December 4 – Wales made footballing history on Tuesday by reaching a major women’s tournament for the first time after qualifying for next year’s Euros in Switzerland.
Goals from Hannah Cain and Carrie Jones gave Wales a 2-1 play-off second leg victory over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin, meaning Rhian Wilkinson’s team triumphed 3-2 on aggregate.
Wilkinson, who was appointed only nine months ago to lead the team, has now helped them to a major finals in her first campaign in charge. They will discover their next opponents on December 16 at the draw.
Wales’ record goalscorer and most-capped player Jess Fishlock, who went off injured in tears in the second half, commented: “I can’t put it into words. This is 20 years in the making. I wouldn’t change a second of it. The ups and downs are part of the process and the journey. It all led to this moment with this group of girls. This is by far the proudest moment of my life. My hamstrings are shot, but that doesn’t matter right now.”
Wilkinson says the achievement will “change everything” for Welsh women’s football.
“This team stands on the shoulder of giants who came before, and now they’ve proven how good they are. They’re better than they think and they just have to see it and live it and experience it. Those boys and girls back home are seeing a generation of football that’s going to change everything.”
Former Wales captain Laura McAllister, a UEFA vice-president, said she was “feeling incredibly emotional but so, so proud of the efforts of these girls”.
She had previously said says women’s football in Wales could be taken tom”stratospheric heights” if the national team qualified for Euro 2025.
“We’ve been waiting a very long time for this but we always knew the moment would come. No one deserves this more than this squad and this group. I couldn’t be happier for them.”
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