Davies' 'extra motivation' after Euros heartbreak

What the report says

Wales defender Mayzee Davies says missing Euro 2025 because of a serious knee injury has strengthened her drive ahead of her team’s Women’s World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final against Albania. BBC Sport Football reports that the 20-year-old suffered an ACL injury while on international duty in May 2025 and was sidelined for 13 months, ruling her out of Wales’ first appearance at a major tournament.

Davies, who plays for Manchester City, said the setback was especially painful because it came as she was breaking into the national side. She has since returned to action and featured for Wales in June’s final group qualifiers against Montenegro and the Czech Republic. Now she says reaching the 2027 World Cup would be particularly meaningful after the recovery period and the disappointment of missing out on Euro 2025.

Wales travel to Shkoder to face Albania in the first leg on Friday, 9 October, with the return match in Llanelli four days later. The winner will meet either Romania or Norway in the final qualifying round. BBC Sport noted that Wales are also dealing with several injury absences, including Ceri Holland and Hayley Ladd, but Davies said the squad cannot focus on unavailable players and must concentrate on the task in front of them.