Cormac Daly (born 17 March 2007) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for side Arbroath, on loan from Heart of Midlothian, as a winger. He began his career as a youth with Hamilton Academical, before joining Nottingham Forest in 2023. He was subsequently loaned out to Lincoln United and Hereford, before returning to Scotland on a permanent deal with Heart of Midlothian.
Daly has represented Scotland at under 16 and under 19 level. Club career Early career Daly began his career at Hamilton Academical, where he was part of their U18 league-winning team in 2023. He then joined Premier League club Nottingham Forest in September 2023, signing a two-year professional contract from his 17th birthday until 2026.
On 14 November 2025, Daly joined Northern Premier League Division One East club Lincoln United on a 28-day loan. He made his debut the following day in a 1–0 league win at home against Blyth Spartans.
On 28 January 2026, Daly joined National League North club Hereford on loan until the end of the season, joining alongside fellow Forest academy player Cherif Yaya. He made his debut for the club in a 2–1 league defeat away against Curzon Ashton on 31 January. He scored his first goals for both the club and in senior football on 24 February, in a 5–2 league win at home against Chester.
Despite a successful loan playing 24 games for 3 goals and 1 assist, as he was a key player for the team that narrowly avoided relegation from the National League, he left Nottingham Forest as a free agent at the end of the 2025–26 season.
Heart of Midlothian On 30 June 2026, it was announced that Daly had returned to Scotland after three years to join Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian, signing a two-year contract.
Arbroath loan On 17 July 2026, Daly joined Scottish Championship club Arbroath on a season-long loan.
International career Daly was called up to Scotland U16 in August 2022 for back-to-back friendlies against Denmark in Spain.
He was named in the Scotland U19 squad in March 2025 for friendlies against Sweden and Poland. He appeared as a second-half substitute in both matches, making his under-19 debut in the 1–1 draw against Sweden.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsNottingham Forest U212024–25———10102025–26———1010Total0000002020Lincoln United (loan)2025–26NPL Division One East20———20Hereford (loan)2025–26National League North243———243Heart of Midlothian B2026–27———4242Arbroath (loan)2026–27Scottish Championship6000300090Career total323003062415
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