Harvey Barnes: Newcastle winger turns down Scotland switch to focus on England hopes, confirms Steve Clarke
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke is a special guest in the Sky Sports studio on Sunday ahead of a Scottish Premiership double-header; watch Kilmarnock vs Celtic followed by Rangers vs Hearts live on Sky Sports Football on Sunday from 1pm
Thursday 12 February 2026 23:03, UK
Harvey Barnes has turned down the opportunity to play for Scotland.
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke was keen to add the Newcastle winger to his squad ahead of the World Cup.
However, the 28-year-old wants to add to his solitary England cap after netting 12 goals for the Magpies this season.
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Clarke, speaking after the UEFA Nations League draw, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "This time I can say for sure, Harvey's going to concentrate on trying to play for England, he's not going to come to Scotland.
"You can put that one out there. Nobody needs to ask me or Harvey about it any more.
"Am I disappointed? No, listen, Harvey can make up his own mind. We move on."
Scotland can manage without Barnes
Sky Sports' Sahil Jaidka:
There's little doubt Harvey Barnes would have helped Scotland's cause at the World Cup.
He has impressed for Newcastle this season, both in the Premier League and Champions League, and has proven he can compete at the highest level.
The Burnley-born winger would have also offered Steve Clarke an option with raw pace in the wide areas - something that is slightly lacking with Ben Gannon-Doak injured.
However, this is a Scotland team that finished top of their qualifying group without Barnes. A squad that beat top-seeds Denmark at home and drew away.
Yes, Barnes would have made the group better, but without him they still have the tools required to help get out of a group stage at a major finals for the first time.
Clarke will now want to focus on those he can add to his 26-man squad ahead of that first game against Haiti in June.
Nations League draw revealed
Scotland were drawn against Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia in Group B1. The campaign will take place in the autumn.
Clarke said on the Scottish Football Association website: "The teams are evenly matched.
"It's been a good competition for us. This competition helped us qualify for Euro 2020 so we know the benefits. We expect three difficult matches.
"We were in League A last time, we unfortunately lost out to Greece - who are a really good side - in a play-off last time, so they knocked us down to League B."
Scotland and fellow World Cup qualifiers Switzerland drew 1-1 at the Euro 2024 finals in Cologne.
Slovenia were promoted to League B after beating Slovakia in the play-offs. They failed to record a win in six World Cup qualifiers but drew four games, including against Switzerland and Sweden, twice.
North Macedonia also gained promotion from League C and qualified for the World Cup play-offs as a result.
They lost 7-1 to Wales in Cardiff in their final World Cup qualifier but it was their only defeat in eight group games. They drew twice with Belgium.
North Macedonia, who include Rangers striker Bojan Miovski in their ranks, face Denmark away in a World Cup play-offs semi-final.
