Craig Bellamy needed only a single word to sum up Wales’ return to the top tier of the Nations League. “Tough,” he admitted, and a window that produced three defeats in four games makes it hard to argue. Wales were beaten in Portugal and in Denmark, responded with an eye-catching win over Norway, and then lost again at home to the Danes. Even so, their hopes of staying in League A – and of securing a seeding boost for the Euro 2028 qualifying draw – remain in their own hands going into next month’s final two fixtures.
Bellamy left little doubt about his feelings on the new four-game international window. He insisted the idea made “no sense” and suited the bigger nations, some of whom – such as Jurgen Klopp’s Germany – named two separate squads for the four matches. Any hope of extended time with the squad to make a coaching impact on the training pitch evaporated amid the reality of the travel and recovery between games. The fear that an untimely injury to a key player would cost four matches rather than the two it might previously have done was quickly borne out, with Harry Wilson and Joe Rodon both deemed unfit before a ball was kicked.
The drop-off in energy was evident after a relatively promising start against Denmark, and midfielder Jordan James conceded as much. “I felt we were a little bit flat, not as intense as we wanted it to be,” he said. “That was expected after a really tough game the other day.” The strain reached beyond the pitch, too. There were a few too many empty seats for anyone’s liking at the final home game, suggesting the cost and travel of the window had taken their toll on supporters and denting the revenue that Football Association of Wales officials had hoped the extra fixtures would generate. Wales have no option but to get used to it: Euro 2028 qualifying next September and October will adopt the same format.
Squad depth is the problem Bellamy may find hardest to solve. Former Wales striker Iwan Roberts pointed to the bench, noting that Wes Burns and Mark Harris play in League One and that Josh Sheehan has spent years at that level. “When the starting 11 is not working, Craig Bellamy looks over his shoulder, and it’s not nice to say, but he’s looking at League One players to try to make the difference,” Roberts said, adding that Wales simply lack the strength in depth to change games when key men are missing. Already without several important figures, David Brooks – who has not started a league game for Bournemouth this season – was forced to withdraw midway through the camp through injury, further limiting Bellamy’s options.
Roberts also questioned the substitutions in the home defeat by Denmark, a game decided by a Hojlund penalty following an avoidable mistake with about 15 minutes to go. “I think questions have to be asked when we are chasing the game… why on earth he didn’t bring Kieffer Moore on until 83 minutes? And he didn’t bring Dan James on at all,” he said. Bellamy had confirmed before the match that James was not fit enough to start, although he had hoped the Leeds United winger – who had scored Wales’ opener and won the free kick for Neco Williams’ second against Norway – would be able to feature off the bench. There was also frustration among supporters over Bellamy’s pre-window wish to find “the next Harry Wilson”, given that no new debuts were handed out during the international window.
No player has scored more goals for Wales since Bellamy took charge than Harry Wilson, and his absence was felt sharply as Wales failed to score in three of their four League A matches. Wilson, who has 17 goals in 69 caps, could be transformational on his return as Wales bid to avoid relegation back into League B. Former Wales frontman John Hartson called for greater calm from other attackers, naming Brennan Johnson, Kieffer Moore and Lewis Koumas. “We are snatching at things. We need to slow it down a little, you’ve always got a bit more time,” he said. “We’re playing at the highest level with lots of players at Championship level, but they have to find a way.”
One clear positive was the form of Ethan Ampadu. The Leeds United captain produced performances that highlighted his growing maturity, making his mark on games in a way he might not have done in the past and showing he is very much a player Wales can rely on. “He does it every week, eight out of 10 every game,” said former striker Sam Vokes. “The crowd were singing his name at the end, he gives everything.” Nathan Blake described him as a “dream” player, while Robert Earnshaw suggested there is more to come. “Look at Harry Wilson last year – Ethan can do the same,” he said.
The window also showed Wales can compete at this level. Before it began, they had never won a game in League A of the Nations League, and the victory over Norway changed that. The disappointment of the last two games should be tempered by the margins: Wales were beaten by single goals, the most recent from the penalty spot. “The quality’s high which we expect,” said Jordan James. “You get punished for little things, but I’ve also realised that you can play at this level. We’ve competed well and the last two games we’ve been well in them.” Wales have not kept a clean sheet in any of their past nine matches.
Wales remain third heading into the final pair of games, courtesy of the head-to-head tie-breakers in this competition, and still have to play Norway in Oslo and Portugal at home in November. Bellamy spoke before the camp of targeting third place, which would give Wales a chance of avoiding relegation to League B and improve their seeding for the Euro 2028 qualifying draw. Across the 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2024-25 campaigns combined, teams finishing third in League A groups have averaged 6.42 points from six games, meaning Wales would realistically need one more win, or perhaps two draws, to stand a chance. Even a fourth-place finish may not be fatal, because the tweaked format sends only the two worst-ranked bottom sides down automatically, with the other two heading into a play-off against a League B runner-up. With Serbia, Turkey and Czech Republic yet to register a point, Wales may already have done enough to line up a two-legged battle for survival in March, when Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ukraine, Scotland and Kosovo are among the potential opponents.