Wales legend Jess Fishlock will make her final appearance for her country later this month as Rhian Wilkinson names a 26-player squad packed with new talent for the October international window.

Jess Fishlock is going out at the top and on her own terms, having announced that Wales’ first international match after their Euros finals will be her last, as Graham Thomas reports.

Jess Fishlock is going out at the top and on her own terms, having announced that Wales’ first international match after their Euros finals will be her last, as Graham Thomas reports.

More than 50 years after losing their first-ever international match, 3-2, to Ireland, Wales finally turned the tables. Their reward, after earning a thrilling 3-2 aggregate victory in their Euro 2025 play-off, is the country’s first-ever qualification for a major women’s tournament.

Has there ever been a more reliable Welsh footballer than Jess Fishlock? It’s a question worth considering after her country’s heroine once again came to Wales’ rescue late on Tuesday night.

Ceri Holland finally settled Wales’ near fatal anxieties with the goal that puts her team on the edge of history. After missing countless chances in a one-sided second leg of their play-off semi-final at home to Slovakia, Holland scored the crucial goal eight minutes from the end of extra-time.

Jess Fishlock insists Wales can make it to the Euro 2025 play-off final if they keep cool heads and clear minds when they take on Slovakia on Tuesday night. The Wales star – her country’s best player and inspiration for over a decade – is the potential saviour Wales will look to as they seek to overcome a 2-1 deficit from the first leg.

Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson is confident Chelsea midfielder Sophie Ingle will be fit for next summer’s European Championship should they qualify. Former Wales captain Ingle underwent surgery last month after sustaining anterior cruciate ligament damage during a pre-season friendly, an injury Wilkinson described as “horrible”.

Jess Fishlock earned the praise of Helen Ward as the record for most goals scored by any player in a Welsh shirt passed from one to the other. Fishlock broke the all-time Wales goalscoring record as Rhian Wilkinson’s side strolled to a 2-0 win over Kosovo in Llanelli.

Jess Fishlock is being celebrated as the pivotal figure in Welsh women’s football as she approaches a historic milestone against Kosovo. At 37, Fishlock is already Wales’ most capped footballer on 153 appearances and is on the brink of setting a new record for international goals, needing just one more to surpass Helen Ward’s tally of 44.

Jess Fishlock – who else? – put Wales on the threshold of qualification for the Euro 2025 finals as she became her country’s joint highest goalscorer. The striker matched Helen Ward’s all-time goalscoring record as Wales triumphed 3-0 over Croatia in Karlovac, propelling them to the top of their qualifying group.

Wales boss Rhian Wilkinson says the club commitments of United States-based trio Jess Fishlock, Angharad James and Lily Woodham will disrupt her plans for the vital Euro 2025 qualifier in Croatia. The Seattle Reign trio are due to line up against Utah Royals in the NWSL on Sunday July 7, a contest which kicks off at 11pm BST.