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ROSS TARGETING CYMRU SUCCESS
Cymru midfielder Mia Ross spoke to the media earlier this week and believes there is more success to come under head coach Rhian Wilkinson.
“I think she’s been great since she’s come in,” said Ross to BBC Sport Wales. “Obviously she came in a period where I wasn’t here, but a lot of the girls always speak so highly of her.
“She took the girls to the Euros. Obviously we didn’t get the results we wanted but I think that we just keep progressing and progressing, and I think she’s the person and the type of manager to keep us pushing forward.”
Ross, 23, made her Cymru debut against Poland last October and recently helped Charlton Athletic to promotion to the WSL as she came off the bench in the play-off victory over Leicester City.
The qualifying campaign began for Cymru with a 2-2 draw away to Czechia as Ross came off the bench for her first competitive international (below). The two sides will meet again in Cardiff next week to decide the group winner.
“It’s definitely a long road and a long way to go,” she added when asked about Cymru’s World Cup ambitions.
“I think it’s definitely one game at a time, making sure that we have a good performance against Montenegro, that we try to score as many goals as we can but also defend well too.
“We want to come out with a really solid performance to build momentum.”
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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
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PREPARATIONS BEGIN
The Cymru squad were back on the training ground on Monday ahead of their two decisive Group B1 fixtures against Montenegro and Czechia.
Rhian Wilkinson’s side take on Montenegro in Podgorica on Friday 5 June (KO 17:00 UK) before returning to Cardiff for the decisive match against current group leaders Czechia on Tuesday 9 June (KO 18:00). Tickets for the match are available here.
“I’d just like to thank the fans in advance for coming out and supporting us,” said Wilkinson at the squad announcement last week. “They’ve been doing that incredibly well.
“This team is Wales. They are so proud of what they’re doing, and we’ve got this opportunity to play a team that is pretty much completely even with us. I love games like this. We just have to show up, and I know our fans will be a big difference maker.”
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Arrivals! 👋
Watch in full on YouTube 👇
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) June 1, 2026
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Rhian Wilkinson says she extended her spell as Wales head coach because she has unfinished business in the role ⚽️
Read more ahead of Wales World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro and Czechia ⬇️https://t.co/yHDRPrwsHx#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/nTTPPZEGnm
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) June 1, 2026
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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.”
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Another international call-up for Laura Hughes 👏
🏴 Wales will face Montenegro and Czechia in a pair of World Cup qualifiers beginning late next week. pic.twitter.com/1vMLXc5axo
— Melbourne City FC (@MelbourneCity) May 28, 2026
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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.
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"We've got to make sure that we deliver two back-to-back performances that we can be proud of"
Rhian Wilkinson yn edrych ymlaen at y gemau rhagbrofol nesaf yn erbyn Montenegro a Czechia. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/SvHSkrQSWD
— Sgorio (@sgorio) May 27, 2026
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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.”
Live report coming soon
