Wales resume their attempt to reach a first Women’s World Cup this week, with Albania standing in the way of a place in the play-off final — and the possibility of a reunion with former manager Gemma Grainger waiting on the other side of the draw.
Rhian Wilkinson’s side play the first leg of their play-off semi-final in Shkoder on Friday, with the return at Llanelli four days later. Norway, who are serial qualifiers for major tournaments, are firm favourites to beat Romania in the other semi-final. Should both Norway and Wales progress, Grainger would meet her former team in a two-legged play-off final in December.
It is a prospect the current Wales squad are already thinking about. “It’s a really exciting draw. I think she has done a very good job [with Norway],” said midfielder Ceri Holland. “Obviously we have got to get through the Albania tie first. Then we can look ahead.”
Grainger came closer than any of her predecessors to ending Wales’ wait for a World Cup appearance, having been appointed in 2021 with a remit to deliver a first major championship. Her team were beaten by a late Switzerland goal in their World Cup play-off final in 2022, and she signed a new long-term Wales deal in 2023 before standing down in January 2024 to take charge of Norway. She faced some criticism after Wales were relegated from the top tier of Nations League A in 2023, but her spell in charge was generally regarded as a success, with Wales going close to the World Cup while attracting more supporters to their games than ever before.
Among the players who came through during that era was Holland, who was called into Grainger’s first Wales squad in 2021 and has gone on to win more than 50 caps. “She had a big influence for me at the start of my international career and I am always thankful for that,” Holland said. “I think she did some great things for Welsh football. We’ll always thank her for that.” Defender Lily Woodham added: “She was a great person for us. We had her for a long time, we developed as a nation through her and learned different things.”
Wales must handle Albania without Holland, who has been left out of the squad through injury. It is a familiar problem: she was also absent when the two sides met twice during the group phase in April, when Wales won 4-0 in Wrexham before scrapping to a 1-0 away victory four days later. Woodham started both of those matches and expects another demanding evening against opponents ranked 67th in the world, 36 places below Wales. “We have played them and done well and not so well, but we have beaten them,” she said. “They are a really tough opponent, so we are going to have to work really hard to get through that first stage.”
Improving on the road is Wales’ immediate task. In the group they were convincing at home against Albania, Montenegro — a 6-1 win — and the Czech Republic, who were beaten 3-1 in the decisive final fixture. Away from home it was a different story: Wales could only draw in Montenegro and salvaged a point against the Czech Republic in Uherske Hradiste in March. “It is hard going away and the travel does have some sort of impact,” Woodham said. “We have looked at those [away games], reviewed them and hopefully this time we get it right.”
Get past Albania and Wales would be the side trying to spring a surprise against Norway, who sit 14th in the FIFA rankings and reached the last 16 at the most recent World Cup. Wales have never beaten a team in the world’s top 20 in a competitive fixture, although they have made a habit of breaking new ground in recent years. Woodham, who reached 50 caps in the win over the Czech Republic in June, insists there is “no doubt within the group” that Wales have the potential to topple Norway should the opportunity arise later this year.
Even two play-off victories may not be enough to guarantee a World Cup place. The lowest-ranked of the eight European play-off winners will drop into the inter-confederation play-offs early next year, and there is a chance that side could be Wales — though Wilkinson’s team would be likely to be well placed to progress from those games.
Wales have already shown they can deliver in knockout football, coming through the play-offs to reach Euro 2025, the first major championship in the nation’s history. They found the tournament itself difficult, exiting at the group stage after defeats to the Netherlands, France and England, but there is a feeling that reaching a second major competition will be easier than breaking through to a first. “We are really looking forward to hopefully qualifying for the World Cup because I think we have got the weight off our back by qualifying [for the Euros],” Holland said. “It’s exciting. I know all the girls are looking forward to it.”