Jess Fishlock could return to Wales as coach if team beats Albania

Jess Fishlock could return to the Wales women’s national team as a coach for the next World Cup qualifying play-off round if Wales beat Albania in October, head coach Rhian Wilkinson told BBC Sport Wales on 30 September. The proposed return would be to the coaching staff, after Fishlock ended her international playing career last year; Wales have yet to secure the place that would bring her back.

Wilkinson said Fishlock would join the staff if Wales get through their two-legged tie with Albania. “If we are able to get past Albania, she’ll be coming in as a coach for us for the next round,” she told the BBC. UEFA’s draw places the Albania–Wales winner against the Romania–Norway winner in the second round, scheduled from late November into early December.

Why Fishlock’s Wales return depends on Albania

Wales travel to Albania for the first leg on Friday, 9 October, before hosting the return match in Llanelli four days later, according to the BBC. UEFA’s play-off draw confirms that Albania and Wales must first contest a two-legged opening round. The December coaching role Wilkinson described therefore depends on Wales progressing; it is not an appointment for the Albania matches.

Wilkinson has instead brought another recently retired Wales player, Kayleigh Barton, onto her staff for the Albania ties, the BBC reported. Fishlock is due to be with her club, Seattle Reign, while those matches take place. The distinction matters because Wilkinson’s comments came amid questions about whether Wales’ most-capped footballer might return to the pitch for her country.

Fishlock’s possible place on the staff would not be her first coaching involvement with Wales during this qualifying campaign. She worked as a technical assistant for the opening match against the Czech Republic in March, according to the BBC. Wilkinson has not set out a precise title or duties for a possible role in the next play-off round, and the report does not establish whether any formal December arrangement has been agreed.

How the 2027 World Cup play-offs work

UEFA’s June draw set Albania against Wales in the first play-off round and paired the winner with the winner of Romania against Norway in round two. The first-round ties are scheduled within 7–13 October; the second-round ties are scheduled within 26 November–5 December. Both rounds are played over home and away legs, so Wales would need to win the Albania tie before Fishlock’s proposed coaching return becomes relevant.

The stakes extend beyond reaching a December tie. UEFA says eight teams will win their second-round play-offs, but only the seven best-ranked winners under the 2026 European Qualifiers rankings will qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The remaining winner will enter inter-confederation play-offs. Reaching and winning the next round would therefore not, by itself, guarantee every play-off winner a direct World Cup place.

UEFA says Denmark, France, Germany and Spain have already qualified directly as League A group winners. The play-offs will settle Europe’s seven other direct berths and one place in the inter-confederation stage. For Wales, the immediate question remains the Albania tie; a possible meeting with Norway or Romania, and Fishlock’s coaching role, both depend on that result.

Fishlock’s recent form with Seattle Reign

The discussion of a return comes while Fishlock is still playing club football. She scored both goals in Seattle Reign’s 2-0 home win against Boston Legacy on 25 September, according to independent match coverage by Sounder at Heart. The report says the two goals took her to 52 regular-season goals for the club, surpassing Megan Rapinoe’s previous Reign record.

Sounder at Heart reported that Fishlock scored first from distance in the 23rd minute, then struck again from just outside the penalty area in the 63rd. Speaking after the match, Fishlock called breaking the record “super fun” but said the win and the team’s performance mattered more. Teammate Maddie Dahlien also spoke of learning from her, underscoring that Fishlock remains an active presence at Reign even after retiring from international football.

The BBC says Fishlock has indicated that 2026 will be her final year playing club football. Her goals against Boston show why a playing return might attract attention, but Wilkinson’s stated plan is specifically for a coaching role. There is no suggestion in the reported plan that Fishlock will be selected as a Wales player for either play-off round.