Wales national football team

Report of The Cardiff Times about Wales' first competitive match against Scotland in 1876.

The Wales side of 1887–88

Wales played its first competitive match on 25 March 1876 against Scotland in Glasgow, making it the third oldest international football team in the world. Although the Scots won the first fixture 4–0, a return match was planned in Wales the following year, and so it was that the first international football match on Welsh soil took place at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, on 5 March 1877. Scotland took the spoils winning 2–0. Wales' first match against England came in 1879, a 2–1 defeat at the Kennington Oval, London, and in 1882, Wales faced Ireland for the first time, winning 7–1 in Wrexham.

The associations of the four Home Nations met at the International Football Conference in Manchester on 6 December 1882 to set down a set of worldwide rules. This meeting saw the establishment of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to approve changes to the rules, a task the four associations still perform to this day. The 1883–84 season saw the formation of the British Home Championship, a tournament which was played annually between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, until 1983–84.[4] Wales were champions on 12 occasions, winning outright seven times whilst sharing the title five times.

The FAW became members of FIFA, world football's governing body, in 1910, but the relationship between FIFA and the British associations was fraught and the British nations withdrew from FIFA in 1928 in a dispute over payments to amateur players. As a result, Wales did not enter the first three FIFA World Cups. In 1932, Wales played host to the Republic of Ireland, the first time they played against a side from outside the four home nations. One year later, Wales played a match outside the United Kingdom for the first time when they travelled to Paris to play France national football team in a match drawn 1–1. After World War II, Wales, along with the other three home nations, rejoined FIFA in 1946 and took part in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 World Cup, the 1949–50 Home Championships being designated as a qualifying group. The top two teams were to qualify for the finals in Brazil, but Wales finished bottom of the group.

John Charles on international duty for Wales, against Scotland, 1954

The 1950s were a golden age for Welsh football with stars such as Ivor Allchurch, Cliff Jones, Alf Sherwood, Jack Kelsey, Trevor Ford, Ronnie Burgess, Terry Medwin and John Charles.

Wales made its only World Cup finals tournament appearance in the 1958 edition in Sweden. However, their path to qualification was unusual. Having finished second to Czechoslovakia in qualifying Group 4, the golden generation of Welsh football managed by Jimmy Murphy seemed to have missed out on qualification, but the politics of the Middle East subsequently intervened. In the Asian/African qualifying zone, Egypt and Sudan had refused to play against Israel following the Suez crisis, while Indonesia had insisted on meeting Israel on neutral ground. As a result, FIFA proclaimed Israel winners of their group. However, FIFA did not want a team to qualify for the World Cup finals without actually playing a match, and so lots were drawn of all the second-placed teams in UEFA. Belgium were drawn out first but refused to participate, and so then Wales was drawn out and awarded a two-legged play-off match against Israel with a place in Sweden for the winners.[5] Having defeated Israel 2–0 at the Ramat Gan Stadium and 2–0 at Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales went through to a World Cup finals tournament for the first time.

The strong Welsh squad made their mark in Sweden, drawing all the matches in their group against Hungary, Mexico and Sweden before defeating Hungary in a play-off match to reach the quarter-finals against Brazil. However, Wales' chances of victory against Brazil were hampered by an injury to John Charles that ruled him out of the match. Wales lost 1–0 with 17-year-old Pelé scoring his first international goal. The goal made Pelé the youngest World Cup goalscorer and Brazil went on to win the tournament.

Wales' remarkable campaign in Sweden was the subject of the best-selling book When Pele Broke Our Hearts: Wales and the 1958 World Cup (by Mario Risoli, St David's Press) which was published on the 40th anniversary of the World Cup and was also the inspiration for a Bafta Cymru-nominated documentary.

Wales failed to qualify for the first four finals tournaments of the UEFA European Championship from its inception in 1960; in 1976, the team – managed by Mike Smith – reached the quarter-finals of the competition, having finished top of qualifying Group 2 ahead of Hungary, Austria and Luxembourg, but this was not considered part of the finals. Prior to 1980, only four countries qualified for the finals tournament, and Wales were drawn to play against the winners of Group 3 – Yugoslavia – in a two-legged, home-and-away tie. Wales lost the first leg 2–0 in Zagreb and were eliminated from the competition following a 1–1 draw in a bad-tempered return leg at Cardiff's Ninian Park, which was marred by crowd trouble. This initially led to Wales being banned from the 1980 tournament, but this was reduced on appeal to a four-year ban on qualifying matches being played within 100 miles of Cardiff. Yugoslavia went on to finish fourth in the 1976 tournament.

The following year, Wales defeated England on English soil for the first time in 42 years and secured their only victory to date at Wembley Stadium thanks to a Leighton James penalty. Another notable achievement came in the 1980 British Home Championship, as Wales comprehensively defeated England at the Racecourse Ground. Goals from Mickey Thomas, Ian Walsh, Leighton James and an own goal by Phil Thompson saw Wales defeat England 4–1 just four days after England had defeated the then-world champions, Argentina.

In the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the Wales team – managed by Mike England – came extremely close to qualification; a 3–0 defeat against the Soviet Union in their final match meant they missed out on goal difference, but the real damage had been done by their failure to beat Iceland in their last home match, the match eventually finishing 2–2 after several hold-ups due to floodlight failures.

Mark Hughes marked his debut for Wales by scoring the only goal of the match as England were defeated once again in 1984. The following season, Hughes was again on target, scoring a wonder goal as Wales thrashed Spain 3–0 at the Racecourse during qualification for the 1986 World Cup. However, despite defeating Scotland 1–0 at Hampden Park, it was again Iceland that wrecked Welsh hopes by defeating Wales 1–0 in Reykjavík, and for the second World Cup in a row, Wales missed out on goal difference. Wales had to win their last match at home to Scotland to be guaranteed at least a play-off, but were held to a 1–1 draw in a match marred by the death of Scotland manager Jock Stein, who collapsed from a heart attack at the end of the match.

Under Terry Yorath, Wales attained what was then their highest position in the FIFA World Rankings on 27 August 1993. Again Wales came close to qualifying for a major championship when they came within a whisker of reaching the 1994 World Cup. Needing to win the final match of the group at home to Romania, Paul Bodin missed a penalty when the scores were level 1–1; the miss was immediately followed by Romania taking the lead and going on to win 2–1.[6]

Following the failure to qualify, Yorath's contract as manager of the national side was not renewed by the FAW, and Real Sociedad manager John Toshack was appointed on a part-time basis. However, Toshack resigned after just one match (a 3–1 defeat to Norway) citing problems with the FAW as his reason for leaving, although he was sure to have been shocked at being booed off the pitch at Ninian Park by the Welsh fans still reeling from the dismissal of Yorath.[7] Mike Smith took the manager role for the second time at the start of the Euro 1996 qualifiers, but Wales slipped to embarrassing defeats against Moldova and Georgia before Bobby Gould was appointed in June 1995.

Gould's time in charge of Wales is seen as a dark period by Welsh football fans. His questionable tactics and public fallings-out with players Nathan Blake,[8] Robbie Savage[9] and Mark Hughes, coupled with embarrassing defeats to club side Leyton Orient and a 7–1 thrashing by the Netherlands in 1996 did not make him a popular figure within Wales. Gould finally resigned following a 4–0 defeat to Italy in 1999, and the FAW turned to two legends of the national team, Neville Southall and Mark Hughes, to take temporary charge of the match against Denmark four days later, with Hughes later being appointed on a permanent basis.

Under Mark Hughes, Wales came close to qualifying for a place at Euro 2004 in Portugal, being narrowly defeated by Russia in the play-offs. However, the defeat was not without its controversy, as Russian midfielder Yegor Titov tested positive for the use of a banned substance after the first qualifying leg,[10] a scoreless draw in Moscow. Notwithstanding, FIFA opted not to take action against the Football Union of Russia other than instructing them not to field Titov again, and the Russian team went on to defeat Wales 1–0 in Cardiff to qualify for the final tournament.

Following a disappointing start to 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6, Hughes left his role with the national team to take over as manager of English Premier League outfit Blackburn Rovers. On 12 November 2004, John Toshack was appointed manager for the second time.

In Euro 2008 qualifying, Wales were drawn in Group D alongside Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and San Marino. The team's performance was disappointing, finishing fifth in the group with expected defeat at home to Germany yet an unexpected draw away, a loss away and a goalless draw at home to the Czech Republic, a loss away and 2–2 draw at home to the Republic of Ireland, a 3–0 home win and uninspiring 2–1 away win against minnows San Marino, a 3–1 home win and 3–1 away defeat against Cyprus, and a spectacularly mixed performance against Slovakia, losing 5–1 at home and winning 5–2 away. However, better performances towards the end of the competition by a team containing – of necessity because of injuries and suspensions of senior players – five players who were eligible for selection for the under-21 squad was viewed as a hopeful sign of future progress for the team.

In 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4, Wales made a promising start, winning 1–0 and 2–0 against Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein, respectively. However, they lost their next match against Russia in Moscow, 2–1, after Joe Ledley had briefly drawn them level. The qualifying campaign showed signs of promise when the team managed to prevent Germany from scoring for 74 minutes of their match in Mönchengladbach, although Wales ultimately lost 1–0. Two 2–0 home defeats by Finland and Germany in Spring 2009 effectively put paid to Wales' hopes of qualification.

Wales were drawn in UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group G with Montenegro, Bulgaria, Switzerland and close rivals England. Wales lost 1–0 away to Montenegro in their opening match and, on 9 September 2010, John Toshack stood down as manager after being disappointed at previous results in 2010 against Croatia and the opening Euro 2012 qualifier.[11]

Wales under-21 coach Brian Flynn took over from Toshack as caretaker manager with a view to a possible permanent appointment, but a 1–0 home defeat to Bulgaria and 4–1 away loss to Switzerland prompted the FAW to pass over Flynn.

The Wales team on 11 October 2011 ahead of their UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Bulgaria in Sofia

Gary Speed was appointed as permanent manager on 14 December 2010. Speed's first match as manager was 8 February 2011 in the inaugural Nations Cup, which the Republic of Ireland won 3–0.[12] Speed's first competitive match was the Euro 2012 qualifier at home to England on 26 March 2011, and Speed appointed 20-year-old Aaron Ramsey captain, making him the youngest Wales captain. Wales lost to England 2–0 and in August 2011 Wales attained their lowest FIFA ranking of 117th. This was followed by a 2–1 home win against Montenegro, a 1–0 away loss to England, a 2–0 home win against Switzerland and a 1–0 away win against Bulgaria. Consequently, in October 2011, Wales had rapidly risen to 45th in the FIFA rankings. A 4–1 home win in a friendly match against Norway on 12 November 2011 proved to be Speed's last match in charge of Wales. The match was a culmination of Speed's efforts which led Wales to receive the unofficial award for biggest mover of 2011 in the FIFA rankings.[13] His tenure as manager ended in tragic circumstances two weeks later when he was found dead at his home on 27 November, having apparently committed suicide.[14]

Due to London's successful bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, a Great Britain team would qualify as of right of being the host nation. However, the FAW stressed it was strongly against the proposal.[15] Despite this, Welsh players Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale expressed their interest in representing the Great Britain Olympic football team.[16] Bale controversially withdrew due to injury,[17] but Ramsey was joined by four other Welshmen in Stuart Pearce's 18-man squad: Swansea City's Joe Allen and Neil Taylor, while Manchester United's Ryan Giggs and Liverpool's Craig Bellamy were included as over-age players, with Giggs being made captain.[18]

Chris Coleman was appointed Wales team manager on 19 January 2012.[19] For 2014 World Cup qualification, Wales were drawn in Group A with Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland and Macedonia. They lost their first match 2–0, against Belgium. Their second match, against Serbia, was even worse, finishing 6–1, Wales's worst defeat since the 7–1 reversal to the Netherlands in 1996.[20] In October 2012, Ashley Williams was appointed captain of Wales by Coleman, replacing Aaron Ramsey.[21] Wales won at home against Scotland 2–1, lost away to Croatia 2–0 and won away against Scotland 2–1, but a 2–1 loss at home to Croatia ended Wales hopes of qualifying.[22]

Wales were placed in Group B for qualifying for Euro 2016 alongside Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and Israel. In July 2015, following four wins and two draws, Wales topped the group.

In July 2015, having attained their then highest FIFA ranking of tenth,[23] Wales were placed among the top seeds for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification draw. Wales were drawn in Group D with Austria, Serbia, the Republic of Ireland, Moldova and Georgia.[24]

In September 2015, England dropped to tenth in the FIFA rankings, making Wales – in ninth position – the highest ranked British team for the first time in its history.[25] In October 2015, Wales attained their highest ever FIFA ranking of eighth. On 10 October 2015, Wales lost 2–0 to Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, Wales' qualification for Euro 2016 was confirmed after Cyprus defeated Israel that same evening.[26]

Wales qualified for Euro 2016 in France, their first European Championship tournament, and were drawn into Group B with Slovakia, Russia and England. On their Euro debut, on 11 June against Slovakia at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Gareth Bale scored direct from a free-kick to give Wales a 1–0 lead, and Hal Robson-Kanu scored the winner in a 2–1 victory that put them top of the group.[27] In their second match, against England in Lens, Wales led 1–0 at half-time through another Bale free-kick, but lost 2–1.[28] Against Russia at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse, Aaron Ramsey, Neil Taylor and Bale scored in a 3–0 win that made them win the group.[29]

In their round of 16 match at the Parc des Princes in Paris, Wales played Northern Ireland and won 1–0 after Bale's cross was put in as an own goal by Gareth McAuley.[30] In the quarter-final against Belgium, Wales went behind to a long-range effort from Radja Nainggolan, but captain Ashley Williams headed an equaliser before Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes confirmed a 3–1 victory for Wales. This victory advanced Wales to their first major tournament semi-final and also made them the first British nation to advance to the semi-finals of a major tournament since England did so at Euro 1996 as hosts.[31]

The first half of the semi-final against Portugal in Lyon went goalless, but goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani early in the second half saw Portugal claim a 2–0 win.[32] Wales were welcomed back home on 8 July with an open-top bus parade around Cardiff, starting at Cardiff Castle and going past the Millennium Stadium before finishing at the Cardiff City Stadium.[33]

In September 2016, Wales opened their 2018 World Cup qualification campaign with a comfortable 4–0 home win against Moldova.[34] However, they followed this with a run of five consecutive draws away to Austria, at home to Georgia, both home and away against Serbia and away to the Republic of Ireland. That run came to an end with a 1–0 home victory over Austria on 2 September 2017, followed by a 2–0 away victory against Moldova on 5 September and a 1–0 away win over Georgia on 6 October. Wales finished third in their group due to a 1–0 loss to the Republic of Ireland on 9 October and failed to qualify for the finals in Russia. Chris Coleman resigned as Wales team manager on 17 November 2017 and was appointed team manager at Sunderland.[35]

After nearly two months of managerial vacancy, former Wales national player Ryan Giggs was named Wales' new manager. Giggs, who signed a four-year contract, led Wales for the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League campaign and Euro 2020 qualification.[36] Despite losing two of the first three qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2020, Wales went unbeaten in the second half of 2019 and ultimately qualified in second place following a 2–0 win over Hungary in their final match on 19 November.[37]

Euro 2020 was delayed until 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, which meant Wales' next games came in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League. They kept five consecutive clean sheets on the way to an unbeaten record in the competition, winning five games and drawing one, despite Giggs not being available for the last two games due to legal troubles.[38] With Rob Page in interim charge, the team beat Finland 3–1 in their final match to finish top of the group and gain promotion to League A for the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League.[39]

The following players were called up for the friendly match against the United States and the UEFA Nations League matches against Republic of Ireland and Finland between 12 and 18 November 2020.
Caps and goals updated as of 18 November 2020 after the match against Finland.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Danny Ward	(1993-06-22) 22 June 1993	10	0	Leicester City
	1GK	Owain Fôn Williams	(1987-03-17) 17 March 1987	1	0	Dunfermline Athletic
	1GK	Tom King	(1995-03-09) 9 March 1995	0	0	Newport County
	2DF	Chris Gunter	(1989-07-21) 21 July 1989	99	0	Charlton Athletic
	2DF	Connor Roberts	(1995-09-23) 23 September 1995	22	1	Swansea City
	2DF	Ethan Ampadu	(2000-09-14) 14 September 2000	20	0	Sheffield United
	2DF	Chris Mepham	(1997-11-05) 5 November 1997	14	0	Bournemouth
	2DF	Tom Lockyer	(1994-12-03) 3 December 1994	13	0	Luton Town
	2DF	Joe Rodon	(1997-10-22) 22 October 1997	10	0	Tottenham Hotspur
	2DF	James Lawrence	(1992-08-22) 22 August 1992	7	0	St. Pauli
	2DF	Neco Williams	(2001-04-13) 13 April 2001	6	1	Liverpool
	2DF	Rhys Norrington-Davies	(1999-04-22) 22 April 1999	3	0	Stoke City
	3MF	Jonny Williams	(1993-10-09) 9 October 1993	25	1	Cardiff City
	3MF	Harry Wilson	(1997-03-22) 22 March 1997	21	4	Cardiff City
	3MF	Daniel James	(1997-11-10) 10 November 1997	17	3	Manchester United
	3MF	David Brooks	(1997-07-08) 8 July 1997	16	2	Bournemouth
	3MF	Joe Morrell	(1997-01-03) 3 January 1997	12	0	Luton Town
	3MF	Matthew Smith	(1999-11-22) 22 November 1999	12	0	Doncaster Rovers
	3MF	Josh Sheehan	(1995-03-30) 30 March 1995	1	0	Newport County
	4FW	Gareth Bale (captain)	(1989-07-16) 16 July 1989	87	33	Tottenham Hotspur
	4FW	Tom Lawrence	(1994-01-13) 13 January 1994	21	3	Derby County
	4FW	Kieffer Moore	(1992-08-08) 8 August 1992	12	4	Cardiff City
	4FW	Tyler Roberts	(1999-01-12) 12 January 1999	11	0	Leeds United

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Wayne Hennessey	(1987-01-24) 24 January 1987	94	0	Crystal Palace	v.  Bulgaria, 14 October 2020
GK	Adam Davies	(1992-07-17) 17 July 1992	2	0	Stoke City	v.  Bulgaria, 14 October 2020
DF	Ben Davies	(1993-04-24) 24 April 1993	58	0	Tottenham Hotspur	v.  Republic of Ireland, 15 November 2020 SUS
DF	Ben Cabango	(2000-05-30) 30 May 2000	2	0	Swansea City	v.  United States, 12 November 2020 WD
DF	Ashley Williams	(1984-08-23) 23 August 1984	86	2	Retired	v.  Finland, 3 September 2020 WD
MF	Brennan Johnson	(2001-05-23) 23 May 2001	1	0	Lincoln City	v.  Republic of Ireland, 15 November 2020
MF	Dylan Levitt	(2000-11-17) 17 November 2000	5	0	Manchester United	v.  United States, 12 November 2020
MF	Aaron Ramsey	(1990-12-26) 26 December 1990	61	16	Juventus	v.  United States, 12 November 2020 WD
MF	Will Vaulks	(1993-09-13) 13 September 1993	6	0	Cardiff City	v.  Bulgaria, 14 October 2020
FW	Rabbi Matondo	(2000-09-09) 9 September 2000	7	0	Stoke City	v.  Republic of Ireland, 15 November 2020
FW	Ben Woodburn	(1999-10-15) 15 October 1999	10	2	Liverpool	v.  Bulgaria, 14 October 2020
FW	Hal Robson-Kanu	(1989-05-21) 21 May 1989	45	5	West Bromwich Albion	v.  England, 8 October 2020 WD

Key

• ^SUS = Suspended for next match
• ^WD = Withdrew from the squad
• ^PRE = Preliminary squad

As of 18 November 2020[40] (players still active in bold):

Chris Gunter has played a record 99 times for Wales since 2007.

Wales present a Golden Cap to players attaining 50 international caps.[41]

See: List of Wales international footballers.

Current players with 50 or more caps

As of 18 November 2020 (players still active in bold):

Gareth Bale is Wales' top goalscorer of all time

Welsh Sports Hall of Fame inductees

Welsh inductees to the English Football Hall of Fame

• 2002 – John Charles
• 2005 – Ryan Giggs
• 2006 – Ian Rush
• 2007 – Mark Hughes, Billy Meredith
• 2013 – Cliff Jones
• 2015 – Ivor Allchurch
• 2016 – Neville Southall
• 2017 – Gary Speed

Welsh inductees to the Football League 100 Legends

Welsh winners of the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year

• Ian Rush (1984)
• Neville Southall (1985)
• Gareth Bale (2013)

Welsh winners of the PFA Players' Player of the Year

• Ian Rush (1984)
• Mark Hughes (1989, 1991)
• Ryan Giggs (2009)
• Gareth Bale (2011, 2013)

Welsh Inductee to the PFA Team of the Year (Top Division)

• Leighton James (1975)
• John Toshack (1976)
• Ian Rush (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991)
• Kevin Ratcliffe (1985)
• Mark Hughes (1986, 1989, 1991, 1992)
• Neville Southall (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990)
• Gary Speed (1993)
• Ryan Giggs (1993, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009)
• Gareth Bale (2011, 2012, 2013)

Live television broadcast rights are held by S4C (Welsh language commentary) and Sky Sports (English language commentary) until 2022.

The primary kit has long been all-red. The crest of the Football Association of Wales features a Welsh Dragon on a white shield surrounded by 11 daffodils on a green background, and, since 1951, the Welsh-language motto Gorau Chwarae Cyd Chwarae ("The best play is team play").[42]