Scotland World Cup squad announcement - All you need to know as Steve Clarke prepares to name 26-man squad

A number of nations set to compete at this summer's World Cup have already officially announced their squads with Scotland set to follow suit tomorrow.

It's been confirmed that head coach Steve Clarke will announce details of which players he will be taking with him to the United States on Tuesday, May 19, with the former Chelsea star set to whittle down his 55-man provisional squad to just 26 players.

Ahead of then, we take a look at all the key questions surrounding the announcement.

When will Steve Clarke name his Scotland World Cup squad?

Steve Clarke will name his 26-man World Cup squad on Tuesday, May 19.

It's been confirmed by the Scottish FA that details of the finalised squad will be made public at around 11:00 (BST).

The Scotland head coach submitted his provisional 55-man list to FIFA last week and will soon whittle that down to 26 players, before the squad undertake their final two warm-up friendlies at Hampden Park and in New Jersey.

How many players will be in Scotland's World Cup squad?

FIFA stipulate that all nations participating in the tournament must name a squad consisting of between 23 and 26 players, of which a minimum of three have to be goalkeepers.

In previous stagings of the World Cup, FIFA had only allowed nations to select a maximum of 23 players, however, ahead of this summer's showpiece, they have granted each team an additional three slots.

Can Steve Clarke make changes to his World Cup squad?

Steve Clarke will be allowed to make changes to his 26-man squad right up until 24 hours ahead of the Tartan Army's World Cup opener against Haiti.

This means the Scotland boss will be able to replace any of the players named in his final squad should they succumb to injury or need to withdraw for any reason up until 02:00 (BST) on Saturday, June 13.

However, any replacement has to come from the pool of players he named in his provisional 55-man group in mid-May.

When will Steve Clarke inform players that they have been selected for the World Cup?

Traditionally, Scotland bosses have waited until the very last minute to inform players of their selections for major tournaments, and it's expected Steve Clarke will do similar.

Whilst the vast majority of players will already know their fate, including the likes of skipper John McGinn, Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney, others will face an anxious wait to find out their fortunes.

It's not uncommon for managers to make phone calls with the players up to an hour or so before the official squad is made public, although clubs must be informed of whether their player has been included 24 hours beforehand.

When will Steve Clarke and the Scotland squad meet-up for the World Cup?

The Scottish FA have confirmed that the team will depart for the United States on Sunday, June 30, just 24 hours following their Hampden Park farewell fixture with Curacao.

Scotland's preparations for the World Cup will also include a Stateside friendly against Bolivia at the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey on Saturday, June 6 (21:00 BST).

From there, the group will travel to their training base in Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of their group campaign which includes matches with Haiti, Morocco and Brazil.