The International Cross Country Union Championship was held from 1903-1972, being granted official World Championship status in 1973. From 1973-1987, Scotland competed in their own right before it was decided that there would be only one team representing the U.K. The following are the Scottish performances between 1973 and 1987.

Scotland at the IAAF World Championships 1973 to 1987

From 1987, a single team represented the U.K. The following are the performances of that team and the Scottish athletes who have represented it.

Scottish athletes at the IAAF World Championships 1988 to date

The inaugural International Cross Country Championships, held in 1903, were contested by the four home countries. France were the first overseas country to compete in 1907, followed by Belgium in 1923, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Switzerland in 1929, Netherlands in 1950 and Yugoslavia in 1953. Northern Ireland first entered a discrete team in 1933 and the Irish Republic in 1938, although All-Ireland teams were again entered from 1946 to 1967 inclusive. The first African country to enter was Tunisia in 1958. A junior championship (for athletes under 21 on the day of the race) was introduced in 1961, although an earlier unofficial junior race was staged in 1940. 8 unofficial women's international matches were held between 1931 and 1957 prior to the formal acceptance of a women's race as a championship event in 1967. In 1970 two women's events were held at different venues over the same weekend. The event was given official IAAF World Championship status in 1973.

The following is the year-by-year detail of all Scottish athletes and teams who competed at these championships:

Scotland at the ICCU Championships 1903-1972

The European Cross-Country Championship is an annual event first held in 1994. Team scores are calculated by aggregating the positions of the first 4 finishers from a maximum of 6 competitors (except for senior women & junor events from 1994-2000 where scores were calculated by aggregating the positions of the first 3 finishers from a maximum of 5 competitors).

Scottish athletes who have represented Great Britain & Northern Ireland are as follows:

Scottish athletes at the European Cross Country Championships