The Welsh national team had a shady existence on the British Isles for several decades. Along with superstar Gareth Bell, he has achieved a meteoric rise in recent years.

Cardiff – The Dragons of Wales broke a number of records in international football over the past decade: Never before has a team reached the FIFA world rankings so quickly, and Wales was the youngest nation to ever make the semi-finals The European Football Championship qualified. The Welsh national team is hoping for a repeat at the 2021 European Championships.

Welsh national team and their history

The Welsh national team is the third oldest national team after England and Scotland. He played his first game against Scotland in March 1876 and suffered a 4–0 defeat. In later years regular tournaments were held between England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (so-called Home Nations). Even after football was international, the tournament continued. By the end of the 1983/1984 season, the Welsh national team had won 12 times.

The Welsh Football Association FAW (Football Association of Wales) is located in the capital Cardiff. The team is also called The Dragons (y Dragiau), based on the Welsh flag. In international matches, the British national anthem (“God Save the Queen”) is played not before the match, but the informal Welsh national anthem “Hen Vlad Fay Nadhau” (my father’s land). This tradition was first introduced into the popular sport of rugby and was taken over by football.

Welsh national team: successes and records

In 1958 the Dragons participated in a Football World Cup for the first time. In Sweden, the Welsh national team qualified for the quarter-finals with three draws in the preliminary round and a 2–1 win against Hungary. This was the end of the line against Brazil.

The Welsh Football Association FAW had to wait a long time for further success. Since then, the country has not qualified for another football World Cup. In 2016, it was for the first time able to participate in a final of the European Football Championship. With a winning edge that only ended in the semi-finals, the Dragons were the surprise team of the tournament.

Superstar Gareth Bell, who was playing for Real Madrid at the time, was instrumental in the success of the Welsh national team. Wales also has a record in international football: Within four years (2011 to 2015), the Welsh people improved from 117th to 8th in the FIFA world rankings. No other team had achieved such a steep climb.

Welsh National Team: International Record

The Welsh national team’s international match record looks mixed: 311 lost and 213 won in a total of 669 international matches. 145 matches ended in a draw. Wales won twice against Germany. The German team won nine times and drew six times.

Welsh National Team: Current Players and Coaches

The Welsh national team qualified for Euro 2020 (postponed to 2021). Former national player Ryan Giggs has been the new coach since late 2017.

Current Welsh Squad:

Goalkeeper:

Defence

Midfield

Strum

It is currently unclear who will make it to the European Football Championship. Former captain Aaron Ramsey is also available on call. He was last called for an international match against Belgium on 24 March 2021, but was ruled out due to injury.