006 |
| Stephen McManus | 2006–2010 | 8 | 26 | 26 March 2008 | 14 November 2009 |
| Kenny Miller | 2001–2013 | 5 | 67 | 9 February 2011 | 10 August 2011 |
| Gary Caldwell | 2002–2013 | 7 | 55 | 29 February 2012 | 26 March 2013 |
| Scott Brown | 2005–2017 | 25 | 55 | 6 February 2013 | 4 September 2017 |
| James Morrison | 2008–2017 | 1 | 46 | 7 June 2013 | 7 June 2013 |
| Kieran Tierney* | 2016– | 1 | 47 | 9 November 2017 | 9 November 2017 |
| Charlie Mulgrew | 2012–2019 | 4 | 44 | 23 March 2018 | 11 June 2019 |
| Scott McKenna* | 2018– | 1 | 40 | 2 June 2018 | 2 June 2018 |
| Andrew Robertson* | 2014– | 58 | 80 | 7 September 2018 | 7 June 2024 |
| Callum McGregor | 2017–2024 | 1 | 63 | 21 March 2019 | 21 March 2019 |
| Steven Naismith | 2007–2019 | 2 | 51 | 16 November 2019 | 19 November 2019 |
| John McGinn* | 2016– | 9 | 73 | 14 October 2020 | 19 November 2022 |
| Scott McTominay* | 2018– | 1 | 58 | 17 October 2023 | 17 October 2023 |
Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches, five matches from a 1967 overseas tour that were reclassified as full internationals in 2021, and a match against a Hong Kong League XI played on 23 May 2002 that the Scottish Football Association includes in its statistical totals.

## Unofficial games

The above list considers captains selected for games officially recognised by FIFA and the Scottish Football Association. In addition to these, there have been a number of games played by Scotland teams on an unofficial basis, for example the "wartime internationals" during the Second World War. Some of the captains selected for these unofficial games are listed below.
* Jimmy Brownlie
* Jimmy Gordon
* Tom Smith
* Matt Busby
* Bill Shankly
* Tommy Walker
* Jock Shaw
* George Young