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Wales’ preparations for their crucial Euro 2025 clash against France were thrown into disarray on Tuesday after their team bus was involved in a traffic accident en route to a scheduled training session at Arena St Gallen.
The collision, which occurred around 3:30pm local time in the Swiss town of Wigoltingen, prompted the cancellation of the session. According to the Thurgau Cantonal Police, the crash involved a coach and a car, with the driver of the latter suffering minor injuries and being transported to hospital. “The driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital by ambulance,” a police spokesperson confirmed. “The Wales women's national football team and their companions were uninjured.”
The Football Association of Wales (FAW) later confirmed that “all passengers on the Cymru National Team bus and in the other vehicle are unharmed,” adding that the team had returned to their base in Weinfelden to complete preparations for their second Group D fixture.
Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson and captain Angharad James were not on the bus at the time of the accident, having travelled earlier to attend a press conference at the St Gallen venue. Speaking shortly after news of the crash broke, Wilkinson expressed relief that no one had been seriously injured.
“This is really developing right now, so we are trying to be as clear and transparent as possible,” she said. “I think everyone, from all reports, is OK and we just need to get them all together and get everyone away from the scene to reassess. We've got great staff, great support and we will make sure that everyone continues to be OK.”
Wilkinson acknowledged the emotional toll the incident had taken on the squad: “Football is secondary and I think, yes we are shaken because we are away from the team right now knowing that they've had to experience that. But equally we have a great group and I have been assured that everyone is fine. We have practised for the unexpected, that's what we can call this.”
Despite the disruption, the FAW stated the team was still on course to prepare for their match against France on Wednesday. A light training session was held later in the evening at their Weinfelden base, around 30 minutes from St Gallen.
Wilkinson reiterated the team’s focus was now on well-being: “Our priority is to get them all together and away from the scene. We'll be checking in to make sure they all continue to be OK.”
The crash prompted a message of solidarity from France manager Laurent Bonadei, who opened his press conference with words of support: “Before I talk about the group, before talking about winning or losing, I want to give a message to our opponent. I want to send them a message of support because beyond football, health is so important. I heard they cancelled their training. I hope they are OK and hope they are OK tomorrow. It will be a pleasure to meet them tomorrow.”
Wales will be hoping to recover in time for their crucial showdown with France, having suffered a 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands in their tournament opener. Another loss could see them eliminated from the competition. France, meanwhile, go into the match with momentum after edging out England in their first group fixture.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay / David Peterson, Instagram / @fawales
