Ffion Morgan insists the fire is still burning for Wales players at Euro 2025, even if the their place in the knockout stages seems likely to be snuffed out.
The Wales forward has called on her teammates to use their clash with England on Sunday to redefine how the football world sees Welsh women’s football.
As the two neighbours prepare for a decisive Group D showdown, Morgan says Wales are fuelled by a desire to prove they’re more than just a supporting act to their decorated rivals.
“We're neighbours and Wales have always been the smaller country, or seen as the smaller country, and we're definitely not that,” Morgan said.
“So from a Welsh point of view we want to show who we are and what we can bring. We're not just the little one next door, we are just as important as England and that's kind of the fire in our bellies.”
Despite being on the brink of elimination following a 4-1 loss to France, Wales still have a faint route to the quarter-finals.
They need a four-goal win over England combined with a France victory over the Netherlands. But the result, for Morgan and the squad, is only part of the story.
Wales are chasing their first-ever win over a top 10-ranked opponent, and there’s the added edge with this being an age-old sporting rivalry
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Fellow forward Hannah Cain, who previously represented England at youth level, underlined how much the match means.
“It’s our biggest rivalry and something we are so excited for,” Cain said.
“A win for Wales could really upset the group and that is what we will go for.
“We know it could be historic for Wales and damaging for England and also we're not actually out of the group yet either, so we've also got that to play for.”
Cain believes the team’s belief hasn’t wavered, despite their slim odds.
“It's mathematically difficult, but it's not mathematically over,” she said.
“As much as it could be devastating for England, it could be absolutely unbelievable for us.
“We won't be going into the game thinking anything other than play your heart out, leave everything on the pitch and I firmly believe that if we do that, we will get every opportunity to get the result that we want.
“England is the biggest rivalry that we have and for me it's exciting. I love it and I like the pressure that comes with it.”
England, meanwhile, are chasing consistency as they look to confirm a place in the knockout rounds after dispatching the Netherlands 4-0 midweek.
Though favourites, they insist they are wary of the threat Wales pose—and are treating the tie as more than just another group match.
“We definitely won't go into the game complacent,” said England forward Lauren Hemp.
“Wales have done well in this tournament and deserve to be here. We have so much respect for them.
“They have a lot of great players who I have experienced playing against week-in, week-out in the Women's Super League.
“They have a good team but we also know we have a good team as well and have so many strengths. We have looked at their strengths and what we can do to make sure we can deliver the best England performance.”
England’s form has been inconsistent over the past year under Sarina Wiegman.
READ MORE: Ffion Morgan representing the Welsh speakers and has a message for the Red Wall 💪🏴🔊
Hemp, however, says the squad is building momentum at the right time.
“We haven't lost back to back games either, so that's a bonus. I feel like you can feel the confidence in this camp running through everyone. It’s important that we take the things that we did so well on Wednesday into that game on Sunday.”
“I feel like every game is different. But we're in a tournament, we've felt that loss [against France] and we tried to turn it around and we have done. We're hoping to take that momentum into the next one and hoping for a great result.”
Who Needs What
13 July: Netherlands vs France, England vs Wales
France will reach the quarter-finals if they avoid defeat by the Netherlands by a margin of three goals or more, or regardless if England do not beat Wales. France will finish first if they avoid defeat.
England will reach the quarter-finals if they beat Wales, or if England draw and the Netherlands do not beat France; else if England avoid defeat by four goals or more and the Netherlands lose. England will finish first if they win and the Netherlands beat France by a margin of fewer than seven goals.
Netherlands will reach the quarter-finals if they beat France by three goals or more, or with any win if England do not beat Wales; else with a draw if England lose. Netherlands will finish first if they win by seven goals or more, or with any win if England do not beat Wales.
Wales will reach the quarter-finals if they beat England by four goals or more and the Netherlands lose to France.
