Wales national football team

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This article is about the men's senior team. For the women's senior team, see Wales women's national football team. For other national football teams, see Wales football team.

Wales
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Dragons (Welsh: Y Dreigiau)
AssociationFootball Association of Wales (FAW)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachRyan Giggs
CaptainAshley Williams
Most capsChris Gunter (93)
Top scorerGareth Bale (31)
Home stadiumCardiff City Stadium
FIFA codeWAL
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 19 Steady (20 December 2018)[1]
Highest8 (October 2015)
Lowest117 (August 2011)
Elo ranking
Current 27 Decrease 3 (20 December 2018)[2]
Highest3 (1876–1885)
Lowest88 (25 May 2011)
First international
 Scotland 4–0 Wales 
(Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876)
Biggest win
 Wales 11–0 Ireland 
(Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888)
Biggest defeat
 Scotland 9–0 Wales 
(Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 1958)
Best resultQuarter-finals, 1958
European Championship
Appearances1 (first in 2016)
Best resultSemi-finals, 2016

The Wales national football team (Welsh: Tîm pêl-droed cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the governing body for football in Wales and the third-oldest national football association in the world.

Although part of the United Kingdom, Wales has always had a representative side that plays in major professional tournaments, though not in the Olympic Games, as the International Olympic Committee has always recognised United Kingdom representative sides.

During their history, Wales have qualified for two major international tournaments. They reached the quarter-finals of the 1958 FIFA World Cup and reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016. Wales also progressed through UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying to the quarter-final, which was played on a home and away leg basis, but they did not feature in the finals tournament.

At all levels, including the youth teams, the Welsh national team draws players primarily from clubs in the English football league system. The main professional Welsh clubs play in the English leagues, with some full-time and part-time professional clubs playing in the Welsh football league system.

History[edit]

The early years[edit]

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 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.[3] 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 1906, 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.

1958 World Cup[edit]

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 respective 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.[4] 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—and currently only—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.

1970s[edit]

Wales had never qualified for the finals tournament of the UEFA European Championship since its inception in 1960. However, in 1976, the team managed by Mike Smith reached the last eight of the competition, having finished top of qualifying Group 2 ahead of Hungary, Austria and Luxembourg.

Prior to 1980, only four countries qualified for the finals tournament, and Wales were drawn to play against the winners of Group 3—Yugoslavia—on a home and away basis match. 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 Ninian Park, Cardiff, which was marred by crowd trouble. This initially led to Wales' ban from the 1980 tournament. However, the ban was reduced on appeal to a four-year ban on qualifying matches being played within 100 miles of Cardiff. Yugoslavia went on to finish third in the 1980 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, Wrexham. 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.

1980s[edit]

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.

1990s[edit]

Under Terry Yorath, Wales attained what was then their highest FIFA world ranking 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.[5]

Following the failure to qualify, Yorath's contract as manager of the national side was not renewed by the FAW, and John Toshack—the then-manager of Real Sociedad—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.[6] 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,[7] Robbie Savage[8] and Mark Hughes[citation needed], 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.

2000s[edit]

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,[9] 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—no fewer than 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.[10]

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.

2010s[edit]

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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] Despite this, Welsh players Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale expressed their interest in representing the Great Britain Olympic football team.[15] Bale was ultimately omitted due to injury,[16] 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.[17]

Chris Coleman was appointed Wales team manager on 19 January 2012.[18] 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.[19] In October 2012, Ashley Williams was appointed captain of Wales by Coleman, replacing Aaron Ramsey.[20] 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.[21]

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,[22] 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.[23]

In September 2015, England dropped to tenth in the FIFA rankings, making Wales—in the ninth position—the highest ranked British team for the first time in its history.[24] 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.[25]

Euro 2016[edit]

The Wales team went on an open-top bus tour of Cardiff on their return from Euro 2016.

Wales had 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.[26] In their second match, against England in Lens, Wales led 1–0 at half-time through another Bale free-kick, but lost 2–1.[27] 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.[28]

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.[29] In the quarter-final against Belgium, Wales—the last remaining British team—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.[30]

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.[31] 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.[32]

2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers[edit]

In September 2016, Wales opened their 2018 World Cup qualification campaign with a comfortable 4–0 home win against Moldova.[33] 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 final tournament in Russia. Chris Coleman resigned as Wales team manager on 17 November 2017 and was appointed team manager at Sunderland.[34]

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, would be charged with leading Wales' preparations for the start of the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League in September 2018 and qualification for Euro 2020.[35]

Stadium[edit]

Main article: Wales national football team home stadium
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

From 2000–2009, Wales played most of their home matches at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. The stadium was built in 1999 on the site of the old National Stadium, known as Cardiff Arms Park, as the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) had been chosen to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Prior to 1989, Wales played their home games at the grounds of Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham, but then came to an agreement with the WRU to use Cardiff Arms Park and, subsequently, the Millennium Stadium.

Wales' first football match at the Millennium Stadium was against Finland on 29 March 2000. The Finns won the match 2–1, with Jari Litmanen becoming the first player to score a goal at the stadium. Ryan Giggs scored Wales' goal in the match, becoming the first Welshman to score at the stadium.

With the opening of the Cardiff City Stadium in 2009, the FAW chose to stage most home friendlies there, with other friendly matches played at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea and the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. Qualifying matches continued to be played at the 74,500-capacity Millennium Stadium until the end of 2009, which was typically only around 20–40% full amid poor team results. This led to calls from fans and players for international matches to be held at smaller stadiums. For the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, the FAW decided Wales would play all of their home matches at either the Cardiff City Stadium or the Liberty Stadium, with the exception of the home tie against England, which was played at the Millennium Stadium. The 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign saw four home matches at the Cardiff City Stadium and one at the Liberty Stadium. Cardiff City Stadium's capacity was increased to 33,000 in 2014 and all home matches for Euro 2016 qualifying were scheduled at the stadium and Wales subsequently qualified for the finals tournament in France. All five home qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) were held at the stadium. Both of the team's home UEFA Nations League 2018 home games are scheduled to take place at the Cardiff City Stadium, together with all home games in the Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, however a friendly against Spain will take place at the Principality Stadium in October 2018 which will be Wales' first match at the stadium in just over seven-and-a-half years.

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

The following 25 players were called up for the UEFA Nations League match against Denmark on 16 November 2018 and the friendly against Albania on 20 November 2018. [36] Following the match against Denmark James Chester, Paul Dummett and Ethan Ampadu returned to their respective clubs. Subsequently, Rabbi Matondo was called up to the senior squad for the first time.
Caps and goals updated as of 20 November 2018 after the match against Albania.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Adam Davies (1992-07-17) 17 July 1992 (age 26) 0 0 England Barnsley
1GK Wayne Hennessey (1987-01-24) 24 January 1987 (age 31) 81 0 England Crystal Palace
1GK Danny Ward (1993-06-22) 22 June 1993 (age 25) 5 0 England Leicester City
2DF Kieron Freeman (1992-03-21) 21 March 1992 (age 26) 1 0 England Sheffield United
2DF Chris Gunter (1989-07-21) 21 July 1989 (age 29) 93 0 England Reading
2DF James Lawrence (1992-08-22) 22 August 1992 (age 26) 1 0 Belgium Anderlecht
2DF Tom Lockyer (1994-12-03) 3 December 1994 (age 24) 5 0 England Bristol Rovers
2DF Connor Roberts (1995-09-23) 23 September 1995 (age 23) 8 1 Wales Swansea City
2DF Ashley Williams (1984-08-23) 23 August 1984 (age 34) 83 2 England Stoke City
3MF Joe Allen (1990-03-14) 14 March 1990 (age 28) 48 2 England Stoke City
3MF David Brooks (1997-07-08) 8 July 1997 (age 21) 9 0 England AFC Bournemouth
3MF Daniel James (1997-11-10) 10 November 1997 (age 21) 1 0 Wales Swansea City
3MF Andy King (1988-10-29) 29 October 1988 (age 30) 50 2 England Leicester City
3MF Aaron Ramsey (1990-12-26) 26 December 1990 (age 27) 58 14 England Arsenal
3MF Matthew Smith (1999-11-22) 22 November 1999 (age 19) 4 0 Netherlands Twente
3MF Harry Wilson (1997-03-22) 22 March 1997 (age 21) 8 2 England Derby County
4FW Rabbi Matondo (2000-09-09) 9 September 2000 (age 18) 1 0 England Manchester City
4FW Gareth Bale (1989-07-16) 16 July 1989 (age 29) 74 31 Spain Real Madrid
4FW Tom Lawrence (1994-01-13) 13 January 1994 (age 24) 18 3 England Derby County
4FW Tyler Roberts (1999-01-12) 12 January 1999 (age 19) 4 0 England Leeds United
4FW George Thomas (1997-03-24) 24 March 1997 (age 21) 2 0 England Scunthorpe United
4FW Sam Vokes (1989-10-21) 21 October 1989 (age 29) 61 11 England Burnley
4FW Ben Woodburn (1999-10-15) 15 October 1999 (age 19) 9 1 England Sheffield United

Recent call-ups[edit]

The following players have been called up for the Wales squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Chris Maxwell (1990-07-30) 30 July 1990 (age 28) 0 0 England Preston North End v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018
GK Luke Pilling (1997-07-25) 25 July 1997 (age 21) 0 0 England Tranmere Rovers v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018 PRE
GK Michael Crowe (1995-11-13) 13 November 1995 (age 23) 0 0 England Preston North End 2018 China Cup, 22-26 March 2018
DF Paul Dummett (1991-09-26) 26 September 1991 (age 27) 4 0 England Newcastle United v.  Denmark, 16 November 2018
DF James Chester (1989-01-23) 23 January 1989 (age 29) 35 0 England Aston Villa v.  Denmark, 16 November 2018
DF Neil Taylor (1989-02-07) 7 February 1989 (age 29) 41 1 England Aston Villa v.  Denmark, 16 November 2018 WD
DF Chris Mepham (1997-10-05) 5 October 1997 (age 21) 4 0 England Brentford v.  Denmark, 16 November 2018 WD
DF Ben Davies (1993-04-24) 24 April 1993 (age 25) 43 0 England Tottenham Hotspur v.  Republic of Ireland, 16 October 2018
DF Jazz Richards (1991-04-12) 12 April 1991 (age 27) 14 0 Wales Cardiff City v.  Republic of Ireland, 16 October 2018
DF Joe Rodon (1997-10-27) 27 October 1997 (age 21) 0 0 Wales Swansea City v.  Spain, 11 October 2018
DF Adam Matthews (1992-01-13) 13 January 1992 (age 26) 14 0 England Sunderland v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018 PRE
DF Cameron Coxe (1998-12-18) 18 December 1998 (age 20) 0 0 Wales Cardiff City v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018 PRE
DF Regan Poole (1998-06-18) 18 June 1998 (age 20) 0 0 England Manchester United v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018 PRE
MF Ethan Ampadu (2000-09-14) 14 September 2000 (age 18) 6 0 England Chelsea v.  Denmark, 16 November 2018
MF Gwion Edwards (1993-03-01) 1 March 1993 (age 25) 0 0 England Ipswich Town v.  Republic of Ireland, 16 October 2018
MF Joe Ledley (1987-01-23) 23 January 1987 (age 31) 77 4 England Derby County v.  Denmark, 9 September 2018
MF Lee Evans (1994-07-24) 24 July 1994 (age 24) 3 0 England Wigan Athletic v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018
MF Ryan Hedges (1995-07-08) 8 July 1995 (age 23) 2 0 England Barnsley v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018
MF George Williams (1995-09-07) 7 September 1995 (age 23) 7 0 England Forest Green Rovers v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018 PRE
MF Marley Watkins (1990-10-17) 17 October 1990 (age 28) 2 0 England Bristol City v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018 PRE
FW Tom Bradshaw (1992-07-27) 27 July 1992 (age 26) 3 0 England Millwall v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018
FW Hal Robson-Kanu RET (1989-05-21) 21 May 1989 (age 29) 44 5 England West Bromwich Albion v.  Mexico, 28 May 2018 PRE
FW Billy Bodin (1992-03-24) 24 March 1992 (age 26) 1 0 England Preston North End 2018 China Cup, 22-26 March 2018

RET = Retired
WD = Withdrew
PRE = Preliminary

Most-capped players[edit]

As of 20 November 2018[37] (players still active in bold):
Chris Gunter has played a record 93 times for Wales since 2007.
# Name First/Latest Cap Caps Goals
1 Chris Gunter 2007– 93 0
2 Neville Southall 1982–1997 92 0
3 Gary Speed 1990–2004 85 7
4 Ashley Williams 2007– 83 2
5 Wayne Hennessey 2007– 81 0
6 Craig Bellamy 1998–2013 78 19
7 Joe Ledley 2007– 77 4
8 Dean Saunders 1986–2001 75 22
9 Gareth Bale 2006– 74 31
10 Peter Nicholas 1979–1991 73 2
Ian Rush 1980–1996 73 28

Players with 50 or more caps[edit]

Wales present a Golden Cap to players attaining 50 international caps.[38]

See: List of Wales international footballers.

Current players with 50 or more caps

Top goalscorers[edit]

As of 20 November 2018 (players still active in bold):
Gareth Bale is Wales' top goalscorer of all time
# Name Goals Matches Average
1 Gareth Bale (list) 31 74 0.42
2 Ian Rush (list) 28 73 0.38
3 Trevor Ford 23 38 0.61
Ivor Allchurch 23 68 0.34
5 Dean Saunders 22 75 0.29
6 Craig Bellamy 19 78 0.24
7 Robert Earnshaw 16 58 0.28
Cliff Jones 16 59 0.27
Mark Hughes 16 72 0.22
10 John Charles 15 38 0.39

Notable former players[edit]

Further information: List of Wales international footballers
Welsh Sports Hall of Fame inductees
Welsh inductees to the English Football Hall of Fame
Welsh inductees to the Football League 100 Legends
Welsh winners of the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year
Welsh winners of the PFA Players' Player of the Year
Welsh Inductee to the PFA Team of the Year (Top Division)

Results and fixtures[edit]

  Win   Draw   Loss

2018[edit]

2019[edit]

Team image[edit]

Media coverage[edit]

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

[edit]

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").[39]

Kit supplier[edit]

Kit provider Period
Admiral 1976–1980
Adidas 1980–1987
Hummel 1987–1990
Umbro 1990–1996
Lotto 1996–2000
Kappa 2000–2008
Champion 2008–2010
Umbro 2010–2013
Adidas 2013–

Managers[edit]

Main article: List of Wales international managers

Prior to 1954 the Welsh team was chosen by a panel of selectors with the team captain fulfilling the role of coach.

Name Career
Wales Walley Barnes 1954–1955
Wales Jimmy Murphy 1956–1964
Wales Dave Bowen 1964–1974
Wales Ronnie Burgess 1965 (caretaker manager for one match due to unavailability of Dave Bowen)
England Mike Smith 1974–1979
Wales Mike England 1979–1987
Wales David Williams 1988 (caretaker manager for one match)
Wales Terry Yorath 1988–1993
Wales John Toshack 1994
England Mike Smith 1994–1995
England Bobby Gould 1995–1999
Wales Neville Southall 1999 (caretaker manager for one match)
Wales Mark Hughes 1999–2004
Wales John Toshack 2004–2010
Wales Brian Flynn 2010 (caretaker manager for two matches)
Wales Gary Speed 2010–2011
Wales Chris Coleman 2012–2017
Wales Ryan Giggs 2018–present

Backroom staff[edit]

Ryan Giggs was appointed manager in 2018
Position Name
Manager Ryan Giggs
Assistant Manager Osian Roberts
Assistant Manager Albert Stuivenberg
Head of Performance Tony Strudwick
Goalkeeping Coach Tony Roberts
Fitness Coach Dr. Adam Owen
Medical Officer Dr. Jon Houghton
Performance Psychologist Dr. Ian Mitchell
Physiotherapists Sean Connelly, David Weeks
Masseurs David Rowe, Chris Senior, Paul Harris
Sports Scientist Ronan Kavanagh
Equipment Officers David Griffiths, Kevin McCusker
Performance Analysts Esther Wills, James Turner

Records[edit]

Main article: Wales national football team records and statistics

Tournament history[edit]

FIFA World Cup record[edit]

Main article: Wales at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950 Did not qualify 3 0 1 2 1 6
Switzerland 1954 3 0 1 2 5 9
Sweden 1958 Quarter-finals 6th 5 1 3 1 4 4 6 4 0 2 10 5
Chile 1962 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 3
England 1966 6 3 0 3 11 9
Mexico 1970 4 0 0 4 3 10
West Germany 1974 4 1 1 2 3 5
Argentina 1978 4 1 0 3 3 4
Spain 1982 8 4 2 2 12 7
Mexico 1986 6 3 1 2 7 6
Italy 1990 6 0 2 2 4 8
United States 1994 10 5 2 3 19 12
France 1998 8 2 1 5 20 21
South KoreaJapan 2002 10 1 6 3 10 12
Germany 2006 10 2 2 6 10 15
South Africa 2010 10 4 0 6 9 12
Brazil 2014 10 3 1 6 9 20
Russia 2018 10 4 5 1 13 6
Qatar 2022 To be determined
CanadaMexicoUnited States 2026
Totals Quarter-finals 1/21 5 1 3 1 4 4 120 37 26 57 151 170

UEFA European Championship[edit]

Main article: Wales at the UEFA European Championship
Year Round Position GP W D L GF GA
France 1960 Did not enter
Spain 1964 Did not qualify
Italy 1968
Belgium 1972
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 1976
Italy 1980
France 1984
West Germany 1988
Sweden 1992
England 1996
BelgiumNetherlands 2000
Portugal 2004
AustriaSwitzerland 2008
PolandUkraine 2012
France 2016 Semi-finals 3rd/4th 6 4 0 2 10 6
Europe 2020 To be determined
Germany 2024
Totals Best: Semi finals 1/15 6 4 0 2 10 6

UEFA Nations League record[edit]

UEFA Nations League record
Year Division Round Pld W D L GF GA
2018–19 B Group stage 4 2 0 2 6 5
2020–21 B To be determined
Total Group stage
League B 		4 2 0 2 6 5

British Home Championship[edit]

References[edit]

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  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
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Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

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