A football team line-up with four players standing behind seven kneeling players.
The Wales national football team pose for a team photo prior to a match in 2016.

The Wales national football team has represented Wales in international association football since 1876, making it the third oldest international football team. They played their first official match on 25 March 1876,[1] four years after England and Scotland played the first ever international football match. They are governed by the Football Association of Wales and compete as a member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which predominantly encompasses the countries of Europe. As of October 2023, Wales have played 706 international matches since their debut, winning 225, drawing 156 and losing 325.[2] They have played over 100 fixtures against England and Scotland,[3] regularly competing against both in the British Home Championship between 1884 and 1984, winning the competition on twelve occasions. In global and continental competitions, Wales have qualified for two FIFA World Cups in 1958 and 2022, reaching the quarter-finals in the former, and two UEFA European Championships in 2016 and 2020 in their history, reaching the semi-finals in the former.[4]

Wales were the last side from the Home Nations without a player reaching 100 caps.[5] Gareth Bale is Wales most capped player with 111 caps. Chris Gunter became the first player to earn 100 Wales caps, reaching the tally on 27 March 2021 in a friendly against Mexico.[6] Players who reach 50 appearances for Wales are awarded a golden cap.[5] Bale also holds the record for the most goals scored for Wales having scored 41 goals, overtaking Ian Rush's record in March 2018.[7]

Billy Meredith was the first Welsh player to reach 25 caps and went on to accumulate 48 caps in his career and score eleven goals,[8] both Welsh records at the time.[9] His appearance record stood for 42 years until it was beaten by Ivor Allchurch in 1962,[10] who finished his career with 68 caps.[11] Defender Joey Jones set a new record in the 1980s, amassing 72 caps,[12] before his record was overtaken by Peter Nicholas in 1991 by a single cap. On 23 May 1994, Neville Southall played in a 2–1 victory over Estonia to earn his 74th cap and overtake Nicholas,[13] eventually gaining 92 caps before retiring.[14] Gunter surpassed Southall's cap record on 20 November 2018 against Albania,[15] before he himself was overtaken when Bale made his 110th Wales appearance in their 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B match against Iran on 25 November 2022.[16] As of October 2023, 106 players have gained 25 caps or more for Wales.

List of players

As of 21 November 2023
Key
*
 Still active for the national team[a]
GK Goalkeeper
DF Defender
MF Midfielder
FW Forward

Caps and goals sourced from:[14][17][18][19]

A footballer wearing a dark T-shirt and dark shorts.
Gareth Bale is Wales' top goalscorer of all-time with 41 goals and record cap holder.
A footballer with dark hair wearing a black tracksuit
Chris Gunter was the first player to attain 100 caps for Wales.
A man wearing a dark suit and white shirt standing at the edge of a football pitch
Gary Speed gained 85 caps for Wales and managed the side between 2010 and 2011.
A man wearing a grey jumper
John Toshack gained 40 caps for Wales and managed the side for a single match in 1994 and between 2004 and 2010.
Wales national team footballers with at least 25 appearances
# Name Position National team
career 		Caps Goals Other roles
1 Gareth Bale FW 2006–2022 111 41
2= Chris Gunter DF 2007–2022 109 0
Wayne Hennessey* GK 2007–2023 109 0
4 Neville Southall GK 1982–1997 92 0
5 Ashley Williams DF 2008–2019 86 2
6 Gary Speed MF 1990–2004 85 7 Manager[20]
7= Ben Davies* DF 2012–2023 84 2
Aaron Ramsey* MF 2008–2023 84 21
9 Craig Bellamy FW 1998–2013 78 19
10 Joe Ledley MF 2006–2018 77 4
11 Dean Saunders FW 1986–2001 75 22
12 Joe Allen MF 2009–2022 74 2
13= Peter Nicholas MF 1979–1991 73 2
Ian Rush FW 1980–1996 73 28
15= Mark Hughes FW 1984–1999 72 16 Manager[20]
Joey Jones DF 1975–1986 72 1
17 Ivor Allchurch FW 1950–1966 68 23
18 Brian Flynn MF 1974–1984 66 7 Manager[b]
19 Andy Melville DF 1989–2004 65 3
20= Ryan Giggs MF 1991–2007 64 12 Manager[21]
Sam Vokes* FW 2008–2019 64 11
22 David Phillips MF 1984–1996 62 2
23= Barry Horne MF 1987–1997 59 2
Cliff Jones MF 1954–1969 59 16
Kevin Ratcliffe DF 1980–1993 59 0
Terry Yorath MF 1969–1981 59 2 Manager[20]
27= Simon Davies MF 2001–2010 58 6
Robert Earnshaw FW 2002–2012 58 16
Leighton Phillips DF 1971–1981 58 0
30= Leighton James MF 1971–1988 54 10
Mark Pembridge MF 1991–2003 54 6
32 Connor Roberts* DF 2018–2023 53 3
33= Dai Davies GK 1975–1982 52 0
Sam Ricketts DF 2005–2014 52 0
Carl Robinson MF 1999–2009 52 1
Harry Wilson* MF 2013–2023 52 8
37= James Collins DF 2004–2016 51 3
John Hartson FW 1995–2005 51 14
John Mahoney MF 1967–1983 51 1
Mickey Thomas MF 1977–1986 51 4
41= Paul Jones GK 1997–2006 50 0
Andy King* MF 2009–2018 50 2
Rod Thomas MF 1967–1977 50 0
44= Ethan Ampadu* MF 2017–2023 49 0
Danny Gabbidon DF 2002–2014 49 0
Daniel James* MF 2018–2023 49 6
47 Billy Meredith FW 1895–1920 48 11
48 Robbie James MF 1979–1988 47 7
49 Hal Robson-Kanu* FW 2010–2021 46 5
50= Mike England DF 1962–1975 44 4 Manager[20]
Chris Mepham* DF 2018–2023 44 0
52= David Edwards MF 2007–2017 43 3
Neil Taylor DF 2010–2019 43 1
Stuart Williams DF 1954–1965 43 0
55= Joe Rodon* DF 2019–2023 42 0
David Vaughan MF 2003–2016 42 1
57= Mark Bowen DF 1986–1997 41 3
Jack Kelsey GK 1954–1962 41 0
Rob Page DF 1999–2005 41 0 Manager[20]
Alf Sherwood DF 1947–1957 41 0
61= Peter Rodrigues DF 1965–1974 40 0
John Toshack FW 1969–1980 40 13 Manager[20]
63= Mark Aizlewood DF 1986–1995 39 0
Clayton Blackmore MF 1985–1997 39 1
Terry Hennessey DF 1962–1973 39 0
Kieffer Moore* FW 2019–2023 39 12
Ronnie Rees MF 1965–1972 39 3
Robbie Savage MF 1995–2004 39 2
69= John Charles FW 1950–1965 38 15
Simon Church FW 2009–2016 38 3
Trevor Ford FW 1947–1957 38 23
Danny Ward* GK 2016–2023 38 0
73= Joe Morrell* MF 2019–2023 37 0
Gary Sprake GK 1964–1975 37 0
Kit Symons DF 1992–2004 37 2
76= Mark Delaney DF 1999–2006 36 0
Carl Fletcher MF 2004–2009 36 1
Neco Williams* DF 2020–2023 36 3
79= James Chester* DF 2014–2018 35 0
Alan Curtis MF 1976–1987 35 6
81= Wyn Davies FW 1964–1974 34 6
Mel Hopkins DF 1956–1963 34 0
Jason Koumas MF 2001–2009 34 10
Lewin Nyatanga DF 2006–2011 34 0
85= Roy Paul DF 1949–1956 33 1
Jonny Williams MF 2013–2022 33 2
87= Ron Burgess MF 1947–1954 32 1 Manager[c]
Chris Coleman DF 1992–2002 32 4 Manager[20]
Fred Keenor DF 1920–1932 32 2
Roy Vernon FW 1957–1968 32 8
91= Mel Charles DF 1955–1963 31 6
Kenny Jackett MF 1983–1988 31 0
93= Barrie Hole MF 1963–1971 30 0
Terry Medwin FW 1953–1963 30 6
John Robinson MF 1995–2002 30 3
96= Nathan Blake FW 1994–2003 29 4
Andrew Crofts MF 2005–2017 29 0
Ron Davies FW 1964–1974 29 8
Gil Reece MF 1965–1975 29 2
100 Malcolm Page DF 1971–1979 28 0
101= David Brooks* FW 2017–2023 27 3
Alan Durban FW 1966–1972 27 2
Billy Lewis FW 1885–1898 27 8
Charlie Morris DF 1900–1911 27 0
105 Graham Williams DF 1960–1968 26 1
106 Paul Price DF 1980–1984 25 1

Notes

  1. ^ Players who are still active for the national team are players who have not retired from international football and are, subsequently, eligible to be called up.
  2. ^ Flynn was appointed caretaker manager for two matches in 2010.[20]
  3. ^ Burgess was appointed caretaker manager for a single match in 1965.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Scotland v Wales, 25 March 1876". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Wales national football team: record v other sides". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Wales national football team statistics and records: all-time record". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Wales national football team". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b Phillips, Rob (26 March 2015). "Euro 2016: Who are Gareth Bale's rivals to be Wales' first centurion?". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  6. ^ Phillips, Rob (26 March 2021). "'Leader, machine, an absolute joy' - Chris Gunter's journey to 100 Wales caps". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  7. ^ Abbandonato, Paul (22 March 2018). "Gareth Bale smashes Ian Rush's Wales goal scoring record with hat-trick in Ryan Giggs' debut game as boss". WalesOnline. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Billy Meredith". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  9. ^ Carradice, Phil (13 December 2012). "Billy Meredith: football superstar". BBC Wales. Archived from the original on 14 May 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  10. ^ Farmer, David; Stead, Peter (1998). Ivor Allchurch M.B.E. Swansea: Christopher Davies (Publishing) Ltd. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7154-0733-2.
  11. ^ "Ivor Allchurch". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Joey Jones retires from full-time role at Wrexham AFC". Daily Post. 6 July 2017. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Southall sets record in Welsh victory: Goals from Rush and Phillips secure win for Smith's team in Baltic friendly". The Independent. 23 May 1994. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  14. ^ a b Passo Alpuin, Luis Fernando. "Wales – Record International Players". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 March 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  15. ^ Pritchard, Dafydd (20 November 2018). "Albania 1–0 Wales". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  16. ^ Pritchard, Dafydd (25 November 2022). "World Cup 2022: Wales 0-2 Iran - Magic moments run out for Bale and Ramsey". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Wales national football team statistics and records: appearances". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Wales Mens Squads". Football Association of Wales. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Transfer Database". Neil Brown. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Wales' football managers". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  21. ^ "Ryan Giggs: Manchester United legend named Wales manager". BBC Sport. 15 January 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.

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