Wales Footballing Future Under Craig Bellamy
Wales narrowly missed out on a place in Euro 2024. A heartbreaking penalty shootout against Poland played out on the home turf of Cardiff, meant massive disappointment for the nation. Daniel James missed his penalty kick after a stalemate that lasted the whole 120 minutes. Manager Page came under intense criticism, leading to his dismissal in June. But can new head coach Craig Bellamy fare any better?
Wales Odds at the 2026 World Cup
Born in Cardiff, Bellamy captained the team between 2007 to 2010. His managerial record includes a stint as acting Head Coach at Burnley. He had made no secret in the past that it had always been his dream to manage the squad, and he narrowly missed out on the post to Ryan Giggs in 2018. Luckily, Bellamy enters the team at a great time, with a young squad that has shown plenty of promise in their recent games.
The bookmakers are giving odds of Wales winning the 2026 World Cup at between 300/1 and 500/1 as of July 2024. They will be hoping for a Welsh qualification even more than the nations football fans itself, as it can mean a significant increase in their profits. The more of the home nations qualify, the more people in the United Kindom make bets. With plenty of alternate bets to make, such as each way betting and in-play wagers, a lot stands on Welsh qualification. Bookmakers also stand to make plenty of additional revenue, as many of those who sign up to their sports betting also go on to play their bet live casino games. Yet it is not just them that stand to win from Welsh qualification. It will also bring money flooding into the countries hospitality and entertainment sector.
UEFA Nations League
Before the World Cup, Wales has the Nations League to allow Bellamy a chance to work on tactics and changes. Featuring national teams from across the continent, it is now in its third iteration. Teams from across Europe are broken down into four leagues, each divided into groups of three or four nations. This was introduced to replace the summer friendlies with a competitive league. With the new season featuring a knockout stage along with promotion and relegation battles, it will allow the fairly inexperienced squad to practice working under pressure.
Wales’s Previous World Cup Outings
Source: Unsplash
To date, Wales has only qualified for two World Cup tournaments. The first of these was in 1958 when they qualified as group winners, but then had to play in a playoff due to teams dropping out. Wales would make it through to the quarter-finals of that tournament, despite most of their games ending in a draw. However, they were knocked out by the legendary team of Pele’s Brazil.
Qatar 2022 qualifications were extremely promising, due to a seven-game undefeated run. The competition was their first in 64 years. Drawn in a group with England, Iran and the United States, they would have a 1-1 draw with the US in their first game. However, they would then be defeated by Iran 2-0 and would face a 3-0 defeat by neighbours England.
The 2026 tournament will be held in several nations. Officially, it will be hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal with some games taking place in South America at the beginning. A celebration of world football, Wales needs experience more than anything to qualify and have an impact. The Nations League should be a good indicator of the current state of play and with Bellamy in charge of a young squad, this could be the advent of a renaissance for Welsh football.
