Sam Kerr and Martha Thomas Back as Scotland Eye a World Cup Return Nobody Saw Coming

Scotland Women are back in the mix for a World Cup place, and this time they look genuinely capable of taking it.

Melissa Andreatta's side topped their qualifying group on goal difference and now face a two-legged play-off against the Czech Republic in October, with a place at next summer's tournament in Brazil still four wins away. The recall of Sam Kerr and Martha Thomas adds real experience to a squad that's been quietly building something worth paying attention to.

The Return That Actually Matters

Kerr's absence from the Scotland setup has been one of the more puzzling subplots of this qualifying campaign. The Liverpool midfielder hasn't featured under Andreatta at all, with her last cap coming in February 2025 as a substitute against the Netherlands. She's been playing out of position at right-back in the WSL, which tells you something about how her club form has gone, but in a Scotland shirt she brings composure and experience that the midfield has sometimes lacked.

Thomas is arguably the bigger deal in terms of this tie specifically. The forward joined Newcastle United in the summer and has 50 caps to her name. She's a physical presence, she can hold the ball up, and she scores goals at international level. Against a Czech side that Scotland will want to dominate at home in the second leg, having Thomas available as a focal point up top is a significant upgrade.

The two of them coming back together isn't a coincidence. Andreatta clearly wants her most experienced attacking options available for the biggest games of her tenure so far.

What Scotland Actually Look Like Right Now

This Scotland Women squad is a genuinely mixed group in terms of where players are playing their football. You've got Caroline Weir at Lyon, Erin Cuthbert at Chelsea, Christy Grimshaw at AC Milan, and Eartha Cumings at Manchester City at one end. At the other, you've got players in the Championship and lower tiers of the women's game.

What Andreatta has done well is make that mix work. The squad stayed unbeaten through qualifying and finished above Belgium, which is no small thing. The shape is organised, they're hard to break down, and when they get the ball into attacking areas they have enough quality to hurt teams.

The Czech Republic aren't a soft touch but they're not Sweden either. Scotland will back themselves to manage the first leg in Pardubice and then use St Mirren Park to finish the job. If they come through that, they face either Sweden or Lithuania in the next round. Lithuania would be a very winnable tie. Sweden would be a proper test.

In terms of betting, Scotland Women qualifying for Brazil is starting to look like a reasonable punt rather than a hopeful flutter. The draw for the second round matters a lot, but the path isn't impossible.

The Players Who Could Decide the Play-Off

Beyond the headline recalls, a few names in this squad deserve attention for anyone watching these games closely.

Mia McAulay keeps her place despite being a late addition for the last camp, which suggests Andreatta sees something in the Aston Villa youngster that's worth developing under pressure. Freya Gregory and Sophie Howard return after injury-enforced absences, and both were missed when Scotland played Israel.

Maria McAneny is back too, and she's one of the more underrated players in this setup. Her goal in the Luxembourg thrashing earlier in the year was a reminder of what she can add from midfield when she's firing. Celtic form can be streaky but McAneny tends to show up for Scotland.

The spine of the team, Cumings in goal, a back line anchored by Docherty and Clark, Cuthbert controlling midfield, and now Thomas leading the line, looks like a solid international unit. Not spectacular, but solid. In two-legged play-offs, solid usually beats spectacular.

Our Call on Scotland's World Cup Chances

We think Scotland Women will beat the Czech Republic over two legs. The home advantage in the second leg at St Mirren Park is significant, Andreatta's side are well-organised, and the return of Kerr and Thomas gives them options they didn't have in recent camps.

The bigger question is what happens if they draw Sweden in the next round. That's where the dream could hit a wall. But Lithuania is very beatable, and Scotland should be good enough to handle that if they get the kinder draw.

For punters, keeping an eye on the Scotland Women qualify for Brazil market is worth it right now. The odds will shorten quickly if they come through October in good shape, so this is the moment to look at value before the casual money piles in.