Wales Women on the brink of history as they fight for World Cup qualification

Wales' philosophy ahead of their World Cup play-off final against Switzerland in Zurich on Tuesday night is upbeat and forward-thinking. Regardless of the result. 

It's not a question of if Wales qualify for their first World Cup, but when they do it. Ideally Gemma Grainger, the manager of the Welsh women's side, wants to get the job done on Tuesday by beating Switzerland.

Wales could either qualify automatically this evening if other results go their way or through a one-off playoff in New Zealand next February. They've never reached a major tournament before now.

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Even if that doesn't happen now, Wales feel it will happen soon. The improvement in the team, the squad, everything that is associated with the Wales women's team in recent years is now bearing fruit.

Wales are now putting themselves in positions to qualify for major tournaments. They finished in the qualifying group second only to France and negotiated their play-off semi-final against Bosnia last Thursday. So here they are in Switzerland with the chance of booking their place at the World Cup in 2023.

Wales manager Gemma Grainger told Sky Sports News: "We are right on track, this is a special moment. There has most definitely been a boost from the Euros, but there is a bigger picture about what we are trying to achieve. It's for us, for them, for her, we want to make it normal for girls to play football.

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"We are confident and the belief is growing. We have wanted to play against the best.

"Getting to the World Cup would be the proudest moment of our lives, the team is moving in the right direction."

If Grainger could mastermind a World Cup appearance for Wales it would signify a huge transformation of the nation's footballing ambitions. The men's team has qualified for the Qatar World Cup next month - their first appearance at the tournament since 1958.

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What has been very interesting to observe is how the various managers and coaches from the men's, women's and age group set-ups all work with one another. Rob Page and Grainger regularly meet and attend each other's coaching sessions while under 21 coach Matty Jones is part of Grainger's staff for the play-offs. It's almost like a blended coaching set up, where all ideas and views are on the table.

Grainger said: "From the outside you might ask is it forced? No, it's authentic, it's about clear values. I'm going to Qatar - it's all about shared learning."

While the various permutations about how Wales - and the Republic of Ireland and Scotland - could qualify for the women's World Cup next year are confusing, Grainger's squad are keeping it simple. Just win against Switzerland and the rest will follow.

How do the Women's World Cup play-offs work?

Three play-off finals take place on Tuesday as Scotland face the Republic of Ireland, Wales take on Switzerland and Portugal play Iceland.

Of the three winners, two qualify directly for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand based on points and goal tallies in the group stage and play-offs.

The third will go into the inter-confederation play-offs in New Zealand in February. That 10-team knockout will also feature Cameroon, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Haiti, Panama, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Senegal and Thailand.

As things stand, Switzerland are top on 19 points, one clear of Iceland who, in turn, are one point ahead of the Republic of Ireland.

Scotland are fourth on 16 points, the same as Portugal and while they share the same goal difference, Scotland have scored more. Wales are currently sixth on 14 points.

What do Scotland, Wales and ROI need to qualify?

On Tuesday, three points will be awarded for a win in 120 minutes, while there is only a point on offer if a team were to triumph via penalties.

Therefore, to qualify for the World Cup automatically Scotland would need either Wales to beat Switzerland or Portugal to overcome Iceland and then replicate that margin of victory over Republic of Ireland.

Pedro Martinez Losa's side are in action after the other two matches so will know what is required and either way, a victory at Hampden Park on Tuesday will at worst guarantee third spot and leave the team on the brink of just a second World Cup finals.

Wales, meanwhile, would need to beat Switzerland by two goals, while requiring Scotland to win against Republic of Ireland on penalties and need Portugal to also beat Iceland on spot-kicks.

Any win for Republic of Ireland, paired with either victory for Portugal or Wales would see them progress. Alternatively, three points for the Irish would require Iceland or Switzerland to pick up a point or less.

What are the Inter-confederation play-offs?

A 10-team tournament will be held in New Zealand from February 17-23 to decide the last three finalists.

Just one of the six teams in Tuesday's play-offs will take part with teams split into three groups: two of three and one of four, with seeding decided by FIFA ranking.

All three groups will be played as separate knockout competitions, with the winner of each qualifying for the World Cup finals. In the two three-team groups, the seeded team will go straight to the final (after playing a friendly against New Zealand or a guest nation) and meet the winners of the semi-final between the other two sides in their group.

Who has qualified for the World Cup so far?

Hosts: Australia, New Zealand

AFC: China, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam

CAF: Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia

CONCACAF: Canada, Costa Rica, Jamaica, United States

CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia

UEFA: Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden

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