It has been a year of significant change for the Cymru men’s national team following the departure of Rob Page as head coach in June and the appointment of Craig Bellamy in July.
While Cymru missed out on a memorable summer in Germany as EURO 2024 took place without us, the year ends with plenty of belief and optimism for the future. Bellamy has clearly made a huge impression on the talented squad of players he has at his disposal, and his high-intensity and high-energy approach has captured the imagination of the Red Wall.
Cymru now head into the new year with the clear ambition of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It will not be easy, but Bellamy remains undefeated after six competitive games in charge and there is no doubt that his attacking style of play will cause problems for our opponents during the course of this next qualifying campaign. So, how did we get to this point? Here’s a look back at 2024.
The EURO 2024 Play-Offs
Cymru returned to the Cardiff City Stadium in March to take on Finland in the EURO 2024 Play-Off Semi-Final. “We’re confident and in good form going into this game,” said Rob Page ahead of the match. “We want to come out of the traps and take the game to them from the first minute. We’ve got a team and a squad of players who are used to qualifying and we want more of it. We’re on the right track.”
Ethan Ampadu and Dan James would both make their 50th senior international appearances in the match as Cymru cruised to a convincing 4-1 victory with goals from David Brooks, Neco Williams, Brennan Johnson and James himself after coming off the bench. A huge result, Cymru would now have home advantage for the deciding winner-takes-all match against Poland a few days later following their 5-1 win over Estonia.
“We’re feeling good,” explained captain Ben Davies the day before the match. “We’ve played against some very good teams and got good results. But it’s one game and we’re up against a good team who are in a similar situation to us. We have to be disciplined and focused now that it comes down to that 90 minutes in front of us. We have to focus on ourselves and do our job. We pride ourselves on making this a tough place to come.”
However, the match would need 120 minutes and penalties to decide which nation would head to Germany for EURO 2024 as neither team were able to find the back of the net. Poland captain Robert Lewandowski threw down the gauntlet by scoring the first penalty, but Cymru responded until it went 5-4 to Poland. Dan James made the long walk from the centre circle, but his effort was saved and the tie was over. Cymru had failed to qualify for a third consecutive EURO finals.
“It’s a cruel game,” said Page to Sgorio after the match. “We were one kick away from qualifying and it hurts. I thought we were the better team. We’ll rally around DJ (Dan James) who had the bravery to take that penalty and I am just so, so proud of that group. The nation should be proud of them, we’re disappointed but we will be bigger and stronger for having gone through that horrible experience. This team are going somewhere, there’s a lot more to come and there’s good times ahead.”
End of an era
All across Europe, 24 nations were completing their final preparations for EURO 2024 during the month of June. Cymru were not one of them, and instead would play two international friendlies against Gibraltar and Slovakia. Coming at the end of the domestic season and with no major tournament to prepare for, these should have been low-key affairs for Page and his young and largely experimental squad. However, there was still too much quality and experience to justify a 0-0 draw with Gibraltar in Portugal.
The travelling fans let their feelings known as Page and his players showed their appreciation for their support at the final whistle, and with the emotions of missing out on the EURO finals still raw, Page was now under clear pressure. “I’m a Welsh supporter as well as the manager and I’m disappointed,” he told BBC Sport Wales. “But I have to keep saying it’s about the bigger picture and I’ll probably get criticised for that. It’s the bigger picture and we’re not going to lose focus on what we’ve done.”
A few days later, Slovakia added to the embarrassment with a 4-0 victory as they warmed-up for the EURO finals. On 21 June, just a few days into the EURO, Page was sacked. “On behalf of myself and the entire FAW, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to Rob for his commitment and dedication,” said FAW CEO Noel Mooney in a statement. “Under Rob Page’s leadership, our Cymru men’s team has achieved significant milestones and victories which have created many incredible memories for our nation, most notably our first World Cup in sixty-four years.”
Enter the dragon
Craig Bellamy was appointed Cymru head coach on 9 July. A former Cymru captain who made 78 appearances for his country and scored 19 goals, Bellamy brought an immediate optimism as he was unveiled to the media in Cardiff. “I expect standards to be really high because I set them on myself,” he said. “I feel it’s so important, and the culture around the place, it’s hugely important to me. I don’t expect people to be perfect, I never have, but I expect you to have the perfect attitude.
“Playing-wise we will be very much front foot,” he added. “I love pressing and I’m excited about pressing and counter-pressing without the ball. It’s a real passion for me, and I love to dominate the ball. This group of players excite me, the age group of the players excites me, but also the speed of a lot of these players as well. A lot of these players have tournament experience behind them, and I’m just looking forward to being able to work with this talented group.”
The appointment resulted in a clean sweep of the backroom staff as Andrew Crofts, James Rowberry, Piet Cremers, Ryland Morgans and Martyn Margetson were all brought into the Cymru fold. “I’ve worked with Craig over the last two years [at Burnley] where we had some good moments together,” Cremers explained to FAW.cymru following his appointment. “We implemented a very attractive style of play and Craig and I share a very similar philosophy in terms of the way we want to play, the way we want to press and the intensity we want to have in the game.
“It’s incredibly exciting. We have a new group of staff with lots of different backgrounds and a very good group of players with a mix of young talent and experience. It’s a very exciting new chapter and I’m really looking forward to it. In Craig I’ve seen is someone who’s incredibly passionate, who really works hard every single day to make himself better as a coach, and that’s why I’m not surprised that he’s made the move now. Every day he was developing and progressing.”
Since his appointment, Bellamy has spoken extensively about his passion for for his country and what it means to him to be Welsh. He has embraced the role as an opportunity to reconnect with Wales and he continues to travel across the country to speak with fans at local football clubs between international camps, holding coaching sessions with junior players and question and answer events with fans.
UEFA Nations League success
There was no doubt about Bellamy’s intentions, but September meant that the time for talking had come to an end and his side would need to deliver his promises on the field. They did not let him down. A tough home fixture against Türkiye in Group B4 of the UEFA Nations League suggested a difficult challenge on paper, but Cymru took the game to their opponents from the start and all that was missing was a goal. Although it would end 0-0 on the night, this was indeed the start of a new and exciting era.
“I thought we were outstanding,” said Bellamy to Sgorio after the match. “I honestly believe that this is the worst we will be as we’re just going to improve from now on. We had some very good chances to score, but I can take that, it’s not a problem.” What made the performance particularly impressive was how little time Bellamy and his staff had to implement such a tactical shift ahead of his first game. Still very much a work in progress, it was clear that Bellamy had inherited a side willing to buy into his approach.
With three minutes of the next match Cymru were 2-0 ahead as Montenegro were caught cold in Nikšić with Kieffer Moore and Harry Wilson adding to their international goal returns. The home side responded with a consolation goal in the last quarter of the game, but Bellamy would claim his first victory on a rain-soaked night. “It was very tough,” said Moore to Sgorio. “It’s been great. A lot of information for all of us and we’re just trying to take it all in and play that style of football. It’s coming on really well and we’re enjoying it.”
Johnson and Wilson would put Cymru 2-0 ahead against Iceland in Reykjavík in October, but the home side responded with two goals of their own to draw 2-2 in a classic game of two halves. “Probably the biggest difference is the style of play,” explained captain Ben Davies. “We’re trying to dominate with the ball. We’re trying to show that we can be good without it. There’s a period of adaptation and that’s expected. I feel that it’s gone pretty well and that as a group there’s a lot more to come from us.”
One surprise name on the team-sheet for the following home game against Montenegro was Joe Allen as the Swansea City midfielder came out of international retirement. Wilson would score the only goal of the game from the penalty spot was Cymru claimed a 1-0 win, while Allen made his first appearance since the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar when he came off the bench to replace David Brooks on the hour mark.
“The players have grasped everything he [Craig Bellamy] wants to do,” explained Allen ahead of a crucial match against Türkiye. “But we know that there are improvements that can be made between now and the start of the qualifying campaign. The ambition is to get to another World Cup and give a better account of ourselves. My message to the younger players in the group is to not take this for granted, it’s a special time.”
Defender Joe Rodon put in a man of the match performance as the two teams once again played out a 0-0 draw. However, it meant that Türkiye had the advantage heading into the final round of fixtures. Cymru would need to beat Iceland in Cardiff and hope that Türkiye slip-up against Montenegro, a team still looking for their first point of the campaign, for promotion to be achieved. The margins were tight, and the wrong results could see Cymru finish third in the group and enter a play-off to avoid relegation to League C.
“We’re at home and the atmosphere always helps, but we need to be able to play our game,” explained Bellamy. “Iceland will be difficult opposition, but can we play our football with and without the ball? I feel in this campaign our identity has been clear, but I want us to be a top football nation, that’s what I want us to strive for. There’s going to be a lot of difficulties in the game tomorrow, but it’s really about how we can win. I feel very lucky with this group, and I want more for them. I want us to be better.”
Bellamy’s faith was justified as the year ended just as it began, with a 4-1 home win. Liam Cullen, who had never scored for Cymru before, was the hero with the opening two goals before Johnson and Wilson completed the scoring. “It’s a dream come true for me,” said Cullen to Sgorio after the match. “We wanted to put our stamp on the game and win convincingly, and we’ve done that. We want to go out there for the fans and the staff and put in performances that they can be proud of.”
But there was a twist as a hat-trick from Nikola Krstović would earn Montenegro a shock 3-1 win over Türkiye and Cymru would win the group and achieve promotion back to League A, with Bellamy still yet to experience his first defeat. “The feeling hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” he explained to Sgorio post-match. “It’s been a real positive camp. The targets we set from the start we’ve achieved. We took control of the tempo of the game, and we’re a good team when we’re able to do that.”
Looking ahead to 2025
Qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will dominate the international match programme next year and Bellamy is clear in his determination that Cymru will be at the finals. “We want to go to the World Cup,” he said last month. “If we get there, we want to then be competing. These players deserve that because their buying into what we’re doing. When you have a group like that, with their togetherness and who they are as people, they make you humble.”
The draw for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying took place in Zurich, Switzerland on Friday, 13 December. Cymru were drawn in Group J and will take on Belgium, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein between March and November next year. The campaign will begin against Kazakhstan at the Cardiff City Stadium on 22 March.
A total of 16 UEFA nations will qualify for the finals that will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico in the summer of 2016, comprising of the 12 group winners and four teams out of the 12 group runners-up that will book their place at the finals via the play-offs. The expanded tournament will feature a total of 48 nations and will take place between 11 June and 19 July 2026.
