Who and how many? Wales await World Cup opponents

1 week ago

Craig Bellamy speaks to his Wales players

Dafydd Pritchard

BBC Sport Wales

Wales will observe their World Cup qualifying opponents connected Friday arsenic nan tie is made successful Zurich astatine 11:00 GMT.

As good arsenic uncovering retired who will beryllium opinionated betwixt them and a spot astatine nan 2026 tourney successful nan United States, Canada and Mexico, Craig Bellamy’s broadside will besides study really galore opponents they will look - arsenic they could either beryllium successful a group of 4 aliases 5 teams.

Matches are owed to beryllium played betwixt March and November 2025, pinch play-offs to travel successful March 2026 if required.

Having had to hold 64 years betwixt their first and astir caller appearances astatine a World Cup, Wales are now aiming to suffice for nan finals for a 2nd clip successful succession.

BBC Sport Wales examines their imaginable routes to nan World Cup.

Who could Wales face?

Among nan 2nd seeds based connected their Fifa world ranking, Wales will beryllium successful Pot 2 for nan tie – meaning 1 of their opponents will beryllium a apical seed from Pot 1, specified arsenic Spain, France aliases England.

As for nan countries from Pots 3, 4 and 5, Wales do not yet cognize whether they will beryllium successful a group of 4 teams aliases five, owed to changes organisers person made to nan tie procedure.

After winning their Nations League group past month, Wales looked group to beryllium successful a five-team group, which would person seen them commencement their run successful March.

And while that is still a chopped possibility, location is now besides nan chance they could beryllium successful a group of four, pinch matches not starting until September.

So Friday’s tie will beryllium important for Wales and their readying for adjacent year, arsenic it will uncover nan number – arsenic good arsenic nan personality – of teams they will look successful World Cup qualifying.

How does qualifying work?

There are 16 World Cup places up for grabs for countries from Europe, an summation of 3 arsenic nan tourney expands from 32 to 48 teams overall.

The 12 group winners will suffice automatically, while nan 12 runners-up will participate nan play-offs on pinch nan 4 highest-ranked Nations League group winners who person not qualified automatically.

Play-off matches will beryllium played successful single-leg semi-finals followed by single-leg finals wrong nan aforesaid bumi model successful March 2026.

Haven't Wales already efficaciously secured a play-off place?

Yes, Wales person each but guaranteed themselves astatine slightest a play-off, acknowledgment to their efforts successful nan Nations League this year.

By winning Group B4 past month, Bellamy’s broadside not only secured an instant return to nan apical tier of nan Nations League but besides gave their World Cup qualification hopes a important boost.

The 16 teams successful nan European World Cup play-offs will beryllium comprised of nan 12 group runners-up and nan 4 highest-ranked Nations League group winners who person not qualified automatically.

Since group winners successful League A - nan likes of Spain, Germany and France - are almost definite to suffice automatically and will not require a play-off, those Nations League spots are apt to autumn to League B winners, of which Wales are one.

So moreover if Bellamy's broadside neglect to decorativeness among nan apical 2 of their World Cup qualifying group, they are adjacent to being guaranteed a play-off place.

That is simply a precious back-up action - 1 which has helped Wales successful nan past - but Bellamy has said nan purpose is to suffice automatically.