Four years ago, Wales followed a similar path to the one they are treading now as they qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar via the play-offs. Then it was a 2-1 semi-final victory over Austria, and then a nerve-wracking, emotional 1-0 win over Ukraine in the play-off final. For both matches, Wales enjoyed home advantage in Cardiff, and in 2026, that pathway remains the same – home advantage.
Apart from the joy and pride the current Wales cohort will take from qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, if Wales do succeed in the play-offs, it will mark a major moment in the country’s football history. Never before have they made it to back-to-back World Cups, and if they do qualify, it will mark a decade of consistent qualification for major tournaments with the Euros in 2016 and 2020, along with the 2022 World Cup.
Wales will also host the opening game of Euro 2028, along with five other matches in Cardiff. Not a bad return over a dozen years for a nation of just three million people.
Wilson to be a difference-maker against Bosnia?
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Harry Wilson has had seven goal involvements in his last five Wales games
But Wales have to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina first, and that won’t be easy. How they overcome Bosnia may well come down to a moment of magic, and from a Welsh perspective, that bit of magic could come from one of the Premier League’s standout players this season in Harry Wilson.
The 29-year-old has been excellent for Fulham and sensational for Wales. For country, if Wilson doesn’t score, he’s supplying an assist and often doing both. His last five games for Wales has seen him score five goals and provide two assists.
Don’t say it too loudly, but Wales are coping without Gareth Bale, and it’s Wilson who has stepped up.
Wales head coach Craig Bellamy believes Wilson has just naturally progressed as a hugely talented player.”He’s just an exceptionally good player,” Bellamy said. “Sometimes it just clicks for a player as well. The older you get, usually, not just as a footballer but as a person, the wiser you become, the smarter you become.”We’re definitely seeing signs of that on the football pitch. His football IQ is very, very high. His positioning, how he’s able to take up and his reading of the game, his understanding of the game.”I see he has definitely gone on to another level, which is allowing him more time, more space, and he’s finding…
2026-03-26 07:00:00
