BBC Cymru Wales have announced a new deal to broadcast live coverage of every Wales qualifying match for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Wales are aiming to reach the Women’s World Cup finals, to be hosted in Australia and New Zealand in the summer of 2023, for the first time and BBC viewers will be able to follow their progress every step of the way.
Wales will kick off their campaign on Friday, 17 September when they play host to Kazakhstan at Llanelli’s Parc y Scarlets. BBC Two Wales will have all the action live on Match of the Day Wales, with presenter Catrin Heledd joined by former Wales players Gwennan Harries, Nia Jones and Katie Sherwood.
The match will mark new manager Gemma Grainger’s first competitive game in charge of Wales following Jayne Ludlow’s departure. The team will also welcome back ‘The Red Wall’ as fans will be able to attend a Women’s National Team match for the first time since March 2020.
Wales will then travel to Estonia for the second game of their campaign four days later, with BBC Two Wales again providing live coverage of the game from Parnu.
Rhuanedd Richards, Director of Content and Services at BBC Cymru Wales, said:
“I am absolutely thrilled to be announcing that BBC Cymru Wales will be the FAW’s broadcast partners for the 2023 World Cup qualifying games – adding to BBC Cymru Wales’ growing list of coverage of Welsh sport across our platforms.
“So many women and girls have been inspired to play football after watching our team play on the international stage. This decision underlines our commitment to our national team and to Welsh sport, and I can’t wait for this campaign to get underway as we follow Gemma Grainger and her squad as they bid to get to the World Cup.”
Commenting on the BBC deal, Wales women’s captain Sophie Ingle says:
“When I was a young girl starting out on my footballing journey there was never any women’s football on TV. Having our 2023 World Cup qualifying games broadcast live on BBC Wales will show the future generation that there is a pathway and we hope we can inspire more girls to play the game.”
Head of Women’s and Girls Football at the FAW, Lowri Roberts, added:
“Broadcast partnerships across all areas of the Women’s and Girls game are key to increasing visibility and awareness. The BBC’s coverage will allow young girls to realise that there is a career in sport for them and ensure that our world class athletes like Sophie Ingle and Jess Fishlock are seen in order for us to inspire the future generation.”
Other nations in Wales’ qualifying group include France, Greece and Slovenia, with the final qualifier due to take place next September.
For a full list of all forthcoming major football matches on the box, visit SOTB’s dedicated football TV listings page.
