Wales sense ‘gamechanging moment’ in key Women’s World Cup qualifier

“Here for the weather! We’re only here for the weather!” chanted the band of travelling Wales fans on Thursday night, in wry acknowledgment at the sheer magnitude of the fixture. It wasn’t a classic, but it didn’t need to be.

After a 1-0 win over Greece in hot, thundery Volos, Wales need only a point from their game against Slovenia in Cardiff on Tuesday to secure a playoff place for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Having lost only to Euros semi-finalists France so far in this campaign, the momentum is with Gemma Grainger’s squad.

Almost three months to the day after the Welsh men qualified for their World Cup in Qatar, the Cardiff City Stadium is set for another emotional occasion. With 10,000 tickets having been sold already, doubling the previous record attendance for a women’s fixture, Tuesday feels like a defining moment for this team.

The players will have spent the summer feeling that Welsh‑est of emotions, the unique disappointment that comes from watching as spectators a tournament they came agonisingly close to qualifying for. With all the inevitability of an exercise bike purchased in lockdown being used as a clothes horse, Wales missed out on Euro 2022 in the most heart-breaking of circumstances. Finishing third in the group on equal points with Northern Ireland and with a far superior goal difference, they lost out by virtue of having a worse head-to-head record, as the away goals rule favoured Northern Ireland after a 2-2 draw in Newport before a 0-0 stalemate in the return fixture in Belfast.

Having lost narrowly to France in both fixtures in this World Cup campaign, this team know they can compete with some of Europe’s best sides. For a fanbase that is so hungry for success, Welsh