Head coach Rhian Wilkinson has challenged her side to build on their EURO legacy and fight for back-to-back major tournament qualification as Cymru begin their 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Cymru travel to Uherské Hradiště on Tuesday evening to face Czechia, who sit just one place above them in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings. It marks the opening fixture in a challenging Group B1 that also includes Montenegro and Albania. With no automatic qualification spot available, Cymru must finish in the top three to reach the play-offs.
After guiding the team to their first major tournament appearance last summer, Wilkinson believes her squad are ready to take the next step.
“I believe this team can absolutely qualify for the World Cup and we’re ready,” said Wilkinson, who recently marked two years in charge following her appointment in February 2024.
“We just have to deliver and it has to be consistent delivery of what we can do.
“It is about us, our performance and making sure that we’ve improved because of our challenging year last year.
“We’ve got six games, we want to finish top in the group, so one step in front of the other. We haven’t been together for a little while, but I expect this team to hit the ground running and I’ve told them that.
“We talked today about what’s in front of us. This is the first step and it is it’s a long and fairly complicated process.
“So what can we control? Coming first in this group is obviously the objective.”
Wilkinson also stressed her desire for sustained success rather than a one-off achievement.
“What do we want our legacy to be? Is it that one qualification? Absolutely not,” she said. “We want to be in the fight every major tournament and I think this team can absolutely do that.
“I believe this team can absolutely qualify for the World Cup and we’re ready. We just have to deliver and it has to be consistent delivery of what we can do.”
Captain Angharad James echoed her manager’s belief but is anticipating a stern test against Czechia, with the squad fully focused on securing a historic first appearance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We have our eyes set on the future of course. We’ve spoken about that, the journey, and we spoke about it before the Euros too,” said James.
“A World Cup in Brazil too – that would be pretty cool. It’s in our sights, but we have to take it each game at a time.”
There have been five previous meetings between the two nations, with Cymru claiming their only victory in September 2009 when goals from Jess Fishlock and Emma Plewa secured a 2–0 win in Llanelli during qualifying for the 2011 tournament.
And James, who is set to earn her 140th cap for Cymru, insists her side will have to be at their best to get a positive result in the opening match.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” she added. “We’ve reviewed them and they’re a very direct team. They’re a team that are very good at what they do.
“We have to counteract that and bring our game to the game and hopefully, if we do that, we get the result we want.”
Cymru v Czechia
Get all the pre-match build up.
