Kristi Montgomery Receives First Scotland Call-Up

Kristi Montgomery has been handed her first senior Scotland call-up as Sebastien Pocognoli rips up the script for his opening Nations League campaign.

The Blackburn Rovers midfielder, a standout in the Championship this season, steps up from the Under-21s after Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean withdrew from the squad. Scotland face Slovenia home and away, plus meetings with Switzerland and North Macedonia, in what already feels like a new era under the Belgian coach.

Montgomery, 22, has started all eight league games for Tony Mowbray’s side, anchoring the Blackburn midfield and forcing her way into the conversation. Now she’s in the room.

Her promotion comes on the back of a string of absences that would have gutted any established squad. Between them, Celtic defender Tierney and Norwich midfielder McLean boast 119 caps. Scott McTominay, Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland were all ruled out before Pocognoli even named his first group, stripping Scotland of experience, goals and a familiar spine.

So the door has swung open.

Montgomery becomes the eighth uncapped player in a 27-strong selection, underlining just how radical this reshaping is. She joins Luke Graham, Robbie Ure, Luis Binks, Colby Donovan, Jon McCracken, Josh McPake and Stephen Welsh as part of a fresh, untested core asked to grow up quickly on the international stage.

There is experience returning around them. Oli McBurnie, Scott Bain, Kieron Bowie, Josh Doig, Lennon Miller and James Wilson are all recalled, while Napoli midfielder Billy Gilmour is back in the fold after missing the World Cup through injury. His absence opened the door for Manchester United teenager Tyler Fletcher in the USA; now Gilmour reclaims his place with Fletcher remaining at Under-21 level.

Some big names miss out entirely. Dominic Hyam, Lyndon Dykes, George Hirst, Grant Hanley, Anthony Ralston and Ross Stewart are among those overlooked as Pocognoli stamps his authority on the squad list.

It leaves Scotland with a blend that feels raw but intriguing: a stripped-back core of regulars, surrounded by hungry hopefuls like Montgomery, thrown into the intensity of competitive football rather than sheltered in friendlies.

For Pocognoli, it’s a bold first statement. For Montgomery, it’s the chance of a lifetime.