Wales vs Kazakhstan

Cardiff City Stadium is the venue as Wales and Kazakhstan go head-to-head in their opening 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier. 

Having secured UEFA Nations League promotion with an unbeaten start to his Wales tenure (W3, D3), Craig Bellamy now aims to become just the third manager to lead the Dragons to a FIFA World Cup. His predecessor, Rob Page, guided Wales to the 2022 edition. However, a disappointing campaign in Qatar (D1, L2) has only intensified the hunger among the Red Wall, with Belgium likely to be their main competition for the top spot in this group. First up is Kazakhstan, though Bellamy will have to navigate the match without standout stars Ethan Ampadu, Harry Wilson, and captain Aaron Ramsey, all sidelined through injury. Yet, Wales should remain confident ahead of their first-ever H2H encounter, sitting 81 places above their opponents in FIFA’s world rankings and boasting an unbeaten home record inside 90 minutes since June 2023 (W5, D4).

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan arrive in the Welsh capital on the back of a dismal UNL campaign, having failed to score a single goal (D1, L5) and suffering relegation to League C. That is far from ideal preparation as they continue their quest for a first-ever major tournament appearance, and their World Cup qualification record offers little encouragement, with their last victory in the competition dating back to September 2013 (D7, L14). That win came against the Faroe Islands, while their away form paints an even bleaker picture. Indeed, Andorra remain the only team they have beaten on the road in World Cup qualifying (D4, L20). Kazakhstan’s last victory in any away fixture came in October 2023, followed by eight consecutive defeats, while they have now gone 11 matches without a win at any venue since beating Turkmenistan in March 2024 (D1, L10).