Wales’ Unbeaten Streak Boosts World Cup Hopes Under Bellamy

Wales’ national football team players express confidence in continuous improvement under manager Craig Bellamy, aiming to leverage their Nations League success for the upcoming World Cup campaign. Bellamy, the Wales boss, previously stated his intention to demonstrate “I’m not a lunatic”. Their promotion to League A as group winners was secured following a 4-1 victory against Iceland in Cardiff, combined with Turkey’s loss in Montenegro. This result additionally provides Wales with an opportunity to secure a 2026 World Cup play-off spot, if required, irrespective of their performance in the qualifying campaign scheduled for next year. However, with this win extending their unbeaten run to six matches since Bellamy took over from Rob Page in July, the Wales squad is adopting their head coach’s ambitious outlook, targeting direct qualification rather than relying on secondary opportunities. Swansea City striker Liam Cullen, who netted Wales’ initial two goals against Iceland – marking his first for the national team – commented, “That’s the dream, we all want to make the World Cup.” He added, “I don’t think there was a better way than this to start off the manager’s reign and hopefully we can take it into the qualifiers. We can go into that campaign full of confidence.” The World Cup qualifying draw, scheduled for 13 December, will see Wales seeded second. Having topped their group and bypassed Nations League play-offs, they are anticipated to be placed in a five-team group, with matches commencing in March. Defender Ben Cabango, also from Swansea, stated, “It is going to be a long wait, but we’ll be ready.” He continued, “We have shown by going to places like Turkey where it was hostile [and Wales drew 0-0] that we have the togetherness to get through tough spells.” Cabango added, “And then you have nights like this one where the performance is brilliant and it makes you feel like you’re progressing all the time.” He further remarked, “It’s not just going unbeaten, it’s the way we’ve played and we feel we’re getting better with each game. As long as he (Bellamy) is here and we keep working hard, we’ll keep improving.” Liam Cullen’s initial goal against Iceland marked his debut score for Wales. The rejoining of key players like captain Aaron Ramsey, midfielder Ethan Ampadu, and forward Kieffer Moore, once they regain full fitness, is expected to enhance Wales’ World Cup prospects. A number of other players have been absent from matches this autumn due to injuries. Nevertheless, Bellamy has deployed 25 players across his initial fixtures, aiming to foster a sense of inclusion within the broader squad for what appears to be a new chapter for the team, which narrowly missed out on Euro 2024 qualification. In the match against Iceland, Wales achieved their first comeback victory under Bellamy’s leadership. Furthermore, they scored after half-time for the first time during his tenure, alleviating worries that a high-tempo strategy might lead to a decline in performance during the latter stages of matches. Forward Mark Harris commented, “This was probably the most complete performance so far.” He elaborated, “You don’t want to go one down, but he (Bellamy) just said in the dressing room that reacting like that, still playing our way, playing our stuff, keeping the ball – and even without the ball – I thought we were fantastic.” Cabango further stated, “He just wants us to play with courage on and off the ball and we’re buying into it.” He explained, “It’s being willing to take the ball at any time, but also with the high line, pressing from the front, wanting to win it back. He gives you freedom so if you do give it away, you have the backing of him.” Wales’ players are now eager to demonstrate this confidence on a grander platform, with automatic World Cup qualification available to 12 group winners by this time next year. The 12 group runners-up, along with four Nations League group winners, will proceed to play-offs to contend for the remaining four qualification berths. Cullen concluded, “I think in the first six games [under Bellamy], it shows the ideas and the way he wants us to play is working for us and hopefully we can take that into the World Cup qualifiers.” He added, “Topping the group tops off the perfect start for the manager and his staff.”