World Cup qualifiers mean a fresh start for Wales

Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic – When Wales kick off their latest Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign here on Tuesday evening, the scene will feel both familiar and strikingly new. Familiar, because the objective remains what it has always been: reach a first World Cup finals. New, because the nation’s most decorated player will be watching from the technical area rather than dictating play in the middle of the park.

Jess Fishlock, 38, retired from international duty last October after 150 caps and a record 44 goals. This week she returns in the novel role of technical assistant to head coach Rhian Wilkinson, trading boots for a clipboard as Wales attempt to prove they can prosper without the heartbeat of their team for more than a decade.

Fishlock’s absence is compounded by the retirement of fellow stalwart Kayleigh Barton, leaving Wilkinson with twin voids to fill in experience and creativity. The squad that has assembled in the Czech Republic is therefore the youngest Wales has taken into a competitive window for years, and the manager is unapologetic about prioritising development.

“Euro 2025 may be the more realistic target for this group,” Wilkinson admitted, “but that doesn’t change the demand for progress. We want to build a side capable of pushing the top countries in the world, and that process starts now.”

Wales have been placed in League B1 of the revamped qualifying format, alongside the Czech Republic, Montenegro and Albania. After a chastening 2025 that featured Nations League relegation and three straight defeats at the European Championship, the drop in calibre is noticeable: FIFA ranks the Czechs 31st, Wales 32nd, while Montenegro sit 84th and Albania 71st.

Tuesday’s opener represents the stiffest test on paper, and Wilkinson has warned against complacency. “Experimentation is one thing; getting the job done is another,” she said. “We need to see what the younger players can deliver, but the work on the pitch comes first.”

The manager’s call for pragmatism is grounded in recent history. During the last League B campaign, en route to Euro 2025, Wales went unbeaten against Croatia, Ukraine and Kosovo. Replicating that form would leave them well placed for a play-off berth, even if a World Cup place in 2027 remains a longer shot.

Wilkinson’s squad features a handful of uncapped players and several with fewer than five international appearances. The hope is that the fresh blood can replicate the fearlessness shown in December’s 3-2 win over Switzerland, a result that ended a 12-match winless sequence stretching back to the play-off triumph over the Republic of Ireland that sealed Wales’ maiden major-tournament ticket.

“That burden was really hard,” Wilkinson reflected. “But the adversity of 2025 – where our average opponent was ranked 11th in the world – taught us more than a 6-0 cruise ever could. We now need to see who steps up when the pressure is on.”

For Wilkinson, the next three months amount to an audition cycle. With Fishlock offering analysis and insight from the dugout, the onus falls on a new generation to ensure the most successful era in Welsh women’s football does not fade for want of a successor.

Tuesday evening under the Moravian floodlights will offer the first clue as to whether that succession plan is already under way.