Cymru head coach Rhian Wilkinson believes injuries to key players in her squad ahead of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Round One Play-Off against Albania provides an opportunity for others to impress.
Hayley Ladd, Ceri Holland, Mia Ross, Ffion Morgan, Laura Hughes, Ella Powell and goalkeeper Olivia Clark have all been ruled out of the two-legged tie that takes place at the Loro Boriçi Stadium in Shkodër on Friday, 9 October, with the return match at Parc-y-Scarlets, Llanelli on Tuesday, 13 October.
“Yeah, it’s been a lot,” said Wilkinson as she announced her squad on Tuesday. “But these are the camps that we’re grateful for a really integrated pathway across Wales. I think that we have a wonderful squad and real opportunity coming up this next camp for young players to really grab their spot.”
The squad includes six uncapped players, with teenagers Casi Gregson of Newcastle United and Heidi Hills of Tottenham Hotspur being called up to the senior squad for the first time. “Casi has been coming through our youth system for a long time,” explained Wilkinson. “Heidi is an exciting young talent that we’ve obviously had on our radar, and what an opportunity to bring her in.
“Obviously, any coach will want their most experienced squad going into the playoffs, but injuries are what they are, and Wales is a country that’s really building our depth. What we do have are players with a lot of experience because we’ve given it to them through our youth squads by bringing them up to the seniors.
“I think we have only two players who’ve never come in with the seniors before, which when you talk about seven players not involved and only two coming in that are brand new to our outfit, I think that speaks volumes to how well we’ve done in giving young players opportunities.”
With almost 300 senior appearances combined across the list of injured players, Wilkinson confirmed that former striker Kayleigh Barton will be involved as a coach for this international camp to add some valuable experience to the group.
“It would be naive to say that we won’t miss that experience,” added Wilkinson. “But I think when you have a lot of young players there’s a real excitement as well. So, we’ll talk about that first, like being able to bring in young players who are just ready to give everything for their country and this opportunity. That’s a huge asset.
“But there’s a lot of upset players who love playing for Wales and aren’t going to be there for an important play-off round. Equally, what we’re excited about is now there’s an opportunity for someone to come in and impress. I’m really proud of our pathway, and I think one or two will really impress in this window.”
Cymru head into the double-header undefeated since the end of 2025, winning five and drawing three of their last eight fixtures. Wilkinson’s side reached the play-offs by finishing top of their qualifying group three points ahead of Czechia, scoring 17 goals in their six group games.
Albania were also part of the same qualifying group with Cymru claiming a 4-0 victory in Wrexham back in April before winning 1-0 in Elbasan a few days later. Hannah Cain scored twice in the opening victory with Rhiannon Roberts scoring the decisive goal in the return match.
“They’re an incredibly strong opposition,” said Wilkinson. “They give us a lot of challenges that we struggled against away from home. We have to say that we did have a strong performance in the first game against them, but in the second game we didn’t stick to our game plan.
“I think that’s something that we need to recognise, that this is a team that will hurt you if you switch off. And equally, a team that is very defensively resilient and players that will do anything for their country. So absolute respect for them, and we know that we’re going to have to show up in both games and really put on good performances to get results.
“Albania really challenged us in the last game, and we can’t forget that, but they also missed opportunities where they could have hurt us even more. So, it wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t a one-off game from them. We know that there is a very experienced team there, a coach who’s been there a long time and knows his players, and they will be giving everything for their country, and we will have to match them.
“A win would be a good result in Albania, and that is what we need to remember as a team. It’s not about the number you put in; it’s about working hard and being smart to come home with some kind of edge. But we do expect really challenging games and we’re going to have to hit the ground running with very few days to train before we travel.”
The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Brazil
The winners of the tie will face either Romania or Norway in another two-legged play-off in November and December for a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup Finals that will take place in Brazil next summer. Norway are managed by former Cymru head coach Gemma Grainger.
“Every coach will say this but we’re not looking past the team that’s right in front of us, and that’s absolutely the truth,” Wilkinson added. “But equally, we always do our due diligence and look at our pathway. We’ve got Romania and Norway potentially after Albania, so we’ll have eyes across that.”
Cymru made history last summer when they qualified for EURO 2025 and appeared at their first major women’s finals. The challenge for Wilkinson and her squad now is to make history once again and take Cymru to a first FIFA Women’s World Cup.
