Lyndon Dykes was forced to watch on from the sidelines as Scotland exited in the group stage of Euro 2024 and also missed Blues’ triumphant League One run-in this year
Lyndon Dykes of Scotland celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Scotland and Greece(Image: Getty Images)
Birmingham City super-sub Lyndon Dykes wants to put the pain of missing Euro 2024 behind him and fire Scotland into their first World Cup since 1998.
The 30-year-old, born in Australia, represented Scotland at the European Championships in 2021. However, his dreams of a second appearance at the tournament last year were shattered when, as a QPR player, he sustained an ankle ligament injury during training just two weeks before the event started.
Dykes was relegated to the roles of spectator and media commentator in Germany, and the disappointment of missing out is stoking his determination ahead of the crucial back-to-back matches against Greece on Saturday and Denmark next Tuesday.
When asked if qualifying for the World Cup in North America next summer would compensate for his Euros letdown, Dykes responded: “Yeah, 100 per cent.
“I want to play as many games for Scotland and make as many tournaments as possible and obviously missing out on the Euros was a big blow.
“The way it happened as well, it really hurt a lot. I had to just do my best to get over it leading up to that because obviously it wasn’t like the first Euros when we had the Serbia play-off.
“This Euros (2024), we were qualified quite early, so everyone had the excitement and was looking forward to that.
“The way I obviously got injured was a real disappointment, but in football you have to just take it as it comes, you don’t know what’s around the corner.
“Hopefully I can play my part for this team to get to the World Cup and hopefully be in the squad for the World Cup if we do make it.
“Everyone wants to play in a World Cup because it’s a pinnacle of your career. It would definitely be a highlight of my life and my career if we can do it.”
Dykes also suffered injury in 2025, when he pulled up with a calf problem in the game against Reading in February. That kept him out of Blues’ run in and a first Wembley appearance since 2011 in the Vertu Trophy final.
As a result he didn’t play for six months before returning at the beginning of the current campaign. Since then he has started only two of Blues’ 13 Championship matches but he has been effective off the bench, with late goals at Blackburn and at home to Swansea turning draws into wins.
He even continued that with Scotland last month when, six minutes after coming on, he scored in the 90th minute against Greece to deliver a 3-1 win.
This time Scotland need at least a draw in Greece followed by victory over Denmark to clinch top spot in Group C and end their lengthy absence from the World Cup.
With anticipation mounting nationwide ahead of the crucial double-header, Dykes stressed that the players – currently at a training camp in Turkey – are relaxed despite the weight of expectation.
“I wouldn’t say there is any pressure at the moment,” he said. “We’ve done great in these group stages, we’ve got automatic play-offs.
“We’re all doing our normal things, there’s smiles around the camp. When the time comes, I’m sure the whole squad will have a little bit of nerves coming into games because we know how big these games are.
“There is pressure on these games, but the players that we have, they’ve played in massive games, every single one of them. Pressure comes with this sport, so you just have to take it as it is.
“Previously being in that Serbia game (in November 2020) for the first Euros, which seems a long time ago now, the pressure on that game was massive and we got through that as a team.
“I think ever since that situation and that moment, we just kind of grew from there. Even though the squad’s changed a little bit from there, we know we can always get through things as a team.”
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