Stephen Welsh Out of Scotland Squad, Ryan Porteous Recalled
Stephen Welsh has pulled out of Scotland's squad, and Ryan Porteous has come in to replace him. The Swansea City centre-back, who has four caps, was ruled out after an injury scare, and the Scottish FA confirmed the withdrawal ahead of Scotland's two Nations League games.
The Nations League is a competition between European national teams, and the matches count towards promotion and relegation between groups. Scotland's double-header is a home game against North Macedonia and an away trip to Switzerland. Welsh will miss both.
His problem started in Swansea's 3-1 defeat at Portsmouth, when Ebou Adams challenged him. BBC Sport reports that a scan showed the 26-year-old had not suffered a significant knee problem. That is the good news for Welsh and for Swansea, who hoped he could play some part of their game at Birmingham City on Saturday.
Porteous is 27 and last played for Scotland under Steve Clarke in March 2025. He is a familiar face in the squad, though it has been a while since he pulled on the dark blue shirt. He won his 13th cap as a late substitute in a 1-0 Nations League play-off win in Greece, a result that shows how tight these games can be.
His route to this point has been a long one. He began his Scotland career in 2022 with a debut against Ukraine in a Nations League decider in Krakow, when he was a Hibernian defender. He later left Watford for Los Angeles last August, after finishing the previous season on loan at Preston. He has made 35 appearances for Los Angeles this year.
Earlier this summer, he spoke about being on standby for the World Cup. The Scotsman reported that he said he was ready if called upon. Now the call has come, though for a different tournament and under different circumstances.
Welsh's caps all came under head coach Sebastien Pocognoli, who was appointed after Clarke. The change in personnel comes as Scotland's position in the group is still open. They must take at least four points from their final two group games to have a chance of reaching the promotion play-offs. A play-off is a one-off knockout match, used to decide the last places in a higher group.
For Porteous, the moment is a second chance to make an impression in a squad he left behind over a year ago. For Welsh, the message is simple: the scan was clear, and he will be back in a Swansea shirt soon enough. Scotland now have to get on with the two games they have, and find the points they need.
