Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy is excited about the prospect of taking on two of the best teams in the world in England and Belgium, and believes it will only be a positive experience for his squad as they push for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“It allows us to keep improving,” explained Bellamy at his squad announcement on Tuesday. “We need to improve. We want to be better and I want to be better as a coach.
“So why wouldn’t you play the best opposition you can that’s available to you at that time? There’s a different intensity with these type of teams. That’s why it’s top level.”
Wembley Stadium will host the International Challenge Match against Thomas Tuchel’s England on Thursday 9 October (7:45pm) before Belgium head to Cardiff on Monday 13 October (7:45pm) for a crucial Group J qualifier. England are currently 4th in the FIFA World Rankings while Belgium sit in 8th place. Cymru moved up one position to 30th during September.
Belgium claimed the advantage over Cymru in the current qualifying campaign back in June with a dramatic 4-3 victory. Despite Belgium taking a three-goal lead in Brussels, Cymru levelled the score in the second half before Kevin De Bruyne scored a late winner for the home side. The last meeting between Cymru and England took place at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as England won 3-0.
In addition to the quality of opposition offered by England in preparation for the match against Belgium, Bellamy highlighted the advantage of arranging a Thursday night fixture with very little time lost to travel or any difference in time zone. By comparison, Belgium host Group J leaders North Macedonia on Friday evening, leaving them with one day less to recover.
“We get to play at Wembley Stadium against one of the top nations in the world,” Bellamy added. “I don’t know what that is apart from excitement. That leads us into another game of high intensity again. You’re ready because you’ve just got that moment, you’ve got that rhythm, you’ve got that momentum. I see that as being really important going into the next game.
“I don’t believe in friendlies. There isn’t when you represent your country. We’re respectful to what we have coming up, but we’re going there to try and win.
“Our biggest rivals are ourselves. Who we are. It’s us against us. It always is. Who are the people we represent? That’s our identity. We have to show that in every single game.”
Cymru captain Aaron Ramsey makes his return to the squad for the first time since signing for Pumas UNAM in Mexico. The 34-year-old has made six appearances for the club, scoring one goal, and Bellamy is looking forward to working with him again as Ramsey has not been involved with the national team since last September.
“He’s fit and I haven’t had that luxury with him,” Bellamy explained. “When I look back at that first game, he was immense. He has the brain and that’s never going to go.
“We have legs in and around him that could really benefit from his type of profile. What I’ve seen is a player when fit that still has a lot to offer in the way we play. He’s a player I massively admire.
“As we get older, we all have to manage ourselves, and probably you gain more experience in being able to manage yourself. But at the same time, his club have really worked with him on that as well, which is brilliant for us.
“We’ve had someone out there as well and we’ve had his data back, how he’s training, and everything was positive. So, it’s only been good news for us really.”
Leeds United duo Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon are also welcomed back into the squad having missed with September fixtures against Kazakhstan and Canada, while Jay Dasilva and Nathan Broadhead are also included. Meanwhile, Cardiff City trio Dylan Lawlor, Ronan Kpakio and Joel Colwill all made their senior international debuts in September and retain their places in the squad.
Cymru currently sit third in Group J behind Belgium and North Macedonia and take on both nations together with Liechtenstein in the final three group games. The three teams are currently separated by just one point although Belgium have played one game less. The match between Belgium and North Macedonia on Friday 10 October is one that Bellamy is looking forward to.
“I believe Belgium will have a lot of the ball,” he added. “They’ll be a lot more on the attack, but the counter-attacking threat of North Macedonia means you have to be concerned and you have to pay them respect. Belgium are top seeds, and of course, they’re there for a reason. What happens in that game is definitely going to have a huge effect on ours.”
