Scotland call up Ryan Porteous as Stephen Welsh withdraws from squad

Scotland's national football team has made a change to its squad for upcoming Nations League matches, with Swansea City centre-back Stephen Welsh withdrawing and being replaced by Ryan Porteous of Los Angeles, BBC Sport and Yahoo Sports reported.

Concerns about Welsh's knee ligament injury, sustained during Swansea's 3-1 loss at Portsmouth, initially suggested a serious problem. However, a scan showed no significant damage, and Swansea hoped Welsh might play in their next game against Birmingham City.

Despite this, the Scottish Football Association announced Welsh's withdrawal from Scotland's matches at home to North Macedonia on Friday and away to Switzerland on Monday, 16 November.

Ryan Porteous, 27, last appeared for Scotland in March 2025 and has made 35 appearances this year for his Major League Soccer team, which is currently sixth in the Western Conference and 12th overall.

Welsh has earned four caps since Sebastien Pocognoli was appointed Scotland head coach in the summer. Porteous last played for Scotland under Steve Clarke.

Scotland needs at least four points from their final two group games to have a chance at the promotion play-offs, making squad selection important for these fixtures.