Caroline Weir Reflects on Sleepless Nights Following Scotland’s Euro 2025 Qualification Failure

Scotland captain Caroline Weir stated she “found it hard to sleep for quite a few nights” following the team’s loss to Finland and their subsequent inability to qualify for Euro 2025. The squad, managed by Pedro Martinez Losa, experienced a 2-0 defeat in Helsinki last Tuesday, which came after a 0-0 draw in Edinburgh four days prior. This outcome means the team will not participate in a major tournament for six years. Since the “difficult, hard hitting” defeat, considerable discussion has emerged concerning the players and the head coach’s role, although no official announcements have been made. However, Weir, a player for Real Madrid who recently competed on Scottish soil for the Spanish club against Celtic in the Women’s Champions League, affirmed that Martinez Losa retains the “respect” of the squad, despite their failure to qualify for two major tournaments. “It’s not for me to say, but I think Pedro [still has the confidence of the squad],” the 29-year-old commented after Real’s 3-0 victory in Hamilton. She added, “He’s put a lot of trust in me recently especially and the players respect him for sure. All these questions are asked when a campaign ends.” Weir concluded, “There will be a time we need to think what’s next for the national team, but for now it’s hard to say exactly.” With Aston Villa defender Rachel Corsie unavailable, Weir served as captain for Scotland in both two-legged play-off matches against Hungary and Finland. Although she was central to an excellent display at Easter Road during the semi-final second leg against the Hungarians, she and her teammates were unable to deliver a similar performance against the Finns, rarely threatening their goal. A subdued showing in the cold Finnish capital meant that by the time the Scottish team began to exert pressure, the outcome had already been determined by two goals scored in the first half. Upon the final whistle at the Bolt Arena, the Scotland players collapsed to the ground, gazing into the night. Weir was left contemplating numerous “what if” scenarios and will again spend the summer watching her club teammates compete on the major stage in Switzerland. “I’ve probably found it one of the more difficult times in my career in terms of a result like that,” the former Arsenal and Manchester City midfielder commented regarding last Tuesday’s match. She continued, “I actually found it hard to sleep after for quite a few nights.” Weir added, “It’s hit a lot of players very hard, for me definitely, thinking, ‘what more could I have done?’ Thoughts you really don’t want to have, but that’s happened in the last week.” “I think it’s probably too soon to say exactly where [Scotland go from here],” she stated. “We have to reflect, see where it was we fell short exactly. For me, it’s still a little bit too soon to really go into the details, we have to let it settle a little bit.” However, nine days after this latest setback, Weir is likely not the only individual experiencing sleepless nights, as frustration grows among supporters due to the lack of communication.