James urges Cymru to keep building ahead of double-header

Dan James has urged Cymru to continue building on the progress made under boss Craig Bellamy as they prepare for a testing June double-header.

Bellamy’s side welcome World Cup-bound Ghana to Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday night (7.45pm) before taking on Romania in a pair of fixtures designed to prepare Cymru for life in League A of the UEFA Nations League.

Having secured promotion to Europe’s top tier, Cymru will face Portugal, Norway and Denmark later this year, while qualification for a home UEFA EURO 2028 tournament also remains firmly in their sights.

Although the disappointment of missing out on the FIFA World Cup remains fresh, James insists there is a growing sense of optimism within the squad and a determination to use that setback as motivation.

“Not reaching the World Cup is still very fresh in our minds, but as players and staff, we’re super proud of how far we’ve come and how we’ve performed, and now we have to push on,” he said.

“We’ve just got to use it [World Cup disappointment] as fuel going into these next games. You’ve got to take every game as it comes and whether it’s a friendly, Nations League, or Euro qualifiers, we treat every game the same.

“We want to implement the way we play. We’ve got another home game tomorrow against a very good team who are going to be at the World Cup, so these are the sort of teams we want to play against. We’ve just got to keep implementing the way we want to play every game and showcasing what we can do.”

Cymru have enjoyed a positive week of training since their return to camp, with attentions now firmly on ensuring the squad are ready to compete against some of the continent’s best teams in the months ahead.

For James, the upcoming fixtures represent more than just friendlies. They are an opportunity to continue building momentum and prove Cymru belong among Europe’s elite nations.

“We’ve got massive games coming up, these two games coming up are so important going into the Nations League,” he stressed. “We want to stay in League A, and we’ve got a home EUROs to look forward to, and it starts now.

“You look at our stats and we’re competing with some of the top teams in the world. It’s something that we want to keep improving on because we believe we should be at major tournaments, and we’re super focused on these next games now.

“It’s a friendly tomorrow, but we’re not going to treat it like a friendly. We’ve fully earned ourselves a spot in Group A and we’re playing against some of the top teams in the world who are going to be great tests.

“We have to be ready for that. These two games are massive for us going into those fixtures. We want to be ready, we want to be prepared, and we want to show what we can do because we know we’ve got so much improving to do.”

Tuesday’s fixture will be a landmark occasion, marking the first time an African nation has played a men’s international in Wales. Ghana arrive in Cardiff with a squad packed with top-level talent, including Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew and Inaki Williams.

Cymru’s last and only men’s international against African opposition came in Tunis in June 1998 – a match that featured Bellamy. And James expects Ghana to provide exactly the kind of challenge Cymru need ahead of the Nations League campaign.

“I think they pose a lot of threats all around the pitch,” he admitted. “They’re a team that has done very well. They qualified for the World Cup, which is unbelievable.

“I’m sure the teams will be watching, but I think for us tomorrow it’s about how we can showcase what we want to do. We obviously know their strengths and what they can do, but for us it’s a home game tomorrow as well. I think we’re just as much up for it as they will be.”