Wales have booked a spot in the next round of qualification for EURO 2025 with a laboured 2-2 draw against Ukraine.

Held in Poland due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Wales went behind in the first half after Yana Kalinina was on the end of a fabulous team move before a two minute second half double looked to have won the game for Rhian Wilkinson’s side.

However, Nicole Kozlova’s late diving header earned Ukraine a point in the dying seconds.

Prior to the equaliser, Kayleigh Barton was adjudged to have been pushed by a Ukraine centre-half and picked herself up to emphatically convert the resultant penalty.

Under two minutes later, Wales were ahead thanks to a stunning strike from their talisman, Jess Fishlock.

A loose ball from Ukraine net-minder Keliushyk found its way to the feet of Fishlock some 25 yards out from goal. Wales’ record cap holder took a touch to settle herself before slamming a half-volley into the top corner.

In spite of these blips in form Wales have qualified for the first round of the play-offs, thanks to Croatia’s 2-0 win against Kosovo.

Now, new manager Rhian Wilkinson can start to plan for the longer term, albeit still with one eye on July’s matches against Kosovo and Croatia that could determine the difficulty of the test Wales face in the play-off rounds.

With qualification long and arduous, Wales have boosted their chances with tonight’s result. The question on fans lips will be: what do Rhian Wilkinson’s team need to do in order to qualify for Switzerland 2025?

As mentioned, tonight’s result means that Wales have now qualified for the play-offs. The play-offs have two rounds which are outlined below:

First Round: Eight teams from League A play the eight best ranked teams from League C. The group winners, runners-up and third-placed teams in League B (which now includes Wales) play each other in six fixtures. Wales are currently one of the seeded teams for this round, meaning that they will be drawn against a team who has finished second or third in their group.

Second Round: If Wales win their first round match, they progress as one of 14 teams in seven ties. The seven highest ranked teams, according to their previous performance in qualifying, will be seeded. Wales will potentially be one of those seeded teams if they top their group. If Wales will that game, they will qualify for their first ever European Championships, with the 2025 edition held in Switzerland.

The first and second rounds will be both include home and away legs, with the seeded teams earning the privilege of playing their second leg at home.

Group B4 Standings:

Croatia  Pld:  4 W:  3 D:  0 L:  1 GF:  4 GA:  4 Pts:  9 Remaining Fixtures:  Wales (H) 12th July, Ukraine (A) 16th July.

Wales  Pld:  4 W:  2 D:  2 L:  0 GF:  13 GA: 3 Pts:  8 Remaining Fixtures:  Croatia (A) 12th July, Kosovo (H) 16th July.

Ukraine  Pld:  4 W:  1 D:  2 L:  1 GF:  5 GA:  4 Pts:  4 Remaining Fixtures:  Kosovo (H) 12th July, Croatia (H) 16th July.

Kosovo  Pld:  4 W:  0 D:  0 L:  4 GF:  0 GA:  11 Pts:  0 Remaining Fixtures:  Ukraine (A) 12th July, Wales (A) 16th July.