Craig Bellamy has announced a 26-player squad for the upcoming matches against England at Wembley (Thursday 9 October) and the FIFA World Cup qualifier against Belgium at the Cardiff City Stadium (Monday 13 October).
Aaron Ramsey returns to the squad for the first time since his move to Pumas UNAM in Mexico. Also returning to the squad after missing last month’s international window are Jay Dasilva, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Nathan Broadhead.
England will be familiar foes for Cymru as one of the oldest international rivalries in the world game, dating back to the very first match that took place in November 1879 at the Kennington Oval in London. Cymru last played in front of a crowd at the Wembley Stadium under Gary Speed in September 2011, with a narrow 1-0 loss in the UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying round match.
The match against Belgium will be a key fixture in Cymru’s campaign to reach the 2026 FIFA World in north America next summer. The sides faced each other in the reverse fixture in Brussels in June, where Cymru fought back a three-goal deficit in an exciting match, but were overcome by a late goal by Kevin De Bruyne which secured a 4-3 win for the hosts.
6,500 fans are expected to make the journey to London be part of the Red Wall in Wembley. The qualifier against Belgium will be played in front of a full house, with the game selling out within 24 hours of going on general sale in what will be another special occasion at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Cymru currently sit third in Group J, one point behind North Macedonia and equal on points with Belgium, who have a game in hand. The group winners qualify directly for the World Cup; the four remaining berths are determined by play-offs involving the 12 group runners-up and four teams from last year’s Nations League phase.
Cymru
Karl DARLOW (Leeds United), Adam DAVIES (Sheffield United), Tom KING (Everton), Ben DAVIES (Tottenham Hotspur), Jay DASILVA (Coventry City), Chris MEPHAM (West Bromwich Albion), Ben CABANGO (Swansea City), Joe RODON (Leeds United), Dylan LAWLOR (Cardiff City), Neco WILLIAMS (Nottingham Forest), Ronan KPAKIO (Cardiff City), Ethan AMPADU (Leeds United), Josh SHEEHAN (Bolton Wanderers), Jordan JAMES (Leicester City, on loan from Stade Rennais), Liam CULLEN (Swansea City), Joel COLWILL (Cardiff City), Harry WILSON (FULHAM), Nathan BROADHEAD (Wrexham), Sorba THOMAS (Stoke City), Lewis KOUMAS (Birmingham City, on loan from Liverpool), Mark HARRIS (Oxford United), Kieffer MOORE (Wrexham), Aaron RAMSEY (Pumas UNAM), Brennan JOHNSON (Tottenham Hotspur), Daniel JAMES (Leeds United), David BROOKS (Bournemouth).