2025 has been a historic year for the Wales Women’s football team as they made their debut at the UEFA Women’s EURO. Drawn into Group D with England, France and the Netherlands, one of the toughest groups of the tournament, Wilkinson’s side gave everything, scored goals and showed Europe what they are made of.
Now, ahead of their first match since the tournament, a friendly against Australia, head coach Rhian Wilkinson has hinted that some players may soon retire from international football. Likely names include Jess Fishlock, Sophie Ingle and Rhiannon Roberts.
Words from Rhian Wilkinson
“I think it’s an important game for those players that are going to retire, to play at home one more time,” she said. “I think for our fans we never played a send-off game [before Euro 2025], it didn’t work with our Nations League A games.
“So [it is] an opportunity to play one of the top teams in the world again at home, but also to thank a few of our players for how much they’ve given to their country.”
Jess Fishlock extended her contract with Seattle Reign through 2025, but after the EURO she admitted she would “have a little think” about her international future. Other senior players in a similar position include Rhiannon Roberts and Sophie Ingle, both of whom recently joined new clubs, as well as Rachel Rowe, who signed for Nottingham Forest this summer. Crystal Palace’s Josie Green and goalkeeper Laura O’Sullivan-Jones are also among the possible retirees.
The Next Step for Wales Women’s Team
With several experienced names potentially stepping away, Wales is shifting focus toward developing its younger talent, something Wilkinson welcomes:
“Absolutely this will be a transitional period and that’s something exciting. We’ve blooded a lot of our young players, we do that a lot. We’ll always rely on our experience but we need to have new blood, new youth coming through and it looks pretty exciting.”
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