Wales will face Norway in the Women's World Cup play-off final, knowing that even a famous victory may not be enough to send them to Brazil next summer. After Tuesday's semi-final success against Albania, Wales will host the first leg at the Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday, 1 December, with the return in Norway four days later. A triumph over the Norwegians would be among Wales' greatest achievements, yet Rhian Wilkinson's players do not know whether it would be enough to book a place at their first Women's World Cup.
The qualification process is complex. Wales' encounter with Norway is one of eight play-off finals in the European branch of World Cup qualifying. Seven of the eight winners progress directly to the tournament, while the lowest-ranked nation from the group stage of qualifying is consigned to the inter-confederation play-offs. If Wales upset Norway, they may still be the team that misses out on an automatic route to South America.
There is a ray of hope after the semi-final results. Finland's victory over Serbia changed the picture. As a League B runner-up, Finland were ranked below Wales in the group stage rankings. Should Finland win their play-off final against Italy, a Welsh triumph over Norway would send Wilkinson's team directly to the World Cup. If Finland are eliminated, success against Norway would mean the inter-confederation play-offs await, where the European entrant would need to win a single knockout game.
For now, the immediate concern is Norway. Former Wales captain Kath Morgan described Norway as "the best draw" Wilkinson's players could have hoped for, though she suggested the Norwegians might have a little doubt in their minds. Wales start as underdogs against a side ranked 13th in the Fifa rankings after an 8-0 aggregate win over Romania. Wales have never reached a World Cup, while Norway have never missed one and were champions in 1995.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing