Cymru return to UEFA Nations League action next month as Craig Bellamy’s side take on Portugal, Norway and Denmark in League A for what will be the fifth edition of the popular international competition.
The campaign opens against Portugal in Lisbon on Thursday 24 September before the side head to Copenhagen to face Denmark on Sunday 27 September. In an extended international window, Bellamy and his squad then return to Cardiff to take on Norway and Denmark again on Thursday 1 October and Sunday 4 October respectively.
Cymru achieved promotion to League A in Bellamy’s first campaign as head coach at the end of 2024. Drawn against Türkiye, Montenegro and Iceland, Cymru sealed top spot in League B4 with a 4-1 win over Iceland at the Cardiff City Stadium in the final round of fixtures to finish above Türkiye by a single point.
It was all that would separate the two nations in that latest Nations League campaign as two teams played out two 0-0 draws, the opening match in Cardiff in September 2024 marking the start of Bellamy’s tenure. Cymru remained undefeated in the group as they did the double over Montenegro but were held to a 2-2 draw away to Iceland.
Striker Liam Cullen proved to be the Cymru hero on the night that sealed top spot as he scored twice in the 4-1 victory with further goals courtesy of Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson. “It’s a dream come true,” said Cullen to Sgorio after the match. “Going into this game knowing I was starting, I thought it was about time I got my first international goal.”
However, the campaign will be remembered as the start of a new era for the national team as Bellamy put his attacking stamp on the side ahead of the World Cup qualifiers that would follow a year later. “We’ve still got a long way to go. It’s six games. We’ve had good periods,” Bellamy said to BBC Sport Wales. “But I believe there is more to come for them.”
Looking back
The UEFA Nations League began for Cymru back in September 2018. Ryan Giggs took charge of his first competitive game as the new competition opened with a 4-1 win over the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff, but it was Denmark that would win that inaugural group and deny Cymru promotion to League A.
Tom Lawrence, Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts were on target for Cymru in that memorable opening match, but the side would only score two more goals in the campaign. Wilson scored the only goal of the match against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin a month later before Bale scored a late consolation in the 2-1 home defeat against the Danes.
A change in format saw the groups expanded to four teams for the second edition of the competition as Cymru joined Finland, Bulgaria and the Republic of Ireland again in League B4. The campaign began in September 2020 as Kieffer Moore scored the only goal of the game against Finland in Helsinki before Neco Williams scored his first Cymru goal a few days later in Cardiff to seal a 1-0 win over Bulgaria.
“If I keep working hard, hopefully I will keep getting chances and like today get more goals,” said Williams to Sky Sports. “Being part of this team is like a family. Everyone is really close and help young lads, and the talent we have is unbelievable. For the younger players to get the opportunity is a great feeling.”
Crowd restrictions imposed by the Covid pandemic meant that the Red Wall would not get to witness Cymru complete an undefeated campaign with five wins and a draw to claim top spot in the group and earn promotion to League A. Goals from Wilson, Dan James and Moore earned the side a 3-1 win over Finland on the final round of fixtures in November, with Cymru only dropping points in a 0-0 draw in Dublin a month earlier.
Rob Page was in charge of Cymru for the third edition of the tournament that was condensed between June and September 2022. Drawn against the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland, Cymru’s Nations League campaign was interrupted by the World Cup Play-Off Final against Ukraine. With Page and his squad focused on ending a 64-year wait to return to the world stage, their eventual success justified the shift in attention.
“If you had said to me at the start of June that we would qualify for the World Cup and have it go down to one game to win to stay in League A, I would have taken that,” Page explained. “The Play-Off final against Ukraine did have an impact on our games either side of it.”
A consequence of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup meant that Cymru would finish bottom of League A4. Their one and only group point was achieved against Belgium in Cardiff as Johnson scored a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw.
Relegation meant that Cymru would return to League B for a third campaign, and that would provide Bellamy with an early opportunity to showcase his plans for the national team. A tougher test now follows as Cymru look to retain their League A status.
