Image source, Getty Images
Laura Hughes was Melbourne City's player of the year in 2023-24, her first season at the club
Wales have named Melbourne City midfielder Laura Hughes, who has been capped once by Australia, in their squad for the upcoming international camp in Spain.
Hughes, whose mother is from Gwent, is called up by Wales for the first time despite featuring in a friendly for the Matildas in December 2024.
Wales will face Switzerland in a friendly on Tuesday, 2 December (11:00 GMT) at El Chapin Stadium in Jerez de la Frontera.
Rhian Wilkinson's team will also play a friendly on Friday, 28 November (18:00 GMT) at Malaga's Football Foundation Centre, but their opponents are still to be confirmed.
Hughes, 24, made her professional debut as a 15-year-old for home-city club Canberra United.
She had a spell playing in Iceland before returning to Canberra, then played briefly for Manly United prior to a move to A-League Women side Melbourne in 2023.
Image source, Getty Images
Laura Hughes made a 20-minute substitute appearance against Chinese Taipei having been a late call-up to the Australia squad last December
Her solitary international appearance came as a substitute in a 6-0 victory over Chinese Taipei, but she is eligible to switch allegiances to Wales because that was not a competitive game.
Hughes is the only new call-up in the first Wales squad named since Jess Fishlock's international retirement, though there are four other uncapped players in Poppy Soper, Annie Wilding, Olivia Francis and Phoebie Poole.
Rhiannon Roberts, Ella Powell, Rachel Rowe, Lily Woodham and Esther Morgan are recalled having missed last month's defeats against Poland and Australia through injury, but Josie Green and Soffia Kelly are again absent.
Anna Filbey, Alice Griffiths, Lois Joel, Gwen Zimmerman, Scarlet Hill, Amy Richardson and Teagan Scarlett are all omitted having been in the previous Wales squad.
Mia Ross and Tianna Teisar are involved again having won their first Wales caps in the October matches.
The Spanish trip will be Wales' final get-together before beginning their qualifying campaign for the 2027 Women's World Cup with an away fixture against the Czech Republic on 3 March, 2026.
Wales, who will also face Albania and Montenegro in Group B1, are in the midst of a miserable run, having failed to win in 11 games since they beat Republic of Ireland in a Euro 2025 qualifying play-off in December 2024.
They have lost seven successive matches – their worst run since the 1990s – having played a number of higher-ranked sides in 2025.
Wales squad
Olivia Clark (Leicester City), Safia Middleton-Patel (Manchester United), Poppy Soper (Rugby Borough), Ceri Holland (Liverpool), Annie Wilding (Portsmouth), Ella Powell (Bristol City), Rhiannon Roberts (Sunderland), Hayley Ladd (Everton), Gemma Evans (Liverpool), Charlie Estcourt (DC Power), Lily Woodham (Liverpool), Esther Morgan (Bristol City), Sophie Ingle (Bristol City), Mia Ross (Charlton Athletic), Laura Hughes (Melbourne City), Angharad James (Seattle Reign), Carrie Jones (IFK Norrkoping), Tianna Teisar (Plymouth Argyle – on loan from Bristol City), Mared Griffiths (Manchester United), Olivia Francis (Plymouth Argyle), Phoebie Poole (Plymouth Argyle), Hannah Cain (Leicester City), Rachel Rowe (Nottingham Forest), Ffion Morgan (West Ham United), Elise Hughes (Crystal Palace), Mary McAteer (Charlton Athletic).
