Wales’ national football team (Welsh: Tîm pêl-droed cenedlaethol Cymru) represents the country in international competition. It is governed by the Football Association of Wales (FAW), Wales’ governing body and the world’s third-oldest national football association, founded in 1876.
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The squad has qualified for the FIFA World Cup twice, first in 1958 and once in 2022. They reached the quarter-finals in 1958 before falling to eventual champions Brazil. They then waited 58 years before reaching their second major tournament, when they qualified for UEFA Euro 2016, after rising 109 places from an all-time low of 117th to a peak of eighth in the FIFA World Rankings between August 2011 and October 2015. They reached the semi-finals before losing to the eventual champions, Portugal. Wales advanced to the round of 16 of the UEFA European Championship for the second time in a row. They also advanced to the quarter-finals of UEFA Euro 1976 qualification, albeit this was a two-leg, home-and-away match and is not considered part of the finals event.
Historically, the Welsh squad has included a number of players from Cardiff City and Swansea City, two of Wales’ finest club clubs. These two Welsh clubs compete in the English league system with Newport County, Wrexham, and Merthyr Town. The bulk of Welsh football clubs, however, compete in the Welsh football league system. Wales, being a United Kingdom country, is not a member of the International Olympic Committee, hence the national team does not compete in the Olympic Games.
Early Years
Wales played their first competitive match against Scotland on March 25, 1876, at Glasgow, making it the world’s third-oldest international football team. Although the Scots won the initial encounter 4-0, a rematch was scheduled for the following year in Wales, and so the first international football match on Welsh soil took place on 5 March 1877 at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. Scotland won by a score of 2-0. Wales played England for the first time in 1879, losing 2-1 at the Kennington Oval in London, and faced Ireland for the first time in 1882, winning 7-1 in Wrexham.
On December 6, 1882, the associations of the four Home Nations met in Manchester for the International Football Conference to establish a set of global rules. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) was established at this meeting to approve rule changes, a task that the four associations still perform to this day. The British Home Championship was established in the 1883-84 season, and it was played annually between England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales until 1983-84. Wales was champion 12 times, winning seven times outright and sharing the title five times.
The FAW joined FIFA, the international football governing body, in 1910, but the relationship between FIFA and the British associations was strained, and the British countries resigned from FIFA in 1928 due to a dispute about amateur player salaries. As a result, Wales was excluded from the first three FIFA World Cups. Wales hosted the Republic of Ireland for the first time in 1932, the first time they faced a team from outside the four home nations.
Wales played a match outside the United Kingdom for the first time one year later, when they traveled to Paris to play the France national football team in a 1-1 draw. Wales rejoined FIFA in 1946, along with the other three home nations, and competed in the qualifying rounds for the 1950 World Cup, with the 1949-50 Home Championships designated as a qualifying group. The top two teams were supposed to advance to the finals in Brazil, but Wales finished last in their group.
1958 World Cup
Ivor Allchurch, Cliff Jones, Alf Sherwood, Jack Kelsey, Trevor Ford, Ronnie Burgess, Terry Medwin, and John Charles were among the stars of Welsh football in the 1950s.
Wales competed in their first World Cup finals event in 1958, in Sweden. Their road to qualifying, though, was uncommon. After finishing second to Czechoslovakia in qualifying Group 4, the golden generation of Welsh football led by Jimmy Murphy appeared to have missed out on qualification, but Middle Eastern politics interfered. Following the Suez crisis, Egypt and Sudan refused to play against Israel in the Asian/African qualifying zone, while Indonesia insisted on facing Israel on neutral ground. As a consequence, FIFA declared Israel the group champion.
However, FIFA did not want a side to qualify for the World Cup finals without actually playing a match, thus all of UEFA’s second-placed teams were picked at random. Belgium was drawn first but declined to participate, thus Wales was drawn second and handed a two-legged play-off match against Israel, with the winner earning a berth in Sweden. Wales advanced to the World Cup finals for the first time after defeating Israel 2-0 at Ramat Gan Stadium and 2-0 at Ninian Park in Cardiff.
The strong Welsh squad made a name for themselves in Sweden, drawing all of their group matches against Hungary, Mexico, and Sweden before defeating Hungary in a play-off match to advance to the quarter-finals against Brazil. However, Wales’ prospects of beating Brazil were damaged by John Charles’ injury, which forced him to miss the game. Wales lost 1-0, with Pelé scoring his first international goal at the age of 17. Pelé became the youngest World Cup goalscorer with the goal, and Brazil went on to win the tournament.
When Pele Broke Our Hearts: Wales and the 1958 World Cup (by Mario Risoli, St David’s Press), released on the 40th anniversary of the World Cup, was also the basis for a Bafta Cymru-nominated documentary.
1980s
The Wales team, managed by Mike England, came very close to qualifying for the 1982 FIFA World Cup; 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 final home match, the match eventually finishing 2-2 after several hold-ups due to floodlight failures.
Wales also came close to qualifying for the 1984 UEFA European Championship. Wales were just minutes away from qualifying until Ljubomir Radanovi’s winning goal for Yugoslavia against Bulgaria in the last game of qualifying group 4 eliminated them.
In 1984, Mark Hughes made his debut for Wales by scoring the game’s sole goal as England was beaten once more. Hughes was back on target the following season, netting a spectacular goal when Wales defeated Spain 3-0 at the Racecourse during qualifying for the 1986 World Cup. Despite defeating Scotland 1-0 at Hampden Park, Iceland once again dashed Welsh hopes by defeating Wales 1-0 in Reykjavik, and Wales missed out on goal difference for the second World Cup in a row. Wales needed to beat Scotland at home to ensure at least a play-off spot, but were held to a 1-1 draw in a match marked by the death of Scotland manager Jock Stein, who collapsed from a heart attack at the conclusion of the game.
Wales, too, made a solid start in their quest to qualify for the 1988 UEFA European Championship, going unbeaten after four games. However, away defeats to Denmark and Czechoslovakia in the final two games of qualifying group 6 ended Mike England’s eight-year reign as Welsh coach.
2000s
Wales came close to qualifying for Euro 2004 in Portugal under Mark Hughes, but were barely eliminated by Russia in the play-offs. The defeat was not without controversy, as Russian player Yegor Titov tested positive for the usage of a prohibited drug during the first qualifying match, a 0-0 draw in Moscow. Despite this, FIFA chose not to sanction the Football Union of Russia, instead telling them not to deploy Titov again, and the Russian team went on to defeat Wales 1-0 in Cardiff to qualify for the final tournament.
Hughes left the national squad after a dismal start to 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying – UEFA Group 6 to become manager of English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers. John Toshack was named manager for the second time on November 12, 2004.
Wales was drawn in Group D for Euro 2008 qualifying 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 an expected defeat at home to Germany but an unexpected draw away, a loss away and a goalless draw at home to the Czech Republic, a loss away and a 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
Better performances towards the end of the competition by a team that included – due to injuries and suspensions of senior players – five players eligible for selection for the under-21 squad were viewed as a hopeful sign of future progress for the team.
Wales started well in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying – UEFA Group 4, winning 1-0 and 2-0 against Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein, respectively. However, they were defeated 2-1 by Russia in their following encounter, despite a momentary tie by Joe Ledley. Wales’ qualifying campaign began with promise as the squad managed to keep Germany from scoring for 74 minutes of their encounter at Mönchengladbach, although losing 1-0. Two 2-0 home defeats by Finland and Germany in the spring of 2009 virtually ended Wales’ qualifying ambitions.
Wales was drawn in UEFA Euro 2012 qualification Group G alongside Montenegro, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and England. Wales defeated 1-0 away to Montenegro in their first encounter, and John Toshack resigned as manager on September 9, 2010, after being upset with earlier performances in 2010 against Croatia and the first Euro 2012 qualifier.
Wales under-21 coach Brian Flynn took over as caretaker manager from Toshack with a view to a permanent appointment, but a 1-0 home loss to Bulgaria and a 4-1 away loss to Switzerland prompted the FAW to pass on Flynn.
Euro 2016
Wales qualified for Euro 2016 in France, their first European Championship, and were placed in Group B alongside Slovakia, Russia, and England. Gareth Bale scored direct from a free-kick to give Wales a 1-0 lead over Slovakia at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux on 11 June, and Hal Robson-Kanu scored the goal in a 2-1 victory that took them top of the group. Wales led England 1-0 at halftime in their second encounter in Lens, thanks to another Bale free kick, but lost 2-1. Aaron Ramsey, Neil Taylor, and Gareth Bale scored in a 3-0 win over Russia at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse.
Wales defeated Northern Ireland 1-0 in the round of 16 at the Parc des Princes in Paris, thanks to an own goal by Gareth McAuley on Bale’s cross. Wales fell down to a long-range shot from Radja Nainggolan in the quarter-final against Belgium, but skipper Ashley Williams headed an equalizer before Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes sealed a 3-1 victory for Wales. This victory advanced Wales to their first major tournament semi-final, as well as making them the first British nation to do so since England did so as hosts of Euro 1996.
The first half of Portugal’s semi-final versus Spain in Lyon was goalless, but goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani early in the second half gave Spain a 2-0 victory. Wales was welcomed home on July 8 with an open-top bus procession across Cardiff, beginning at Cardiff Castle and continuing past the Millennium Stadium to the Cardiff City Stadium.
2018 World Cup Qualification
Wales began their 2018 World Cup qualification campaign with a 4-0 home win against Moldova in September 2016. They then drew five straight games: away to Austria, at home to Georgia, both at home and away to Serbia, and away to the Republic of Ireland. That run ended on 2 September 2017 with a 1-0 home victory over Austria, followed by a 2-0 away victory over Moldova on 5 September and a 1-0 away victory over Georgia on 6 October.
Wales finished third in their group after losing 1-0 to the Republic of Ireland on 9 October, failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup play-offs. Chris Coleman resigned as Wales team manager on November 17, 2017 and was named Sunderland team manager.
Euro 2020 and Nations League
Former Wales national player Ryan Giggs was named Wales’ new manager on June 19, 2018, after over two months of managerial vacancy. Giggs, who signed a four-year deal, guided Wales to the UEFA Nations League title and Euro 2020 qualifying in 2018-19. Despite losing two of the first three UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, Wales stayed undefeated in the second half of 2019 and finished second after a 2-0 win against Hungary in their last match on November 19.
The COVID-19 epidemic in Europe postponed Euro 2020 until 2021, hence Wales’ next games were in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League. They kept five consecutive clean sheets en route to an unbeaten record in the competition, winning five games and drawing one, despite Giggs missing the last two games due to legal issues. Under interim coach Rob Page, the team defeated Finland 3-1 in their final match to finish first in their group and gain promotion to League A for the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.
For the first time, UEFA Euro 2020 was held in June/July 2021, with matches split throughout 11 host countries around Europe, rather than being hosted by a single country. As a result, Wales’ Group A matches against Switzerland and Turkey were played in Baku, Azerbaijan, followed by a match against Italy in Rome. Wales advanced from the group stage with Page as interim manager after finishing second in the group to eventual tournament winners Italy. Wales lost to Denmark in the last 16 round in Amsterdam.
2022 World Cup, Nations League and Euro 2024
Wales was placed in Group E for World Cup qualifying in 2022, alongside Belgium, the Czech Republic, Belarus, and Estonia, with Page serving as temporary manager again in 2021 and 2022. Wales came in second place in Group E and advanced to the qualifying play-off stage.
Dafydd Iwan sang the song Yma o Hyd live before the start of Wales’ last FIFA World Cup qualification game against Austria, which Wales won 2-1. Wales qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1958 with a 1-0 win against Ukraine at Cardiff City Stadium on 5 June 2022, after defeating Austria in the play-off semi-final. Before the game, Yma o Hyd was once again sung, and Gareth Bale, the Welsh captain, led the Welsh team in singing along with Iwan after the final whistle. Wales was drawn in Group B for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, alongside England, Iran, and the United States.
Following their promotion in the previous Nations League season, Wales were drawn in Group A4 of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League alongside Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland, with interim manager Rob Page remaining. Wales finished last in their group and were relegated to the UEFA Nations League B in 2024-25.
Ryan Giggs resigned as Wales manager on June 20, 2022, due to a pending court case. Page remained as temporary manager before being handed a four-year contract extension in September 2022 to lead Wales to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Wales was assigned to UEFA Euro 2024 qualification Group D, which included Croatia, Armenia, Turkey, and Latvia.
