THREE players from Powys will hope to play their part as Wales bid to secure a place in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the coming weeks,

Gemma Grainger has announced a 26-player squad for her side’s key qualifiers against Greece and Slovenia.

Leicester City’s Carrie Jones, from Newtown, is joined in the squad by Sheffield United’s Maria Francis-Jones from Llanidloes and Liverpool’s Ceri Holland who qualifies for Wales through her Llanfyllin born mother.

Wales will first travel to Greece to face Volos on Friday, September, 2 before a final qualifier match against Slovenia on Tuesday, September at the Cardiff City Stadium.

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The match in Cardiff is already a record breaker with more than 8,500 tickets sold, beating the current attendance for a Welsh Women’s home international match record of 5,455 as the buzz around the women’s game continues.

Grainger and her side are hoping to welcome more than 10,000 to the ground as the noise of The Red Wall will play a key role in getting the side through to the play-offs.

Four points in the two matches will guarantee Wales’ place in the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time and Gemma Grainger will head into the international window with a near full strength side.

Jess Fishlock and Charlie Estcourt return to the squad after being rested for June’s friendly match against New Zealand, while Esther Morgan and Hannah Cain are absentees.