After Leighton fell out of favour at club level, Andy Goram became Scotland first choice goalkeeper and played at Euro 92 and Euro 96. Leighton regained the position after a man of the match performance in a 1-0 home win versus Sweden in November 1996 during qualification for the 1998 World Cup. Leighton played all three Scotland matches at the tournament finals and became the last football player born in the 1950s to play in a FIFA World Cup game.