George Hirst can barely contain his excitement after securing a place in Scotland's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — even if the news derailed a promising golf shot and committed him to more sessions of hot yoga.

The Ipswich Town striker, 27, admitted he had genuine doubts about whether he would make the cut. In the end, head coach Steve Clarke named him among five forwards selected for the tournament.

"I was ecstatic," Hirst said. "I found out 45 minutes before the rest of the world did. I was golfing in Portugal with a couple of mates at the time and had a putt for birdie and ended up making double bogey. I couldn't quite contain my excitement, even on the golf course."

"It was a dream for me when you're a kid, to go to a World Cup — and for the manager to give me that opportunity, I'll be forever grateful."

Honest conversations and hard work

Hirst revealed that Clarke had spoken plainly with him during the March international camp, leaving the striker under no illusions about what was required. He responded by finishing the Championship season strongly, scoring 11 goals as Ipswich claimed second place and sealed an immediate return to the Premier League.

"There was definitely a world where I was in the squad, there was a world where I wasn't," Hirst said. "I wasn't naive to that fact. For the end of the season, it was just for me to do as much as possible at Ipswich and show why I deserve to be on the plane."

Hirst started 25 league games and came off the bench a further 17 times across the campaign. He has scored once in eight appearances for Scotland since making his international debut last year.

Hot yoga and tournament heat

Preparing for what could be a sweltering tournament, Hirst has thrown himself into hot pod yoga sessions — despite having little love for the heat.

"I've been doing all my hot pod yoga, trying to get used to the heat, which I'm not a massive fan of," he said. "I just can't really contain myself, contain my smile, contain myself from expressing how happy I am to be here."

Competition for places

Hirst joins Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes, Lawrence Shankland, and Ross Stewart in a forward line that Clarke has assembled for Scotland's first World Cup since 1998 — a 28-year absence from football's grandest stage.

"We've probably all got slightly different strengths," Hirst said. "I provide a little bit of pace up there. I've got the height as well. I'm going to be there and ready to be called upon whenever that is, whether that's one minute or 90 minutes."

"You're all fighting for the same thing, but you all want to be involved. It's going to be a really healthy competition, which is always a good thing. Hopefully I can train well, get minutes in the friendly games, and give the manager something to think about."