Ronaldo frustrated as Portugal edge Wales in Nations League
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a chance and saw a goal ruled out as Portugal beat Wales 1-0 thanks to João Félix's strike in the 22nd minute.
Boxing national side
Wales
National team · United Kingdom
«The Red Dragons»
71
Matches
26
wins
24
draws
21
losses
88–81
Goals
+7
Difference
1.2
Scored per game
Form
W
18 Nov 2025 · Home North Macedonia · 7:1
D
26 Mar · Home Bosnia & Herzegovina · 1:1
D
31 Mar · Home Northern Ireland · 1:1
D
2 Jun · Home Ghana · 1:1
L
6 Jun · Away Romania · 1:2
L
24 Sep · Away Portugal · 0:1
Craig Bellamy took charge in 2024. The immediate job is straightforward and unglamorous: turn qualifying campaigns into tournament football again.
The Football Association of Wales was formed on 2 February 1876 at the Wynnstay Arms Hotel in Wrexham, and the team it runs took the field for the first time weeks later, in Glasgow, and lost 4–0 to Scotland. That makes Wales the third-oldest national side in the world.
For most of the twentieth century the team's business was the British Home Championship, won outright seven times and shared a further five. The 1958 World Cup run to the quarter-finals stood alone as the high point for decades.
Then came 2016. Chris Coleman took a team missing a permanent home-tournament pedigree to the semi-finals of the European Championship in France. Rob Page followed Ryan Giggs and took Wales to a first World Cup since 1958, in Qatar in 2022.
Home games are played in front of just over 33,000 at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Latest results
Fixtures and results| 24 Sep | UEFA Nations League |
Portugal
A
|
0:1 | L |
| 6 Jun | Friendlies |
Romania
A
|
1:2 | L |
| 2 Jun | Friendlies |
Ghana
H
|
1:1 | D |
| 31 Mar | Friendlies |
Northern Ireland
H
|
1:1 | D |
| 26 Mar | World Cup - Qualification Europe |
Bosnia & Herzegovina
H
|
1:1 | D |
| 18 Nov 2025 | World Cup - Qualification Europe |
North Macedonia
H
|
7:1 | W |
Standing
UEFA Nations LeagueGroup stage · Group 4
| # | Team | M | W | D | L | Goals | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Bosnia & Herzegovina
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0:0 | 1 |
| 3 |
 Iceland
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
| 4 |
 Wales
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:1 | 0 |
| 4 |
Romania
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
| 4 |
 Bulgaria
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
Team statistics
matches counted in total: 71
71
Matches
26
wins
24
draws
21
losses
88–81
Goals
+7
Difference
1.2
Scored per game
wins
draws
losses
scored — above the line
conceded — below the line
| Metric | Total | Home | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 71 | 39 | 32 |
| Scored | 88 | 57 | 31 |
| Conceded | 81 | 37 | 44 |
| Scored per game | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.0 |
| Conceded per game | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.4 |
| Difference | +7 | +20 | −13 |
Key players
by appearances over the last yearSquad of Wales
by appearances over the last year| Number | Player | Position | Age | Matches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 |  Danny Ward |
Goalkeeper | 3 | ||
| 23 | |
 J. Colville |
Midfielder | 24 | 3 |
| 20 |  Daniel Owen James |
Forward | 3 | ||
| 21 |  Tom King |
Goalkeeper | 3 | ||
| 3 |  Neco Williams |
Defender | 3 | ||
| 7 |  David Brooks |
Forward | 3 | ||
| 5 |  Ethan Ampadu |
Midfielder | 3 | ||
| 9 | |
 Lewis Koumas |
Forward | 21 | 3 |
| 22 |  Josh Sheehan |
Midfielder | 31 | 3 | |
| 19 | |
 Sorba Thomas |
Forward | 27 | 3 |
| 11 |  Brennan Johnson |
Forward | 3 | ||
| 16 |  Rhys Llewelyn Norrington-Davies |
Defender | 27 | 3 | |
| 15 |  Jay Rhys Dasilva |
Defender | 3 | ||
| 14 |  Connor Roberts |
Defender | 2 | ||
| 2 | |
 Chris Mepham |
Defender | 28 | 2 |
| 18 | |
 Mark Thomas Harris |
Forward | 27 | 2 |
| 6 | |
 Benjamin George Cabango |
Defender | 26 | 2 |
| 10 |  Liam Jamie Cullen |
Forward | 27 | 2 | |
| 13 |  Kieffer Moore |
Forward | 2 | ||
| 4 |  Benjamin Thomas Davies |
Defender | 2 | ||
| 17 |  Jordan James |
Midfielder | 2 | ||
| 1 |  Karl Darlow |
Goalkeeper | 2 | ||
| 6 |  Joe Rodon |
Defender | 2 | ||
| 23 |  Nathan Paul Broadhead |
Midfielder | 2 | ||
| 17 | |
 Ronan Kpakio |
Defender | 19 | 2 |
| 1 |  David Cornell |
Goalkeeper | 1 | ||
| 8 |  Wesley James Burns |
Forward | 31 | 1 | |
| 25 |  Oliver Bostock |
Forward | 1 | ||
| 10 |  Kai Andrews |
Defender | 1 | ||
| 24 |  Isaak James Davies |
Forward | 25 | 1 | |
| 26 |  Cameron Congreve |
Midfielder | 1 | ||
| 8 |  Harry Wilson |
Midfielder | 1 | ||
| 4 |  D. Lowor |
Defender | 1 |
Fixtures of Wales
-
24 Sep
Portugal
A
0:1
L
-
6 Jun
Romania
A
1:2
L
-
2 Jun
Ghana
H
1:1
D
-
31 Mar
Northern Ireland
H
1:1
D
-
26 Mar
Bosnia & Herzegovina
H
1:1
D
-
18 Nov
North Macedonia
H
7:1
W
-
15 Nov
Liechtenstein
A
1:0
W
-
13 Oct
Belgium
H
2:4
L
Honours of Wales
- British Home Championship 1907, 1921, 1924, 1928, 1933, 1934, 1937 7
- British Home Championship (shared) 1939, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1970 5
- FIFA World Cup 1958 1
- China Cup 2018 1
- UEFA European Championship 2016 1
Team news
Haaland scores twice as Norway beat Denmark
Erling Haaland scored twice to lead Norway to a 3-2 victory over Denmark in their UEFA Nations League opener at Ullevaal Stadion.
Klopp denied debut win as Gakpo strikes late for Netherlands
Jurgen Klopp's first game in charge of Germany ended in a 1-1 draw after Cody Gakpo struck a late equaliser for the Netherlands. Felix Nmecha had put the visitors in front, but Gakpo's stoppage-time volley prevented a perfect start for Klopp.
Cristiano Ronaldo Stays With Portugal, Targets 1,000 Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, considered quitting Portugal after the World Cup but stays, aiming for 1,000 career goals and a Nations League title, he said.
Jorge Jesus: Ronaldo will start Portugal's game against Wales
Jorge Jesus says Cristiano Ronaldo starts in his first match as Portugal coach, a Nations League tie with Wales, but warns the place is not permanent.
Marcus Rashford doubtful for England after Man United draw
Marcus Rashford was taken off in Manchester United's 1-1 draw at Fulham with a reported hip issue, and he may pull out of England's Nations League squad.
Ronaldo Named in Jesus' First Portugal Squad
Jorge Jesus kept Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, in his first Portugal squad for four Nations League games, extending his career beyond the World Cup exit.
Cristiano Ronaldo named in Jorge Jesus's first Portugal squad
The 72-year-old coach kept most of Martínez's group for the Nations League opener, calling up Ronaldo, João Félix, Gonçalo Ramos and three PSG players.