Clarke informed his players of his decision at 7pm local time on Saturday, just after Scotland’s exit from the tournament was confirmed.
“Obviously it’s an emotional moment when you tell your players you’re leaving after such a journey together,” he said.
“I think seven or eight of them were with me from the very beginning to the very end. It was very important to me that the players knew first and obviously right before I went into the meeting I had to tell my captain (Andy Robertson) because I knew he would want to say a few words back to me.”
Despite the backlash over Scotland’s performance in the group stages, Clarke is adamant he had a “brilliant” World Cup experience.
“I said I would love it,” he said. “Going out to the game in Haiti with thousands of Scotland fans and my family in the stands was just the best moment.
“The next two games were tough. We played with difficult opponents. Morocco and Brazil, both of them can go very deep in the tournament, and we competed with them, no matter what others said. We competed, both games were competitive.
“We showed a lot of character and played some good things. We didn’t find the quality in the final third, but I can say that throughout the seven years we were always chasing and trying to find that quality in the final third – and I hope my successor can do that.”
Reviewing his time in charge, “100% proud” Clark believes he achieved his goal of “changing the mentality of the group” and instilling in them the belief that they can compete at the highest level.
“As we move forward we will become part of Scottish folklore,” he predicted. “People will be talking about some of these matches, some of these events, even into the next century.
“Everyone keeps saying this core group is finished. They are not finished yet because everyone can get to Euro 2028.”