Montenegro vs. Cymru | 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup – WEQ League Stage – Grp B1

“The fans deserve better than that.”

Strong words from the Wales head coach after tonight’s result.

Wales will look to regroup ahead of Tuesday’s match. ⚽
#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/0PRDZXmGIX

— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) June 5, 2026

MATCH SUMMARY:

Cymru dropped two crucial points in Podgorica as Montenegro claimed a shock 1-1 draw with a late equaliser.

Carrie Jones captained Cymru for the first time as head coach Rhian Wilkinson made a number of changes to the starting line-up with one eye on Tuesday’s decisive match against Czechia in Cardiff. Travel disruption meant that Cymru arrived in Podgorica a day later than planned, but Wilkinson was adamant that there would be no excuses from her side.

Montenegro showed their intentions in the opening exchanges as they defended deeply in numbers and looked to frustrate Cymru. The visitors enjoyed long periods of possession but struggled to create any clear chances with limited space between the lines.

The heat in the capital city dictated a water break for both teams at the midway point and it gave Wilkinson to get a few vital messages across as her side looked more direct in their approach for the remainder of the opening half. With more balls getting in behind the Montenegro defence, more opportunities began to present themselves.

Ffion Morgan and Ella Powell had caused problems for Montenegro with their crossing ability. Morgan delivered a fine ball into the area for Hannah Cain, but it was intercepted by goalkeeper Ajša Kalač, just moments after Jones had seen her header go narrowly wide of the post.

The decisive moment of the half arrived just before half-time when Katarina Čađenović brought down Powell in the area. Cain stepped up and duly converted from the spot for her sixth goal of the qualifying campaign to give Cymru the lead at the midway point.

Montenegro almost made the perfect start to the 2nd half as Medina Dešić found herself in space on the edge of the area within seconds of the restart but could only shoot wide of Safia Middleton-Patel’s far post. However, the chance sparked a reaction from Cymru.

Elise Hughes thought she had doubled the lead minutes later, but her effort was superbly cleared off the line by Sladjana Bulatović. Meanwhile, Cain had a great opportunity to score her second of the game, but she failed to make the right connection from a Ffion Morgan cross.

Cymru continued to dominate for long periods, forcing a series of corners and comfortably holding onto their lead despite Montenegro doing everything to keep themselves in the game. The defensive discipline of the home side limited the number of clear-cut chances that Cymru were able to create, but the result was rarely in doubt until the final ten minutes.

Lily Woodham lost possession to Medina Dešić and she crossed for substitute Jasna Djoković to get ahead of Esther Morgan to equalise. The goal was a huge blow to Cymru, especially with news filtering through that group leaders Czechia had also been held to a surprise 1-1 draw against Albania in Prague.

Montenegro have equalised! Đoković with the goal.

Just over 10 minutes remaining and it’s all square.#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/Xonmet2o8N

— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) June 5, 2026

An awful moment for Cymru as Djoković comes off the bench to equalise. Woodham loses possession on the left and the substitute converts a cross from Dešić.

Ffion Morgan on the ball

A nice one-two between Rowe and Ffion Morgan on the right as Cymru look to create more chances. That early scare has certainly sparked something in this Cymru side.

Cymru so close to extending their lead by Hughes’s effort is spectacularly cleared off the line by Bulatović.

A real warning for Cymru there as Dešić shoots narrowly wide of Middleton-Patel’s far post within seconds of the restart. That was far too close for Cymru comfort.

HALF-TIME VERDICT:

Cymru enjoyed long periods of possession throughout the half, but chances were few and far between as Montenegro defended in numbers. Ella Powell and Ffion Morgan proved to be valuable attacking assets for the visitors as their crosses did ask questions of the home defence, but it was a foul on Ella Powell by Katarina Čađenović in the area just before half-time that proved to be the decisive moment. Hannah Cain made no mistake from the resulting penalty to give Cymru the advantage.

GOAL! Cain converts from the penalty spot as a foul from Čađenović on Powell leads to a spot kick. A vital goal for the visitors at the perfect time!

Goalkeeper Kalač commits a foul as she slides out of area with the ball in her hands. A decent opportunity for Cymru with a free-kick on the edge of area.

Ella Powell is challenged as she delivers a ball into the area

A bright return to action from Cymru with a more direct approach into the heart of the Montenegro defence. Surely the opening goal cannot be that far away for the visitors?

Rhian Wilkinson organises her side from the touchline as we reach the midway point in the opening half

An update from Group B1 as current leaders Czechia are being held to a 0-0 draw at home to Albania. They have reached half-time in Prague without a goal.

An early booking for Janjušević as the Montenegro defender brings down Powell.

The Cymru starting line-up

Cymru get things underway in the Podgorica sun.

The pre-match warm-ups are almost complete as Cymru look to complete the double over Montenegro in Group B1.

Two HUGE games incoming… ⏳

What’s at stake for Wales in their final two World Cup qualifiers? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿@alexmarierich explains it all ⬇️#BBCFootball #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/rf9LfmQrzS

— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) June 5, 2026

The players have arrived.

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A post shared by Fudbalski savez Crne Gore (@fscg_official)

PRE-MATCH PREPARATIONS

The Cymru squad enjoyed a pre-match walk around Podgorica this morning as the storm clouds that delayed their arrival in the capital of Montenegro replaced by sunshine.

Rhian Wilkinson and her squad will shortly make their way to the Gradski Stadion for this penultimate match of this phase of the qualifying campaign.

WILKINSON – “WE WILL BE READY FOR THE GAME”

Cymru head coach Rhian Wilkinson has insisted that there will be no excuses this evening and that her side are ready for the match against Montenegro despite their disrupted travel plans.

The squad were due to arrive in Podgorica on Wednesday, but storms in the area prevented them from landing and resulted in their flight being diverted to Italy. The side then arrived in Montenegro a day later than originally planned.

“It’s obviously not been straightforward, but equally these things happen, and for such a massive delay in our travel plans, I think it’s been handled exceptionally and we’re just getting on with it,” said Wilkinson to BBC Sport Wales as they arrived in Podgorica.

“I’m just really very proud of my staff. It’s not nice, right, spending the night at the airport for the staff. But how quickly they prioritise the players, getting them to sleep, prioritising food, all those things. The players have noticed how they [the staff] have gone above and beyond this trip.

“There’s no excuses. We’ll be ready for the game. I have staff that will be working over, round the clock now, especially the medical team, to make sure that the players are ready to go and they need to be prioritised.”

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

There have been three previous meetings between Cymru and Montenegro, with Cymru enjoying a perfect record with three victories.

The most recent fixture between the two nations took place during the current qualifying campaign at Llanelli in March this year. Cymru claimed a 6-1 win through goals from Rachel Rowe, Sophie Ingle (below) and a double each from Mared Griffiths and Hannah Cain.

Cymru and Montenegro were previously drawn together in qualifying for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The first match took place in Nikšić in November 2013 as Cymru claimed a 3-0 victory through goals from Hannah Keryakoplis and two goals from Helen Ward.

The return match took place at Bangor the following May as Cymru again claimed maximum points with a 4-0 win. Sarah Wiltshire opened the scoring for Jarmo Matikainen’s side before Jess Fishlock added a hat-trick.

Cymru missed out on a play-off place by three points in that qualifying campaign while Montenegro finished bottom of the group.

MEET THE REF

Henrikke Nervik of Norway will take charge of the Group B1 qualifier between Montenegro and Cymru in Podgorica on Friday.

The 37-year-old (below) has been a FIFA Referee since 2014, and last officiated Cymru in November 2021 as the side claimed a 5-0 win over Greece at Llanelli in the previous World Cup qualifying campaign.

Monica Lokkeberg and Line Cathrine Nymoen are the Assistant Referees while Fatemeh Zangeneh is the Fourth Official. All of the officials are from Norway.

Laura Hughes believes her games with Melbourne City has provided the perfect preparation for the high-pressure matches Wales will face as they bid to qualify for the FIFA Women's World Cup. 🙌#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/5M9QBygR8a

— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) June 3, 2026

DIWEDDARIAD CARFAN 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Olivia Francis has been added to the squad to face Montenegro and Czechia.

Scarlett Hill has been forced to withdraw due to injury. pic.twitter.com/Qqi4Q6uaCJ

— Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Cymru) June 3, 2026

Arrivals! 👋

Watch in full on YouTube 👇

— Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Cymru) June 1, 2026

WILKINSON ON MARED GRIFFITHS’ PROGRESS

It has been a huge 12 months for teenage Cymru striker Mared Griffiths who has become an integral part of Rhian Wilkinson’s squad having progressed from the intermediate ranks.

Still only 19, Griffiths has registered three international goals for her country, including a superb strike against Australia on her first senior start, and Wilkinson spoke to the media this week about her progress and development both as a player and a person.

“As a person, she’s always been incredibly professional,” said Wilkinson at her squad announcement. “My conversations with Mared always surprise me, always, because she always says something where I’m like, ‘Wow, this is really, really mature and professional for someone who is so young.’

“We brought her in early on, she was part of my first camp. We saw her develop but she wasn’t quite there. What I’ve seen in the past with other teams I’ve worked with is when you just throw young people in and they’re not quite ready, and then you just keep throwing them in, it affects how they play. They lose that confidence.

“I thought Nia (Davies – Cymru WU19 head coach) did a great job with her at U19 level. What we just said to Mared is to own this team, and that’s what she did. She showed up, she had no resentment at not being with the senior squad and she took her opportunity.

“She led that group of players with real confidence and leadership and then when she came back with a senior team, was almost like a different player. She doesn’t seem to mind when she makes mistakes, which is what I need; players that are confident enough to do something different and then just get on with it when it doesn’t work out.

“The same sort of pathway has worked for Scarlet Hill too. We want to bring players into the senior squad to see if they’re ready. If they’re not, they come down to the U19’s and we ask them to show up and deliver for that team and raise the level, and that’s exactly what’s been going on.

“Mared isn’t just part of the senior squad now, but almost always contention for a starting position.”

AS IT STANDS

It could hardly be closer at the top of Group B1 as Cymru prepare to complete the first phase of this World Cup qualifying campaign with fixtures against Montenegro and Czechia.

Czechia have a two-goal advantage over Cymru and the two sides will meet in Cardiff in the final match to decide who will win the group on Tuesday 9 June (KO 18:00). Tickets for this huge match are available here.

Before that, Cymru head to Podgorica to face Montenegro on Friday 5 June (KO 17:00 UK) while Czechia host Albania. The only points dropped by Cymru and Czechia in this campaign were when the two sides opened the group with a 2-2 draw in Uherske Hradiste.

For Cymru to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, they will need to do so via the play-offs. In addition, promotion and relegation will also be at stake ahead of the next UEFA Women’s Nations League, beginning the 2027–29 competition cycle, which will then lead into UEFA Women’s EURO 2029.

Following the group stage, 32 teams enter two play-off paths. Path 1 pairs League A runners‑up and third‑placed sides with League C winners, while Path 2 matches League A fourth‑placed teams and League B winners with League B runners‑up and third‑placed sides. The latter path explains why the top spot in the group is so important for Cymru and Czechia in this phase of qualifying.

The sixteen winners will then advance to Round 2 for the final eight play-off games. Seven of the winners will directly qualify, while the lowest‑ranked winner from Round 2 will enter the inter‑confederation play‑offs. The UEFA entrants directly enter these play-offs at Phase 2 in February 2027 with the final tournament taking place in Brazil next summer.

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT

Cymru head coach Rhian Wilkinson has named her 26-player squad for the final two Group B1 fixtures against Montenegro and Czechia.

Laura Hughes returns to the squad following an injury alongside Olivia Clark, Ceri Holland and Lois Joel. Scarlett Hill and Elena Cole receive the call up after a positive display during the UEFA WU19 EURO qualifiers in April.

However, Hayley Ladd misses out through injury. “I think it’s an exciting squad and we’re really building our depth which is fantastic,” said Wilkinson at the squad announcement. “I think we know we can’t have a squad that names itself and we’re seeing that with this one.

“We want to finish top of the group and requalify for League. We’re scoring and we’ve conceded less goals. We’ve got two very important games right around the corner where we’ve got to make sure that we deliver two back-to-back performances that we can be proud of.”

Click here for more from Cymru head coach Rhian Wilkinson