Wales women's team rerouted to Italy after Montenegro storms force flight diversion

Wales' women's football team had to overnight in Italy after severe weather forced their flight to Montenegro to divert.

Flight rerouted by storms Wales' squad for Friday's Women's World Cup qualifier in Montenegro faced major delays after their flight from Cardiff was forced to change course. The team departed at 16:30 BST on Wednesday with an expected three-hour journey to Podgorica, but electrical storms near the Montenegrin capital prevented a safe landing. Instead, the aircraft was redirected to Brindisi, a port city in southern Italy. ## Overnight delay in Italy After touching down in Brindisi, the Welsh team remained on the tarmac for over three hours, hoping for an improvement in weather conditions. When conditions did not clear, officials decided to keep the squad in Italy overnight. This sudden change left Football Association of Wales representatives quickly arranging accommodation and new travel plans for Thursday. ## Statement from FAW The Football Association of Wales took to social media to confirm the diversion and safe landing in Italy. 'Due to storms in Podgorica, the Cymru women's national team flight was diverted this evening, landing safely in Brindisi airport in south Italy,' the statement read. The note also revealed the team would remain overnight and reschedule their journey to Montenegro before the match on Friday evening. ## Upcoming fixtures Wales are scheduled to face Montenegro in Podgorica at 17:00 BST on Friday in their second-to-last Group B1 match. Their final group game will be against Czech Republic, currently top of the group, in Cardiff on the following Tuesday. With ten points, Wales sit second in the standings behind the Czech Republic. ## Squad updates Rhian Wilkinson's squad includes Clark, Holland, and Hughes for the upcoming fixtures. The team's preparations have been significantly impacted by the unexpected travel disruption caused by the weather.