Wales Faces Tough Nations League Challenge with Youth and Experience
Craig Bellamy has turned to youth and fresh legs for Wales’ return to the Nations League elite – but he will have to do it without his defensive linchpin against Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Wales manager has handed a first senior call-up to Cardiff City forward Cian Ashford for a brutal League A group that pits his side against Portugal, Denmark and Norway. The 21-year-old’s emergence is one of the bright notes in a squad announcement overshadowed by a major absentee.
Rodon blow as defence stripped back
Joe Rodon, Bellamy’s first-choice centre-back, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, a significant setback with Haaland and Ronaldo looming on the schedule. His usual partner Dylan Lawlor is also missing from the 28-man squad, still sidelined by a knee problem and yet to play this season, while another Cardiff defender, Ronan Kpakio, is out as well.
Bellamy’s back line, already under scrutiny after a poor run of results, will now head into the campaign without three key defensive figures.
There is at least some relief. Swansea City’s Ben Cabango returns after missing June’s friendlies against Ghana and Romania through injury, adding much-needed experience and physicality to a depleted defensive unit.
Big names back, new faces in
Higher up the pitch, there is more encouragement. Leeds United’s Harry Wilson and Wolves midfielder Jordan James are both back after sitting out the summer fixtures, restoring some of the creativity and drive that was missing in June.
Mark Harris and Liam Cullen are recalled, while Wes Burns – now at Leicester City – is back in the fold and chasing his first Wales appearance since 2024. The 10-cap winger offers direct running and versatility out wide at a time when Bellamy is clearly searching for reliable attacking combinations.
Ashford’s inclusion underlines that shift. The Cardiff forward has impressed in the early stages of the Championship season and now steps into a forward group that also features Liverpool prospect Lewis Koumas.
Not everyone pushing for a place has made it. Fellow Cardiff attackers Isaak Davies and Rubin Colwill are both unavailable through injury, and there is no spot for midfielder Kai Andrews despite his eye-catching start on loan at Aaron Ramsey’s Oxford United from Coventry City.
Davies back to lead a bruised side
At the heart of it all, captain Ben Davies stays in, and this time he is ready to play. The 33-year-old was named in the summer squads but did not feature as he continued his recovery from a serious ankle injury suffered with Tottenham in January.
Now back in action for Spurs, Davies is in contention for what would be his first Wales appearance since October 2025, when he reached the landmark of 100 caps. His leadership will be vital for a side short on confidence and form.
Brutal schedule, unforgiving opponents
Wales open away to current Nations League holders Portugal on 24 September, the first of four fixtures in an extended international window. That trip to face Ronaldo – who is expected to be named in Portugal’s first squad under his former Saudi Pro League boss Jorge Jesus – sets the tone for a punishing run.
After Lisbon, Wales head to Copenhagen to face Denmark, ranked 21st in the world. Norway, World Cup quarter-finalists and spearheaded by Haaland, then visit Cardiff on 1 October before Bellamy’s side round off the block with a home clash against Denmark on 4 October.
For a team sitting 38th in the FIFA rankings – their lowest position since August 2014 – this is a brutal examination. Wales have not beaten a side in the world’s top 20 since a 2-1 victory over Croatia in October 2023 and are yet to defeat a higher-ranked nation under Bellamy.
Now they must try to do it three times in quick succession.
Bellamy under strain, staff reshaped
All of this comes at a moment of turbulence off the pitch. These will be Wales’ first games since Bellamy came close to walking away from the national job after holding talks with Championship club Burnley.
While he stayed, two key members of his backroom staff did not. Assistant Piet Cremers has taken a role in Belgium, and James Rowberry has stepped away to focus on his club duties as assistant manager at Stoke City.
Bellamy has moved quickly to reshape his bench. Former Wales captain Ashley Williams and ex-Swansea City boss Alan Sheehan are coming in as part of a new-look coaching team, charged with steadying a side without a win in four and still haunted by March’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina that cost them a place at the World Cup.
The context is stark. A bruised squad, a manager under scrutiny, a retooled staff and a run of heavyweights lined up in front of them.
Now the question is simple: can this new blend of old leaders and fresh faces stand up to Europe’s elite, or will Wales’ slide down the rankings continue?
