As the ball fell to the feet of Scotland’s Kieran Tierney last night there must have been a thousand thoughts running through his head – he had just made an error for Denmark’s second equaliser of the night and needed to redeem himself, save Scotland’s World Cup hopes and write his name into Hampden folklore.
But one thing we can almost guarantee was not on his mind is Rangers’ finances.
But with his 93rd-minute strike, Celtic’s Tierney didn’t just lift Scotland to the top of Group C and fire the nation to their first World Cup since 1998 – he may also have earned Rangers a significant windfall.
How, you ask?
Because FIFA pays clubs for every player they release to the World Cup through its Club Benefits Programme. For the 2026 tournament, the fund has risen to $355 million, meaning the per-player, per-day rate is expected to be higher than the estimated £8,000 a day paid out for Qatar 2022.
And that’s where Rangers come in.
The Rangers players heading to North America
With Scotland now qualified, John Souttar, Liam Kelly and Connor Barron are all on track to be part of Steve Clarke’s squad next summer.
All three were involved in the squad for the decisive win over Denmark and each is now a realistic option for a place on the plane to the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Even Lyall Cameron, who remains an outside shout, could end up turning Tierney’s winner into a further Ibrox financial boost if he hits form at the right time.
What this means financially?
If Souttar, Kelly and Barron are selected, Rangers will receive a payment for every day they are away with Scotland, from the pre-tournament reporting date right through the group stage and beyond.
Using the Qatar 2022 rate as a baseline of an estimated £8,000 a day and assuming an increased figure for 2026, Rangers could be looking at close to half a million pounds if:
Scotland remain in the tournament for at least two weeks, and the three Rangers players all make the final squad and are present for the full period.
Should Cameron squeeze into the squad too, the sum increases further.
Scotland did add another in the eighth minute of stoppage time – former Rangers youth player and perennial transfer link Kenny McLean lobbing Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel from the halfway line with the final kick of the ball to rubber stamp Scotland’s place at next summer's tournament.
Further windfalls
Rangers could also net money from call ups to Canada’s Derek Cornelius, should he sign permanently, Ivory Coast’s Mohammed Diomande, Norway’s Thelo Aasgaard, Belgium’s Nicolas Raskin, forgotten loanee Jose Cifuentes – who could earn a recall to the Ecuadorian team or Yousef Chermiti, who has said his “goal is to reach the senior national team” with Portugal at the World Cup.
Further windfalls could also arrive via the playoffs if any of Bojan Miovski (North Macedonia), Nedim Bajrami (Albania), Ross McCausland (Northern Ireland) or Rabbi Matondo (Wales) manage to help their team navigate that route to the finals.