Euro 2025: Wales preparing for history in Switzerland

Welsh football officials are predicting qualification will have a huge boost on the number of girls playing football in the nation.

Studies showed that in England, there was a 140% increase of girls playing football in the season after their triumph at Euro 2022.

There has been growth in Wales for a while, with the number of girls at registered clubs rapidly rising since 2016, when the men’s team reached the European Championship semi-finals.

In 2016 the number of players was about 6,000. The Football Association of Wales (FAW) had already set a target of 20,000 players by 2026, with the number now at about 18,000.

The boost could actually be bigger, with those figures not including football played at schools.

“I think we’ll smash that target now with the team qualifying,” said FAW chief football officer Dave Adams.

Fishlock is confident a major finals appearance can have a big bearing.

“The whole point of this, initially [was that] I wanted to grow the game for the future and make it better than what it was, so I think I can sit here and say we did a pretty good job at that,” she said.

“Not only can you want to be a footballer and play for the women’s national team, but it’s a very valuable and valid career path if that’s what you want to do. It’s going to be huge for girls that want to play moving forward.”

However, Wilkinson has warned that Wales are “culturally behind” when it comes to supporting the women’s game.

“I don’t want to shy away from mentioning what needs to be mentioned and we’re not there yet in Wales,” she told BBC Sport Wales.

“Whenever I feel that we are demonstrating to our young people, boys and girls, that there is a more than and a lesser than and that it’s gendered, it really bothers me.

“Because I can see that next generation, don’t think that they’re not noticing that their mums and dads bring them only to the men’s game, like that is of more value.”