Cymru successfully retained their place in League A for the 2025/26 UEFA WU19 EURO Round 2 qualifiers after producing a series of impressive performances in the opening round.
Nia Davies’ squad began their road to Bosnia and Herzegovina with three Round 1 fixtures against elite opposition, matches that determined their league position for Round 2 in February.
Having preserved their League A status back in April by finishing runners-up to France in Llanelli, the objective this time was to do the same, a challenge which they met successfully.
Hosting the League A Group 7 mini-tournament, Cymru opened the campaign with a hard-fought 0–0 draw against Finland at Dragon Park. Despite playing more than an hour with ten players following a first-half red card for goalkeeper Cadi Rogers, Davies’ young side showed superb resilience and even created chances to take all three points.
Their second match delivered a standout performance, as Cymru claimed an impressive 3–1 victory over Türkiye, a result that mathematically confirmed their League A place for February. Türkiye struck early in the second half through Yaren Ersen, but Cymru responded superbly.
Ffion Bowen levelled the score 11 minutes later, finishing from close range after excellent some excellent play by Amelie Curtis. Just two minutes after equalising, Charlotte Salisbury-Williams capitalised on a defensive error to fire Cymru in front. With the momentum fully behind them, Emily Cole sealed the win three minutes from time, cutting in from the left and powering her shot into the roof of the net – her first of two goals during the international window.
Cymru rounded off their campaign with a 3–1 defeat to eventual group winners France. Cole netted her second goal in consecutive games, but it weren’t enough as France secured victory with strikes from Romane Rafalski, Justine Rouquet, and Anaïs Ebayilin.
Cymru will learn their Round 2 opponents on 11 December, with those fixtures determining the seven teams who will join hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina at next summer’s finals. The finals draw will be held on 22 April, with the tournament taking place from 27 June to 10 July.
Cymru’s only previous appearance at a UEFA WU19 EURO final tournament came in 2013, when they hosted the competition – also won by France. Current senior team captain Angharad James featured in that squad, and the challenge for Davies and her players now is to emulate that achievement and compete once again among Europe’s best.
