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On November 20th, the 22nd FIFA World Cup begins. The sporting event, which will last almost until Christmas, will attract fans of various national teams from around the world to support their teams.
The most visited national football portal "Eurofootball.com" will provide reviews of world championship national teams, aiming to get closer acquainted with each team participating in the championship.
This time we review the Welsh national team competing in Group B.
Team history and achievements
The first match Wales national team played almost 150 years ago - in 1876. That time Wales played against Scotland and lost 0:4.
This will be the second World Cup in the country's history, the first was in 1958, which went very well for representatives of the British Isles - reaching the quarterfinals. Wales lost 0:1 to Brazil in the quarterfinals, with the only goal scored by 17-year-old Pele, who became the youngest player to score a goal in the World Cup.
Wales waited 58 years for the next main stage of the tournament between national teams.
In 2016, Wales qualified for their first European Championship and demonstrated an impressive result by reaching the semifinals.
In the quarterfinals, Wales defeated one of the tournament favorites, the Belgian national team, 3:1.
In the semifinals, they were defeated by the reigning champions Portugal (0:2).
The last appearance of this team in a championship was in 2020, when they managed to advance through the group stage of the European Championship. However, they were defeated 0:4 by the Danish national team in the quarterfinals.
Predicted team composition
Goalkeepers: Wayne Hennessey (“Nottingham Forest”), Danny Ward (“Leicester City”), Tomas King (“Salford City”).
Defenders: Chris Gunter (AFC “Wimbledon”), Ben Davies (“Tottenham”), Ethan Ampadu (“Spezia”), Chris Mepham (“Bournemouth”), Joe Rodon (“Rennes”), Neco Williams (“Nottingham Forest”), Rhys Norrington-Davies (“Sheffield United”).
Midfielders: Aaron Ramsey (“Nice”), Joe Allen (“Swansea City”), Harry Wilson (“Fulham”), Wes Burns (“Ipswich Town”), Jonny Williams (“Swindon Town”), Joe Morrell (“Portsmouth”), Matthew Smith (“MK Dons”), Dylan Levitt (“Dundee United”), Rubin Colwill (“Cardiff City”).
Forwards: Gareth Bale(“Los Angeles”), Daniel James (“Fulham”), Kiefer Moore (“Bournemouth”), Tyler Roberts (QPR), Brennan Johnson (“Nottingham Forest”), Rabbi Matondo (“Rangers”).
Team coach
The Wales national team is coached by Rob Page. The 48-year-old coach is a former footballer, who spent the majority of his career at “Watford” and “Sheffield United” clubs.
From 1996 to 2005, R. Page represented the Wales national team and played 41 matches for his country.
Since 2014, R. Page started his coaching career at “Port Vale” team, and after two seasons moved to “Northampton Town” club.
Since 2017, Rob Page has been coaching the Wales national team. From 2017 to 2019, the coach trained the Wales U21 team, and since 2020, he has been at the helm of the men's national team.
Page has coached the Wales national team in 28 matches, achieving 10 wins, 9 draws, and 9 losses.
Group stage opponents
Wales will play in Group B against England, the USA, and Iran.
The most significant history between them is undoubtedly with the England national team, with whom Wales has played 103 times. Wales has achieved 14 victories, 21 draws, and suffered 68 defeats in their history against England.
The last meeting between the national teams took place in 2020, with Wales losing 0:3 to England in a friendly match.
Wales has faced the USA national team twice. In 2003, they lost 0:2 in a friendly match, and in 2020, they played to a goalless draw in another friendly.
Against Iran, Wales will play for the first time in history in this championship.
Summary
Wales has been placed in a group with an obvious favorite and underdog. Wales has the potential and talent to take second place by competing with the USA national team. This team can be a difficult opponent due to their tough style of play. It will be interesting to see how Gareth Bale and company perform in the FIFA World Cup this November.
