Wales' preparations for their pivotal Euro 2025 qualifier against France were disrupted after the team bus was involved in a road traffic accident en route to training at the St Gallen Arena.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) confirmed that no players or members of staff sustained injuries in the incident, and all passengers in the other vehicle involved were also unharmed. However, as a result, the squad's scheduled training session at the match venue — where they are due to face France in Group D on Wednesday evening — was cancelled.

Head coach Rhian Wilkinson and midfielder Angharad James, who had travelled separately to attend the pre-match press conference at the stadium, appeared visibly shaken during a brief and subdued media appearance before returning to the team’s training base to reunite with their colleagues.

“This is really developing right now, so we’re trying to be as clear and transparent as possible,” Wilkinson told reporters.

“From all the reports, everyone is OK. Our priority is just to get them all together and away from the scene, and reassess.

We’ve got great staff, we’ve got really good support, and we’ll be checking in to make sure everyone continues to be OK.

Also, just as importantly, I believe everyone in the other vehicle involved is also fine, which is a great relief.”

Although relieved that there were no injuries, Wilkinson acknowledged that the incident was far from ideal preparation for such a crucial fixture, which could prove decisive for Wales' hopes of progressing in the competition.

“Football is secondary,” she added. “Yes, we are shaken, just because we don’t know the full picture. We’re away from the team right now, and they’ve had to go through that without us.

But we’ve got a great group, and I’ve been assured everyone is fine. We have practised for the unexpected — and I think that’s what we can call this. Once we’ve checked in and ensured everyone’s in a good place, we’ll turn our attention back to football.”

Wales Resume Training After Scare
Later in the day, the FAW confirmed that the squad had resumed training at their base, with preparations for the France match continuing despite the earlier disruption.

Wilkinson remained focused on delivering a performance that would make the nation proud, saying:

“We always talk about the next match — and this is another opportunity.

Everyone always talks about what it means if we don’t get a point, but it’s also about delivering a strong performance to show Wales how proud we are to represent our country.”

Angharad James: “We’re Ready to Fight”
Angharad James, who also addressed the media, revealed that the squad had undergone some difficult internal discussions following their 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands in the opening group match — which took place just hours before France defeated defending champions England.

“We’ve had some tough conversations over the past few days, but we’ve learned a lot — individually and collectively,” said James.

“We’ve prepared for France just as we would for any other game. We’ve faced them before, and we know what we need to do to get something out of this match.

We’re ready to get back on the pitch and put in a performance to be proud of.”