LLANELLI — Wales is through to a second successive Women's World Cup playoff final after a 3-0 win over Albania in Llanelli secured a 4-0 aggregate success in the playoff semi-final, setting up a December showdown with Gemma Grainger's Norway. Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson said the pressure will be on the 14th-ranked Norwegians as Wales chases a first-ever Women's World Cup berth.
The playoff final first leg will be played at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, 1 December before the return leg in Norway four days later. "The pressure is always on the big nations and that's something I think we thrive on," Wilkinson said. "We're a small nation, we fight for each other. You see some of the play tonight [against Albania] any you'd be proud of [that] from any team in world."
Wilkinson insisted Wales can "absolutely" cause an upset against her predecessor Grainger despite facing a step up in class. Norway, the 1995 world champions, has reached every Women's World Cup since the tournament began in 1991 and will begin as firm favorites against a Wales side ranked 17 places below them by FIFA that has never beaten a top-20 ranked side in a competitive fixture. "They're a team that's performing well, that's doing well, as are we and we've got some fantastic players that can absolutely go toe-to-toe with them," Wilkinson added.
Mayzee Davies, Elise Hughes and Hannah Cain found the target as Wales eased to victory after limping over the line in the first leg last Friday. Wilkinson said the response was emphatic after an away performance that lacked intensity. "I thought we lacked intensity, lacked teeth in our defending, we weren't connecting our passes in a way I know we can," she said. "Tonight was the absolute reversal of that. I thought from the first minute Angharad [James] led her team in an intense, strong performance where the team really showed what they're capable of. It was fun to watch." Wales, whose only previous major championship appearance was at Euro 2025, did it with what Wilkinson called probably one of the younger teams in the competition.
Even an upset of Norway may not guarantee a place at next year's World Cup in Brazil. Depending on which other sides come through the eight European playoff finals, Wales may have to negotiate an inter-confederation playoff next February. "The World Cup is off in the distance - I'll keep saying that because we don't even know if and when we beat Norway if that's the final hurdle," Wilkinson said. "So it is the next game in front of us - we don't get too far ahead. It's the next job and we've got a lot of work to do as a staff." She added the staff and players need a few days off to rest and recover before preparing a team "that's going to fight for their country."