Laura Berry and Mia McAulay, two Rangers teenagers who watched their team fall short in Sunday's Women's Scottish Cup final, have been handed an unexpected path back to redemption: call-ups to Scotland's squad for critical World Cup qualifying matches against Israel.
The 18-year-old winger and 19-year-old midfielder earned their places as replacements after Como's Sophie Howard and Newcastle forward Freya Gregory withdrew from the squad. For Berry and McAulay, the late invitations carry particular weight. Berry will turn 19 on June 11—by which time she could be an uncapped player no longer, ready to make her full international debut. McAulay, already 19 with four caps to her name, has a chance to add to her experience as Scotland chases qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
The stakes for these matches are considerable. Scotland's Women's team, managed by Melissa Andreatta, currently tops Group B4 on goal difference from Belgium, with both sides unbeaten through their qualifying campaign so far. The two nations will face off in concluding group fixtures played at the Bozsik Arena in Budapest on Friday and Tuesday, June 9. Scotland's advantage is slim—just four goals on the goal difference metric that separates the sides—and the window for Belgium to overtake them is narrow but real. The Belgians' final matches come against bottom-of-the-table Luxembourg, a side that has already conceded 21 goals across four games and appears vulnerable to the high-scoring margins Belgium will likely need to surge ahead.
For Israel, the mathematics are harsher. Two points behind both Scotland and Belgium, the Israelis would need to produce two shock victories over the Scots simply to keep their hopes alive. It is a steep climb, but qualification stakes elevate the intensity of even long-odds encounters.
What makes these matches matter extends beyond the immediate group competition. The group winners will be promoted to League A for the next Nations League cycle—a status symbol and strategic advantage in international women's football. More crucially, the top three teams in the group advance directly to the play-offs for a place at the 2027 World Cup finals in Brazil. For a nation like Scotland, which has worked to rebuild and strengthen its women's program, a play-off berth represents a significant achievement and a chance to compete for one of the sport's premier stages.
Berry and McAulay will join a squad rich with talent from Europe's top leagues. Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea) and Caroline Weir (Real Madrid) anchor the midfield; up front, Kirsty Hanson (Aston Villa) and Claire Emslie (Angel City) bring experience and goal-scoring pedigree. The depth suggests Scotland has cultivated a program capable of competing at the highest level. Yet the thinness of margins—four goals on goal difference, the unpredictable nature of a single match—means that the young Rangers players may yet prove decisive in a group where momentum and confidence can shift rapidly. For Berry and McAulay, a late call-up born of setback offers a chance to help write a brighter ending to their season.