The story of Wales' Euros - reality bites as Red Wall leave lasting impression

Supporters and players created memories to last a lifetime in Switzerland, but what's next for women's football in the nation?

Wales’ players salute their travelling supporters following defeat to England in their final Euro 2025 game. Credit: Kristian Skeie - Uefa/Uefa via Getty Images

If Georgia Stanway said England’s opening defeat to France felt like “a bad night out”, then Wales’ Euro 2025 could be likened to Freshers’ Week.

Being the new kids on the block can be difficult, but you head into things with a healthy mix of hope and nervousness. Throughout that first week or so, you make plenty of new friends and create memories that will last a lifetime. However, there’s always the odd mishap, mistakes are made, and perhaps you wake up after it’s over feeling proud, yet slightly confused, as to what’s just happened.

The morning after defeat to England, Wales woke up no longer playing at the Euros. It has been an intense seven months for this team after they defeated the Republic of Ireland in Dublin to get to this point. If you look at their last nine games in this tournament and the Nations League, Wales have played six teams in the top 14 of the Fifa Rankings. For a nation that has never beaten a side in the top 20, Euro 2025 was always going to be one hell of a challenge.

It's been an incredible half a month for this team and their fans, but it’s also a tournament that leaves plenty of questions.