The Cymru intermediate teams have been in action all over Europe and beyond this calendar year with plenty of highlights and an exciting 2026 to follow.
Here’s a look back at the last 12 months for our intermediate teams and a look ahead of what’s to come across the different age groups next year.
The draw for the 2027 UEFA U21 EURO qualifying campaign took place back in February and handed Cymru a difficult start as Matty Jones’ side would open the campaign later in the year with home fixtures against Denmark and Belgium.
“We came here hoping for a challenge and that’s exactly what we’ve had,” said Jones after the draw. “Of course, qualification is an objective of ours, but the clear objective for me is to support players through providing them with the opportunities to play some of the best nations and prepare them in the best way for the senior national team.”
Preparations for the new campaign took place in March and June with friendly fixtures against Andorra, Sweden and Norway, and provided Jones with the opportunity to hand out several debuts at this level. A win, a draw and defeat followed respectively, but the main focus quickly returned to competitive action.
“This window has been great in terms of integration and building that family bond within the squad,” explained Jones after the final friendly against Norway. “We’ve got some wonderful talent in our system that we’re really excited about. Hopefully, we’ll be fully prepared for the challenge ahead.”
Rodney Parade would once host Cymru in U21 qualifying, but a 6-2 defeat to Denmark was followed by a 7-0 reverse against Belgium. However, the side showed their true character a few days after the heavy defeat to Belgium as goals from Gabriele Biancheri and Chris Popov sealed a 2-0 win away to Austria.
“I think that just shows the resilience, the character, the personalities that we have in the group and just how strong that group is in terms of unity,” said Jones after the win. “I’m really proud of that. I’m super proud of the players to be able to show that character and super proud of the staff.”
The year would end with a 3-0 defeat to Belarus in Georgia in November to leave Cymru bottom of their qualifying group. The side now return to competitive action in March when they host Belarus before heading to Denmark a few days later. The final two games of the campaign will then take place in September and October.
It was an exceptional year for the Cymru WU19 squad as they twice retained their League A status. The competitive action began in April for Nia Davies’s side as they hosted the Round 2 qualifiers for the 2025 edition of the UEFA WU19 EURO, taking on France, Republic of Ireland and Serbia at Llanelli.
Although the campaign began with a narrow 1-0 defeat against France, a goal from Mared Griffiths proved to be the difference in a 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland a few days later. Olivia Francis then salvaged a point from the penalty spot deep into added time against Serbia to retain their place in League A with a 1-1 draw and relegate their opponents in the process.
Cymru would again host the qualifiers for the edition of the competition in November and December and play all three fixtures at Dragon Park. A 0-0 draw against Finland was followed by 3-1 win over Türkiye through goals from Ffion Bowen, an own goal and a later winner from Emily Cole.
Cole was again on target in the final match of the campaign as France claimed a 3-1 victory, but Cymru had already confirmed their place in League A for Round 2 of the qualifying campaign that will take place in March next year.
The draw for Round 2 took place on 11 December and matched Cymru with England, Switzerland and Latvia in Group A1. The group winners will qualify for the finals that will take place in Bosnia and Herzegovina in June and July next year.
Cymru were the hosts for their 2026 U19 EURO Elite Round qualifiers in March after a strong finish to 2024 but would miss out on qualification for the finals that would take place in Romania during the summer. England were Cymru’s first opponents as the qualifiers began in Bangor, and they would claim a 2-0 win in front of a superb crowd of over 2,500 fans.
A 1-0 defeat to Portugal would follow at Rhyl a few days later, but Cymru ended the mini tournament with a victory as goals from Frederick Issaka, Gabriele Biancheri and Elliot Myles sealed a 3-1 win over Türkiye. Cymru are now exempt from qualifying for the 2026 edition as the finals will be held in north Wales next summer.
The side did return to north Wales in September to take on Austria and Belgium. Isaac Davies and Ollie Desbury gave Cymru a 2-1 lead, but Austria scored late in the game to earn a draw. Henry Kasvosve was then on target against Belgium, but the side suffered a 3-1 defeat at Colwyn Bay despite a strong performance.
A triple-header in Marbella against Switzerland, the Netherlands and England came next. A 5-2 defeat to the Swiss was followed by an impressive 2-0 win over the Netherlands, with Mannie Barton scoring both goals. The week ended with a defeat against England.
“To go and play in a finals tournament against the seven best European nations will be fantastic exposure for those players and a fantastic development opportunity,” explained FAW Technical Director David Adams. “We tried to be really strategic about who we played in the last two windows, to play against higher ranked opposition and try and play in a similar flow or format to what we’ll experience in the finals.”
Josh Gentles and Will Grainger were on target for Cymru in the opening match before a late free-kick from Cruz Allen proved to be the difference in a 3–2 victory over Japan. Makenzie Bradbury then scored in a 1-1 draw with the United States before the game was decided on penalties in Cymru’s favour, while Germany claimed a 3-0 win to bring the mini-tournament to a close.
The final round of fixtures would also mark the end of Craig Knight’s time as head coach as he left the role to take up a new opportunity at Wrexham. “I have enjoyed every moment of my time working with Cymru’s talented players across all ages and watching how they have developed and made the most of the opportunities they have been given,” he explained.
The 2026/27 edition of the UEFA U19 EURO will see the introduction of a new competition format. Cymru will take on France, Switzerland and Hungary in Group A7 with fixtures scheduled for March in what will be the first of three qualifying rounds. The 2027 finals will take place in Czechia.
The year began with two March friendlies in Spain for Craig Knight’s side against Denmark and Poland. Despite scoring twice from the penalty spot through Henry Kasvosve and Zac Jagielka, it was the Danes that claimed a 4-2 win. Mannie Barton was then on target for Cymru in a 1-0 win over Poland.
Jon Grey took charge of the side for a September visit to Japan as Cymru played against the hosts, Australia and a Niigata Select XI. Victories over Japan and the representative side were achieved either side of a narrow 2-1 defeat to Australia, with the players benefiting from the experience of playing non-European opposition.
The Cymru MU18 squad in Japan
The year ended with a trip to Croatia for three friendly fixtures, but defeats against Sweden, Ukraine and the hosts proved frustrating. “It’s a new programme and for a small association you’ve always got this challenge about where players sit between different age groups,” said Adams.
“I hope the U18’s group over the next few years will start to mature and make that transition a lot easier between U17 and U19 as the physical gap is so big. We see the U18’s as almost like a late development programme for the players that have high potential and to ensure we give players the necessary experience and time to develop over that 12-month period into our U19’s programme.
With their place in League A confirmed in October 2024, Cymru headed to France for their Round 2 fixtures with three difficult challenges against Scotland, Slovakia and the hosts. A 4-0 defeat to France on the opening day was followed by a 2-0 defeat to Scotland and 1-0 reverse against Serbia. The side would therefore drop down to League B for the next campaign.
Natalie Lawrence replaced the departing Peter Wilson as head coach as they competitive action returned October. A resounding 7-0 win over Azerbaijan was achieved through goals from Emily Giddings and two goals each from Molly Stroud, Cadi Griffiths and Layla Drury.
A 5-1 win over host nation Moldova followed a few days later with Giddings scoring twice alongside Griffiths, Suki Yau and Ellen Marsh. Cymru then completed their campaign as group winners with a 1-1 draw against Kosovo with Griffiths scoring her fourth goal of the mini tournament to ensure their return to League A.
Drawn in Group A7 alongside the Netherlands, Poland and Slovakia, Cymru will now host the qualifiers in March next year with the group winners heading to Northern Ireland for the finals in May.
Cymru began the year in League B for their Round 2 fixtures in March as they headed to Albania. A 0-0 draw with Azerbaijan on the opening day was followed by a 2-1 win over the hosts through two goals from Will Grainger. Four points proved to be enough to seal top spot and promotion back to League A for the next campaign.
Chris Gunter’s side then headed to Estonia in September for two friendly fixtures. Goals from Leon Scarlett, Lennon Moss and a double from Ollie Salter earned the side a 4-1 victory, and a 2-1 win followed a few days later through goals from Scarlett and Theo Pitt.
Two games against Italy in Ferentino provided the next test for Cymru the following month. Carter Heywood scored early in the opening 1-1 draw while Keano Conaty and Shea Pita scored for Gunter’s young side in a narrow 3-2 defeat against the hosts.
The Cymru MU17 ahead of their opening match against Estonia
The November fixtures took place in Portugal as Cymru opened the campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Slovenia, Shea Pita scoring what would prove only to be a consolation goal. Axel Donczew then scored for Cymru in an impressive 1-1 draw against Portugal.
Cymru would then complete the campaign with a resounding 11-0 win over Liechtenstein. Leon Scarlett, Alex Godfrey and Donczew were all on target together with an own goal from their opponents, while Jacob Norris and Bobby Lewis scored twice with Paul Moreno claiming the headlines with a hat-trick.
However, it would not be enough to prevent Cymru from slipping back down to League B. Georgia, San Marino and Andorra will now provide the opposition in Group B3 with fixtures due to take place in the Spring.
There was a special event in August as the inaugural Cwpan Gary Speed tournament took place as a four team tournament honouring the late Cymru legend. Staged across north Wales, it brought together Cymru, Northern Ireland, Japan and Gibraltar for a week of competitive fixtures.
The title was ultimately decided in a final day showdown in Colwyn Bay between Cymru and Northern Ireland. Bobby Lewis put Cymru ahead, finishing a Ralphie Beckwith cross for his third goal in three games. However, Northern Ireland struck twice late on to seal a 2–1 victory and lift the trophy.
Cymru head coach Craig Bellamy was in attendance for the opening Cymru to officially open the tournament, while Gary’s mother Carol was also attended each Cymru match. “It was a brilliant event,” added Adams. “As a legacy event for Gary Speed it was incredible.
“We’re hoping that we can build on it now and have more guest teams coming over and we’ve got big plans to try and make it even bigger in the future. It showcases young, talented players and respects a huge figure in Welsh football in Gary Speed.”
