Veteran Jess Fishlock in no rush to make decision on Wales future

Wales’ most-capped player Jess Fishlock is not ready to make any decisions about her future after the major tournament debutants bowed out of Euro 2025 with a 6-1 loss to England in their final group stage encounter in St Gallen.

The 38-year-old stalwart became the first Welsh woman to score a goal at a major tournament in Wednesday night’s loss to France, and made more history in St Gallen on Sunday night with the nation’s first major-tournament assist, providing the excellent threaded pass for substitute Hannah Cain’s late consolation.

Fishlock has come full circle, having made her senior debut for Wales in host country Switzerland as a teenager in 2006 and arriving back here as her side’s all-time top goalscorer.

‘Tough one’

“I don’t know right now,” said Fishlock, asked about her future with Wales. “I think that’s a tough one. I need to take a little seat and have a little think, but no decisions are to be made.

“As of right now, I’m still a Welsh player.”

Head coach Rhian Wilkinson largely shouldered the blame for the defeat, also pointing to fitness gaps and lack of regular club minutes for many in her squad, and said it was too soon to be thinking about anyone’s longer-term tenure.

“What I’ve said to all my players is just to take a breath,” said Wilkinson. “I think we’re right in the thick of something, there’s so much emotion.”

‘Big lessons’

Wilkinson continued: “There were great moments, and there were really hard moments and painful moments and big lessons and things we are excited about, and it’s not the time to look at future plans for Jess, for Kayleigh (Barton), for some of our more experienced players.

“I hope that they stick together tonight and that they enjoy one another’s company, that they celebrate the moments that they can celebrate.

“Jess has a goal and an assist, Hannah Cain has a goal, and that’s what I ask of this team, is that they stick together as a team and are around each other for a while, then bigger life decisions can be made in the future.”