The Cymru women’s football squad has been involved in a road traffic collision in Switzerland ahead of their pivotal Euro 2025 group stage match against France in St. Gallen.
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon as the team was travelling near their hotel en route to a scheduled training session at Kybunpark Stadium. Details surrounding the crash remain limited, but it is understood that no serious injuries were reported.
Cymru manager Rhian Wilkinson confirmed the news during a press conference. Neither she nor team captain Angharad James were on board the bus at the time of the collision, having already arrived at the media event.
Speaking to reporters, Wilkinson said: “I think everyone, from all reports, is OK and we just need to get them all together and get everyone away from the scene to reassess.”
She added: “Yeah, football is secondary and I think, yes we are shaken because we are away from the team right now knowing that they’ve had to experience that. But equally we have a great group and I have been assured that everyone is fine. We have practised for the unexpected, that’s what we can call this. We will check in with everyone and make sure they are all in a good spot and we can focus on the football again after that.”
The Football Association of Cymru later confirmed that all players and staff members emerged uninjured from the incident, as did the driver of the other vehicle involved.
As a precaution, Cymru cancelled their evening training session scheduled for Tuesday night. The session was to be their final preparation before facing France on Wednesday, in a match that could determine their fate in the tournament.
This summer marks Cymru’s first-ever appearance at the UEFA Women’s European Championship. The side suffered a 3-0 defeat in their opening match against the Netherlands and now face the possibility of an early exit should they lose to the French in St. Gallen.
Despite the disruption, Wilkinson remained focused on her squad’s wellbeing and reiterated the team’s resilience in the face of adversity.
A statement from the Welsh FA read: “The Football Association of Wales can confirm that the Cymru National Team bus has been involved in a road traffic accident whilst travelling to Arena St Gallen for their matchday -1 training session ahead of Wednesday’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 match against France.
“All passengers on the Cymru National Team bus and in the other vehicle are unharmed. The FAW’s priority has been to remove the players from the scene and return to the Cymru training base to complete their preparations for tomorrow’s match.”
“Our priority is to get them all together and away from the scene,” Wilkinson said when she and captain Angharad James arrived at Wales’ pre-match press conference. “We’ll be checking in to make sure they all continue to be okay.
“This is really developing right now so we are trying to be as clear and transparent as possible. I think everyone, from all reports, is okay and we just need to get them all together and get everyone away from the scene to reassess.
“We’ve got great staff, great support and we will make sure that everyone continues to be okay. More importantly I think the driver of the other vehicle is okay as well. We will let everyone know once we know for sure.”
On the decision to cancel training, Wilkinson explained: “Yeah, football is secondary and I think, yes we are shaken because we are away from the team right now knowing that they’ve had to experience that.
“But equally we have a great group and I have been assured that everyone is fine. We have practiced for the unexpected, that’s what we can call this. We will check in with everyone and make sure they are all in a good spot and we can focus on the football again after that.”
