Wales national football team
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | The Dragons (Welsh: Y Dreigiau) |
|---|---|
| Association | Football Association of Wales (FAW) |
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) |
| Head coach | Chris Coleman |
| Captain | Ashley Williams |
| Most caps | Neville Southall (92) |
| Top scorer | Ian Rush (28) |
| Home stadium | Cardiff City Stadium |
| FIFA code | WAL |
| FIFA ranking | |
| Current | 12  (12 January 2017)
|
| Highest | 8 (October 2015) |
| Lowest | 117 (August 2011) |
| Elo ranking | |
| Current | 28 (18 January 2017) |
| Highest | 3 (1876–1885) |
| Lowest | 88 (25 May 2011) |
| First international | |
 Scotland 4–0 Wales  (Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876) |
|
| Biggest win | |
Wales 11–0 Ireland  (Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888) |
|
| Biggest defeat | |
|
Scotland 9–0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) |
|
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 1 (first in 1958) |
| Best result | Quarter-finals, 1958 |
| European Championship | |
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2016) |
| Best result | Semi-finals, 2016 |
The Wales national football team (Welsh: Tîm pêl-droed cenedlaethol Cymru) represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the governing body for football in Wales and the third-oldest national football association in the world.
Although part of the United Kingdom, Wales has always had a representative side that plays in major professional tournaments, though not in the Olympic Games, as the IOC has always recognised United Kingdom representative sides.
During their history, Wales have qualified for two major international tournaments. They reached the quarter-finals of the 1958 FIFA World Cup. They reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 after beating Belgium in the quarter-final match on 1 July 2016. This was, therefore, the first time that Wales had reached the semi-final of a major tournament. Wales also progressed through UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying to the quarter-final, which was played on a home and away leg basis but they did not feature in the finals tournament.
At all levels including the youth teams the Welsh national team draws players primarily from clubs in the English football league system. The main professional Welsh clubs play in the English leagues, with some full-time and part-time professional clubs playing in the Welsh football league system.
Wales played its first competitive match on 25 March 1876 against Scotland in Glasgow, making it the third oldest international football team in the world. Although the Scots won the first fixture 4–0, a return match was planned in Wales the following year, and so it was that the first international football match on Welsh soil took place at The Racecourse Ground, Wrexham on 5 March 1877. Scotland took the spoils winning 2–0. Wales' first match against England came in 1879 – a 2–1 defeat at the Kennington Oval, London and in 1882 Wales faced Ireland for the first time, winning 7–1 in Wrexham.
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