Bradford City McBurnie started at
Leeds United's academy from a young age, playing with the likes of
Lewie Coyle and
Tyler Denton in the youth setup, before he was released at under 14s level. He joined
Bradford City's academy, but played for
Manchester United in the
2013 Milk Cup. McBurnie was given a three-year professional contract by Bradford on 23 August 2013. In November 2013, Bradford City manager Phil Parkinson stated that he was considering involving McBurnie with the club's first team squad. He made his professional debut on 9 November 2013, in the FA Cup, appearing as a substitute. He later spoke about his desire for further first-team action, and made his first senior start on 26 December 2013, at the age of 17. He was offered a new contract by the club at the end of the 2013–14 season. McBurnie later spoke about his first season as a professional, describing it as "ridiculous." He also spoke about his excitement ahead of the 2014–15 season. In September 2014 manager Phil Parkinson told McBurnie to "step up to the plate" and make the most of the first-team appearances he was making following an injury to regular started
James Hanson. In October 2014 Parkinson hinted that McBurnie would be sent out on loan. McBurnie joined
Chester on a one-month loan deal on 22 January 2015. He was recalled early, returning to Bradford on 20 February following injuries to first-team players. Manager Phil Parkinson thought the loan spell had been beneficial to McBurnie's development. He re-joined Chester on loan on 6 March.
Swansea City On 13 July 2015, McBurnie joined
Swansea City on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee, later revealed to be £250,000. fans following the club's promotion from
League Two In November 2015 he joined
League Two club
Newport County on an initial one-month loan. McBurnie made his debut for Newport on 28 November in a league game against
Luton Town, scoring a hat-trick after coming on as a 58th-minute substitute. While the loan had been earlier extended until January 2016, he was recalled by Swansea on 24 December 2015. On 7 March 2016, he joined
Bristol Rovers on loan for the remainder of the 2015–16 season. On 23 August 2016, McBurnie scored twice on his debut for Swansea's first team in the second-round
2016–17 EFL Cup tie against
Peterborough United. The match finished 1–3 in Swansea's favour. His performance was praised by ex-Swansea player
Warren Feeney. McBurnie won the Premier League 2 'Player of the Month' award for January 2017. In November 2016, McBurnie signed a one-year contract extension at the Liberty Stadium until June 2019. McBurnie appeared as a substitute in Swansea's first three matches of the
2017–18 Premier League. On 31 August 2017, the last day of the English summer transfer window, a loan to Championship club
Barnsley for the rest of the season was agreed. However, despite training with Barnsley the transfer was not completed, due to an issue with the paperwork and he returned to Swansea. Upon returning to Swansea under
Paul Clement he played for Swansea's Under-23s scoring 10 goals in 7 games, before earning a recall to the first team under new manager
Carlos Carvalhal, where he made 12 appearances including starting against Liverpool and Newcastle. On 31 January 2018, he moved on loan to Barnsley, then managed by
Paul Heckingbottom. He scored his first goal for Barnsley in a 1–1 draw with
Sheffield Wednesday on 10 February 2018. After speculation strongly linking him with moves to either Leeds United or Rangers, on 12 July 2018 he signed a new three-year contract extension at Swansea City with the option of a fourth year. Later that month Sheffield United increased their bid, which Swansea accepted. On 2 August 2019, McBurnie signed for Sheffield United on a four-year deal for a fee of £17.5 million, potentially rising to £20 million. The fee set a new club record for Sheffield United and a new record for a transfer involving a Scottish player, until it was beaten a few days later by
Kieran Tierney's £25 million move from Celtic to Arsenal. McBurnie's former club Bradford City were set to receive a "windfall" from his sale, later confirmed to be around £2 million. On 24 November 2019, he scored the equaliser as Sheffield United drew 3–3 with Manchester United at Bramall Lane. The goal was challenged by VAR but upheld. He finished the
2019–20 season as Sheffield United's joint highest goalscorer along with
Lys Mousset on six goals. In April 2022, he suffered a foot injury and was ruled out for "months". On 26 August 2022, he scored his first league goal in 43 games (since December 2020), and his first in any competition for 11 months, scoring the equaliser in a 1–1 draw away at
Luton Town. He finished the
2022–23 season with 15 goals in all competitions as United were promoted back to the Premier League. On 21 January 2024, he converted an equalising penalty in a 2–2 home draw against West Ham United. The goal was timed at 102:08, the latest Premier League goal on record. He was released by the club on expiration of his contract on 1 July 2024.
Las Palmas On 25 July 2024, McBurnie signed for
La Liga club
Las Palmas, signing a three-year contract. He left the club in July 2025.
Hull City On 6 August 2025, McBurnie returned to England, joining Championship club
Hull City on a three-year deal with a club option for a further year. He made his debut on 9 August, the opening day of the season, when he came off the bench as a 71st-minute substitute for
Kyle Joseph in a 0–0 away draw to
Coventry City. He scored his first goal for the club in the
First Round of the
EFL Cup on 12 August in a 3–3 draw away at
Wrexham. A run of five goals and one assist in four matches saw him named Championship Player of the Month for September 2025. ==International career==