Scotland lose Welsh and call up Porteous

What the report says

Swansea City defender Stephen Welsh has withdrawn from Scotland’s squad for its upcoming Nations League matches, and Los Angeles defender Ryan Porteous has been called up as his replacement, according to BBC Sport Football. The change comes ahead of Scotland’s home game against North Macedonia on Friday and an away trip to Switzerland on Monday, 16 November.

BBC Sport reported that there had initially been concern Welsh may have suffered serious knee ligament damage after a challenge in Swansea’s 3-1 defeat at Portsmouth on Tuesday. A scan later indicated he had not picked up a major injury, and Swansea had hoped he might still be available for their match at Birmingham City on Saturday. Despite that, the Scottish FA has now confirmed he will not feature in the national team’s final two group fixtures.

Welsh has made all four of his Scotland appearances since Sebastien Pocognoli became head coach in the summer. Porteous, 27, last appeared for Scotland in March 2025, when he came on as a late substitute in a 1-0 Nations League play-off win over Greece. The former Watford and Hibernian defender joined Los Angeles last August and has made 35 appearances this year. Scotland need at least four points from their last two group matches to keep alive their hopes of reaching the promotion play-offs.