Christie 'desperate' for more major finals with Scotland after World

Ryan Christie has said he is "desperate" to play in more major finals with Scotland after experiencing his first World Cup, despite the disappointment of a group-stage exit. The 31-year-old Bournemouth midfielder played in all three of Scotland's matches in the tournament, which marked the nation's return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence.

World Cup debut and group-stage exit

Christie started the 1-0 defeat by Morocco and came on as a substitute in the 1-0 win over Haiti and the 3-0 loss to Brazil. Scotland's campaign ended in the group stage, meaning the nation has still never reached the knockout rounds of a major tournament.

"It was an amazing experience," Christie told BBC Scotland. "Seeing all the Scotland fans over there was incredible. The atmosphere was electric."

Reflecting on the immediate aftermath, he added: "The first 72 hours afterwards, you feel a bit gutted because we were desperate to get out of the group and it wasn't to be. But I had such a good time with that bunch of boys that have been together for so many years now. When you finish, you're just hungry for more. I'm desperate now to go to more tournaments, just thinking when's the next one?"

Future tournaments and qualifying prospects

Scotland will aim to qualify for Euro 2028, which is co-hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. All four home nations must go through qualifying, but two automatic spots are reserved for hosts that fail to qualify via the group stage, boosting Scotland's chances of participating.

"We were determined to qualify for a World Cup and we ticked that box," said Christie, who signed a new three-year contract with Bournemouth last month. "Now we really want to go to a tournament and make an impression. It's the next step for our nation."

Steve Clarke's resignation

Christie also spoke about the resignation of head coach Steve Clarke, who stepped down after Scotland's elimination. Clarke had signed a four-year contract extension before the World Cup but resigned as soon as it was confirmed Scotland could not progress. Christie described the announcement to the players as "very emotional."

"He called a meeting, which we thought was to draw a line under the tournament," Christie said. "Naturally, everyone was shell-shocked and gutted. He's done so much for us and obviously goes down as a Scotland legend. He'll be missed."

Christie, who has 71 caps and played under Clarke at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, added: "I'm looking forward to seeing who comes in and hopefully we can go on a good run again."