Carrie Jones targets strong start in FIFA World Cup qualifying 

Carrie Jones hopes Cymru can pick up where they left off and make a positive start to their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

Cymru head into their opener in high spirits, eager to build on an encouraging run of results towards the end of 2025. A thrilling 3-2 friendly victory over EURO quarter-finalists Switzerland in December was followed by impressive 1-1 draws against Sweden and Korea Republic, rounding off a historic year for Welsh football.

Now approaching 50 caps, Jones says there is a renewed sense of belief within the squad as they embark on a fresh qualification journey under head coach Rhian Wilkinson.

“We’re all very much looking forward to it,” she said. “Off the back of a historic year, a challenging year, it’s a new campaign and new goals to set.

“The target is always to finish as high as possible and to top the group. We’ve been to a major tournament now and with that comes expectation, but we have that expectation of ourselves as well. We want to be the kind of team that everyone has that expectation of. We want to be there come 2027.”

The campaign begins at the City Stadium in Uherské Hradiště against Czechia on Tuesday 3 March (KO 5:30pm GMT), before Cymru return home to host Montenegro at Parc-Y-Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday 7 March (KO 4:30pm GMT). With qualification for a first Women’s World Cup firmly in their sights, the squad are clear about what is at stake.

“It would mean the world to reach a World Cup,” the forward admits. “We can now say we’ve been to a EURO, but none of us can say we’ve been to a World Cup, so that’s the next thing for us.

“We’ve got new, clear goals and we want to continue to inspire the next generation, which is still hugely significant for us. But, of course, for this camp it’s pure focus on the next two games.”

Cymru travel to Czechia for their opening fixture, marking the first meeting between the sides since an international friendly at Rodney Parade in 2019. The two nations are separated by just one place in the FIFA World Rankings – in Czechia’s favour – and the away trip is widely viewed as the toughest assignment in the group for Wilkinson’s side.

With that in mind, Jones is under no illusions about the challenge awaiting Cymru as they begin their campaign on the road.

“It’s going to be a difficult game to begin with, we know that,” she said. “All these games will have different challenges, whether we play home or away. They’ll each bring something different, and we’ll have to be well prepared.

“It’s huge to start strong and set the tone for the campaign. Obviously, going away can bring many challenges but we have high expectations as a team, so we want to hit the ground running come Tuesday.”

Following the trip to Czechia, Cymru return to Llanelli for their first match there since July 2024, when they secured a 2-0 victory over Kosovo in a UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 qualifier. On that occasion, Jess Fishlock became Cymru’s record goalscorer in front of more than 4,000 supporters.

Jones and her teammates will hope the Red Wall once again turns out in force in west Wales as they aim to qualify for back-to-back major tournaments.

“It’s going to be really exciting for us as a team, especially off the back of reaching a major tournament,” she added.

“It will be really nice to see the supporters up and down the country in different areas of Wales and see the impact we’ve had on the country and continue that legacy.”