Football in Wales

Association football is one of the most popular sports in Wales. Wales has produced club teams of varying fortunes since the early birth of football during the Victorian period, and in 1876 a Wales national football team played their first international match. Football has always had a close rivalry with the country's de facto national sport rugby union, and it is much discussed as to which is Wales' more popular game. The Football Association of Wales (FAW), was established in 1876 to oversees the Wales national team and govern the sport in Wales, later creating and running the Welsh football league system.

Welsh professional club teams traditionally played in the same leagues as their English counterparts, structured into regional divisions. This often resulted in teams from North Wales and South Wales not facing each other as the transport links between the two regions were poor. In 1992 the Welsh Premier League was formed to create a national league. Six Welsh clubs who enjoyed success in the English leagues refused to join, but despite this the teams that come top of the Welsh Premier League have a greater chance of playing in European competition, as the top three clubs are drawn into the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

The Wales national team has struggled to find success at international level, with its only appearance in the World Cup occurring in 1958. This has led to some world-renowned players from Wales not being seen at the biggest international tournaments, though many of them have made a name for themselves at club level. Welsh players of note include John Charles, Trevor Ford, Ian Rush, Mark Hughes, Neville Southall, Ryan Giggs, Cliff Jones and Gareth Bale while in Wales the likes of Ivor Allchurch, Fred Keenor and Jack Kelsey are cherished.