This was the year that Cymru history was made. This was the defining year for a generation of players that have witnessed progress and pain in equal measure and will now represent the pioneers and trailblazers of the past and present when they head to the EURO finals next summer.
But there were so many subplots and stories behind the success of 2024 that only added to the drama of that monumental night in Dublin when qualification for a first major women’s tournament was finally achieved. This was a qualifying campaign that began in 1973, and every individual on that journey was behind Rhian Wilkinson’s team as they exorcised the ghosts of campaigns past and delivered the dream.
To reflect on this incredible year, a year that ironically started and ended with victories in Dublin, here we take a look back at the key moments and look forward to a whole new era for the women’s game in Wales.
Grainger departs
It was in January 2023 that Gemma Grainger signed a contract extension to continue as Cymru head coach for the next four years. In January 2024, her tenure came to an end as she answered the call to lead the Norwegian national team. “I had no intention to leave Cymru,” she explained in a statement. “But I have been offered an unexpected opportunity that I could not turn down and it has been extremely difficult for me to get to this point.
“I hope you know the decision to leave has not been taken lightly. I truly believe this team is ready to take the next steps and qualify. I’m confident the team can continue to build and grow from this point forward. Cymru will forever have a place in my heart, diolch am bopeth.” With Cymru on the eve of EURO 2025 qualifying, it was a disruptive moment for the squad when so much of Grainger’s work had been geared towards this upcoming campaign.
Jon Grey joined Grainger’s backroom staff in March 2023 and would now lead the team on an interim basis for a friendly against the Republic of Ireland in Tallaght, Dublin in February. “It was a little bit of shock obviously,” explained Grey when announcing his squad. “But good coaches and good people will get opportunities. It’s a surprise that I’m sitting here, but it’s an honour and a privilege for not only myself but for my family as well to be given the opportunity to lead this camp. We wish Gemma all the best.”
Cymru won the match 2-0 through goals from Jess Fishlock and Llily Woodham. The irony of the result would not become apparent until the end of the year, but watching on from the stands was new Cymru head coach Rhian Wilkinson. Appointed just a couple of days before, the former Canada international with Welsh roots met with the squad for the first time and she would need to make an immediate impression with the qualifying campaign scheduled to start in April.
A new era
“It’s an incredible honour to be taking on the role,” said Wilkinson on her appointment. “The team has gone from strength to strength in the last few years and I aim to build on that with our mission to qualify for next summer’s EUROs and beyond. We have a group of players that are ready and deserve to be in major tournaments. My mother is Welsh, and I spent part of my childhood growing up in south Wales, so I’m excited to involve myself with the country’s culture and explore that part of my roots even further.”
The draw for the first stage of EURO 2025 qualifying took place in March with Cymru joining Croatia, Ukraine and Kosovo in Group B4. “When you look at how the draw was set up, we are the highest-ranked, and whenever you’re highest-ranked there’s an expectation to win the group,” explained Wilkinson. “It’s our expectation, and if we deliver to the level I know we can, it’s going to be a very successful group.”
Born in Quebec, Wilkinson herself spent some of her early years living in Cowbridge where she attended Bont Faen Primary School between 1989 and 1991. However, it was in the United States, Norway and Canada where Wilkinson would make her name as an established international footballer and Olympian, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and again at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
Wilkinson represented Canada between 2003 and 2017, scoring seven goals in 183 games for her country. In 2017 she moved into coaching and after working with Canadian national team at various levels, England and Team GB, she eventually guiding Portland Thorns to the NWSL Championship in 2022 to win the title for the third time in their history. Now back on the international stage, Wilkinson was determined not to let limited preparation time disrupt her ambition to lead Cymru to EURO 2025.
EURO Qualifiers
Wilkinson would enjoy the perfect start to her tenure as Cymru dominated in a 4-0 win over Croatia at the STōK Cae Ras in Wrexham in April in front of just over 4,000 fans. A double from Fishlock was followed by further goals from Rachel Rowe and Angharad James to complete the scoring, and the goals continued a few days later as the side scored six against Kosovo without reply. Rowe and Ellise Hughes would score twice with Kayleigh Barton and Ffion Morgan also adding their names to the scoresheet.
The victory also marked Fishlock’s 150th senior international appearance for her country. “It was perfect,” said Fishlock after the match. “The girls put on such a professional performance and this could not have been a more perfect day for me. We have so many attacking threats in this group and maybe we haven’t shown that in the past, but in the last two games we have shown who we are and who we want to be.”
In a surprise announcement, Sophie Ingle confirmed that she was relinquishing the Cymru captaincy after leading the team for almost a decade. “I just think it’s the right time for me and for the team moving forwards that I pass on the captain’s arm band,” she explained. “It’s been honestly the best nine years of my career representing my country and leading this group of girls out. But I think it’s the right time now, going into the new campaign and we have leaders all across this team.”
A double-header against Ukraine would see Cymru drop points and concede for the first time in the campaign as a 1-1 draw in Llanelli was followed by a 2-2 draw in the neutral venue of Poland. Cymru went behind in both games but Barton was on target from the penalty spot to bring Cymru level each time, while Fishlock scored her third goal of the campaign. However, an equaliser from Ukraine in added time in the second match left Wilkinson frustrated although her side remained undefeated.
“If you lose [a lead] in the last seconds of a game it’s always going to feel like a loss,” she explained to BBC Sport Wales. “It was a tough camp for us, an important camp for us, because they are not the performances that are going to help us make history. We came here for six points and we leave with two, but maybe it’s the one we needed. I think a big positive is that we went behind in both games and we came back. That’s something about our character which I like.”
Cymru would travel to Croatia in July and the side reacted to the Ukraine setback in style with a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Fishlock, Ingle and another penalty from Barton. The first stage of the campaign would come to a close at Parc-y-Scarlets, Llanelli a few days later as Kosovo were defeated 2-0 through a record-breaking strike from Fishlock and a first senior international goal for Mary McAteer inside the opening 15 minutes. Cymru would top the group, achieve promotion to League A and head into the Play-Offs undefeated.
“There wasn’t any doubt about Jess breaking the record,” said Wilkinson to BBC Sport Wales. “I’m really happy she got to do that in Wales, in front of her family and in front of the Welsh people. A fantastic moment. League A is the opposition we want to be testing ourselves against. Making sure that we get back into League A was really important, but even more important for me were the performances and how we grew throughout this group stage.”
EURO 2025 Play-Offs
With the momentum in their favour, Cymru were confident heading to Slovakia for the EURO Play-Off Semi-Final 1st leg match in October. However, it proved to be a difficult night as goals from Martina Šurnovská and Mária Mikolajová earned Slovakia a shock 2-1 win, although a late consolation goal from Morgan off the bench would prove crucial ahead of the return match in Cardiff. A first defeat for Wilkinson since her appointment, but the side had a second chance to make amends and turn the tie around.
“Obviously it’s disappointing for us as a team,” explained Morgan to BBC Sport Wales after the match. “We felt prepared but we didn’t get the result we wanted and now we have to put it right. They were aggressive and maybe we didn’t react to that and compete at their level.” Over 10,500 fans would be in attendance at the Cardiff City Stadium for the decisive match which would be another testing challenge for Cymru.
Big games require big characters and it was Fishlock who levelled the tie just before half-time. Cymru enjoyed long periods of possession and created plenty chances, but extra-time would be required before Ceri Holland scored the crucial second goal to take Cymru through to the Play-Off Final 3-2 on aggregate. The Republic of Ireland had made light work of Georgia, scoring nine goals over the course of their two games, and this would be a much tougher test for Wilkinson and her side.
“I have nothing to complain about after that, I’m thrilled,” said Wilkinson. “We’d prepared for penalties, we knew Slovakia would give everything they have. They’re well coached and well organised but my team matched them tonight, I’m a very proud coach. We’ve got to keep building. Tonight was a phenomenal win, fantastic the way they didn’t quit on each other, we still have to be better but we know that. Momentum builds and we’ll learn so much from such a resilient display tonight.”
Record ticket sales for the 1st leg of the Play-Off Final confirmed that the momentum had spread across the country and 16,845 fans would witness a physical encounter between Cymru and the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff. Despite a strong start from the visitors, Woodham would open the scoring for home side midway through the opening half, but a cruel deflection off the crossbar would level the score as the two teams prepared to meet again in Dublin.
And what a night it would be. A winner-takes-all match in front of over 25,000 fans at the Aviva Stadium did not disappoint. Wilkinson made two changes to her starting line-up and Cymru would benefit from a VAR review early in the second half. Hannah Cain took the responsibility of dispatching the resulting penalty before substitute Carrie Jones added a second goal. Ireland threw everything at the Cymru defence, and while they pulled a goal back through Anna Patten late on, they had no time to equalise.
The final whistle brought an outpouring of emotion. Cymru had finally done it. Some players ran in different directions, some fell to their knees, everyone cried tears of joy. The euphoria of being the first team to ever take Cymru to a women’s major tournament was too much to take in for those that have been on this journey for so many years. Centurions like Fishlock, Ingle and James must have wondered if this day would ever come. Wilkinson had delivered on her promise. This was indeed for us, for them, for her.
Looking ahead to 2025
The landscape for Cymru in 2025 is now dominated by the EURO finals that will take place in Switzerland in July. The draw was held in Lausanne on 16 December as Cymru were matched with France, England and the Netherlands in Group D. However, the next edition of the UEFA Women’s Nations League will bring a return to competitive action during February, April, May and June as Cymru prepare to take on Italy, Sweden and Denmark in League A4.
The challenge of competitive games against leading nations offering the perfect preparation for what Cymru can expect to come up against at EURO. “This is an opportunity for Wales,” explained Wilkinson. “I’m not delusional about it, it will be a massive challenge and to stay up will be tough, but I can’t think of anything this team wants more than to be challenged against the best and that’s what we’ve got. We want to be in League A and play the most exciting games, so it’s great to be back in the top league.”
