Wales football team
The Wales football team is the football team of Wales or the Welsh football team. Unlike England and Scotland, the Welsh football team is not the most followed version of the game. In Wales, the Welsh rugby team is the most followed. In this circumstance, it is not surprising that the Welsh football team is usually ranked lower than the English and Scottish teams.
| Nickname(s) | The Dragons (Welsh: Y Dreigiau) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Football Association of Wales (FAW) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Ryan Giggs | ||
| Captain | Ashley Williams | ||
| Most caps | Chris Gunter (93) | ||
| Top scorer | Gareth Bale (31) | ||
| Home stadium | Cardiff City Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | WAL | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
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| Highest | 8 (October 2015) | ||
| Lowest | 117 (August 2011) | ||
| First international | |||
 Scotland 4–0 Wales  (Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Wales 11–0 Ireland  (Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Scotland 9–0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 1958) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals, 1958 | ||
| European Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2016) | ||
| Best result | Semi-finals, 2016 | ||
Recently, the team has been more highly ranked. The team recorded the biggest rise in the history of the FIFA World Rankings, moving from 117th in 2011 to 8th place in 2015.[1] They are also the smallest nation by population to ever reach the semi-finals of the UEFA European Championship, after reaching the UEFA Euro 2016 semi-finals.[2]
In April 2017, Jess Fishlock became the first player to earn 100 caps for the Wales national football team.[3]
Most appearances
Men's team
- As of 6 April 2024 (players still active in bold):
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| # | Name | Goals | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gareth Bale | 41 | 111 | 0.37 |
| 2 | Ian Rush | 28 | 73 | 0.38 |
| 3 | Trevor Ford | 23 | 38 | 0.61 |
| Ivor Allchurch | 23 | 68 | 0.34 | |
| 5 | Dean Saunders | 22 | 75 | 0.29 |
| 6 | Aaron Ramsey | 21 | 84 | 0.25 |
| 7 | Craig Bellamy | 19 | 78 | 0.24 |
| 8 | Robert Earnshaw | 16 | 59 | 0.27 |
| Cliff Jones | 16 | 59 | 0.27 | |
| Mark Hughes | 16 | 72 | 0.22 |
Women's team
- As of 6 April 2024 (players still active in bold):
| # | Name | Goals | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helen Ward | 44 | 105 | 0.43 |
| 2 | Jess Fishlock | 42 | 149 | 0.28 |
Top scorers
Managers
Prior to 1954 the Welsh team was chosen by a panel of selectors with the team captain fulfilling the role of coach.
| Name | Career |
|---|---|
 Walley Barnes
|
1954–1955 |
| Jimmy Murphy
|
1956–1964 |
| Dave Bowen
|
1964–1974 |
| Ronnie Burgess
|
1965 (caretaker manager for one match due to unavailability of Dave Bowen) |
 Mike Smith
|
1974–1979 |
| Mike England
|
1979–1987 |
| David Williams
|
1988 (caretaker manager for one match) |
| Terry Yorath
|
1988–1993 |
| John Toshack
|
1994 |
| Mike Smith
|
1994–1995 |
| Bobby Gould
|
1995–1999 |
| Neville Southall
|
1999 (caretaker manager for one match) |
| Mark Hughes
|
1999–2004 |
| John Toshack
|
2004–2010 |
| Brian Flynn
|
2010 (caretaker manager for two matches) |
| Gary Speed
|
2010–2011 |
| Chris Coleman
|
2012–present |
References
- ↑ "Wales one behind Brazil in Fifa rankings; Northern Ireland 35th". BBC Sport. 1 October 2015.
- ↑ "Forget Denmark '92 and Greece '04, Wales can eclipse both Euro fairytales". Eurosport UK. 4 July 2016.
- ↑ Mitchelmore, Ian (5 April 2017). "Jess Fishlock becomes first player to hit 100-cap milestone as Wales Women beat Northern Ireland at Ystrad Mynach". WalesOnline. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/jess-fishlock-becomes-first-player-12851276. Retrieved 6 April 2024.