Wales women’s squad diverted to Italy ahead of World Cup qualifier
The team spent over three hours on the tarmac in Brindisi before disembarking, with officials working to ensure arrival in Montenegro for Friday’s match.
The Wales women’s national football team’s preparations for their Women’s World Cup qualifier against Montenegro were significantly disrupted on Wednesday after their flight was forced to divert to Italy. The squad, managed by Rhian Wilkinson, departed Cardiff at 16:30 BST bound for Podgorica but was unable to land due to electrical storms in the Montenegrin capital.
Instead of reaching their destination, the aircraft diverted to the Italian port city of Brindisi. The team remained on the tarmac for more than three hours while officials monitored the weather conditions, hoping for an improvement that would allow them to proceed to Montenegro. When conditions failed to ease, the decision was made for the squad to disembark and remain in Brindisi overnight.
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) confirmed the incident via social media, stating that the flight had landed safely in Brindisi airport. The association noted that the team would stay in Italy for the night while officials arranged alternative travel to Montenegro to ensure the squad could reach the venue for the scheduled fixture.
FAW officials were reportedly working to secure hotel accommodations for the travelling party and finalise logistics for Thursday. The disruption comes ahead of the team’s penultimate Group B1 qualifier, which is scheduled to take place in Podgorica on Friday at 17:00 BST.
Wales are set to conclude their group campaign with a final fixture against the Czech Republic in Cardiff on Tuesday. The Czech side is identified as a primary rival for the top position in Group B1, making the upcoming matches critical for the team’s qualification hopes.
