Caroline Weir says she would trade Ballon d'Or nominations for Scotland reaching World Cup

Caroline Weir, the 31-year-old Scotland captain and back-to-back Ballon d'Or nominee, told reporters at St Mirren Park on 25 October 2026 she would swap her nominations for Scotland qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil next summer. She made the comments after being named on the 30-player Ballon d'Or shortlist.

Weir, who has moved from Real Madrid to Lyon this year and been appointed Scotland captain, said individual recognition matters less than the national target. "Yeah, it's cool, I guess," said Weir, who has scored 11 international goals - including three hat-tricks - in a year she signed-off as the Galactica's all-time goalscorer. She described herself as uncomfortable talking about her own achievements and emphasised the team's objectives.

The Scotland skipper insisted the Ballon d'Or nods are secondary to qualifying for the World Cup, saying "it all means nothing if we don't achieve our goal of going to the World Cup". Attention will shift after the ceremony in London on Monday, with Sweden standing in the way of Scotland's major tournament return after Scotland beat the Czechs to set up a World Cup play-off with Sweden.

Weir did not play in Scotland's second leg against the Czech Republic after pulling up injured in the warm-up and has yet to return from that problem. Before the injury she had not planned to walk the red carpet at the Palladium because of a Champions League match at home to Inter Milan on Wednesday, but the injury has clouded those plans.

Recalling last year's Ballon d'Or event in Paris, Weir said she double-checked the shortlist and enjoyed the night with her husband Josh. "There were just superstars everywhere you looked," she recalled. "We got on the plane from Madrid and Figo was sat right in front of us. That's how it started and how it went on. We were just loving every minute and we were so happy to be there."

Weir's first Ballon d'Or nomination came in the same year Scott McTominay was nominated and followed her comeback from an ACL injury; she was the first Scottish woman to receive a nomination. In the recent international camp team-mates Erin Cuthbert and Claire Emslie presented her with a commemorative shirt, while Emslie received a shirt to mark her 75th Scotland cap; Weir called Emslie "an inspiration".

Weir and Emslie, friends for 20 years who are 31 and 32 respectively, said they maintain a close bond off the pitch. The pair are two of six current Scots who were part of the squad at the 2019 World Cup, and since Scotland's failure to qualify for Euro 2025 under Pedro Martinez Losa Weir has repeatedly spoken about her ambition to reach the next World Cup, saying in March she was "borderline desperate", in April "I want nothing more this year than to qualify" and in June "I'm doing everything and anything to realise my dream".

She reiterated the priority for her and the national team in blunt terms: "It's my biggest objective," Weir said. "It's the most important thing for me. I want to be at a World Cup, I want Scotland to be at a World Cup. I'd swap everything, nominations, goals, for this team to get to a World Cup and that's all I can really think about."

Scotland will now face Sweden in a World Cup play-off, the confirmed next hurdle in their bid to reach the tournament in Brazil.