Wales Faces Tough Challenge in Nations League with Bold Squad Changes
Craig Bellamy has thrown a bold wildcard into Wales’ toughest test in years.
Cardiff City forward Cian Ashford, 21 and only a handful of Championship games into his season, has been fast-tracked into the senior squad for Wales’ return to League A of the Nations League. His reward comes with a sting in the tail: this is a campaign that opens against Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo and a brutal run of heavyweight fixtures.
Rodon blow as Haaland and Ronaldo loom
The headline omission is as big as any new name. Joe Rodon, Bellamy’s first-choice centre-back and defensive organiser, is out with a hamstring injury. He will not face Portugal, Denmark or Norway. For a side already short on top-level experience at the back, it is a major loss.
Dylan Lawlor, Rodon’s regular partner, is also missing. A knee problem has kept him out all season and he does not make the 28-man squad. Cardiff defender Ronan Kpakio joins him on the absentee list, stripping Wales of three defensive options before a ball is kicked.
This is not the moment you want to be patching up a back line. Not when Haaland is waiting with Norway. Not when Ronaldo is expected to lead Portugal in their first games under Jorge Jesus. Not when Denmark, drilled and ruthless, sit in between.
Experience returns, old faces recalled
There is at least some welcome news. Harry Wilson of Leeds United and Wolves midfielder Jordan James both return after missing June’s friendlies against Ghana and Romania through injury. Swansea City defender Ben Cabango is back as well, another important body in a defence that suddenly looks thin.
Up front, Bellamy leans on a mix of workers and wildcards. Mark Harris and Liam Cullen come back into the fold, while Wes Burns – now at Leicester City – earns a recall. The winger, capped 10 times, could make his first international appearance since 2024. His energy and direct running may be crucial in games where Wales are likely to spend long spells without the ball.
Ashford’s inclusion is the most striking call. The Cardiff forward has impressed in the early stages of the Championship season and forces his way into an attacking group that also includes Liverpool’s Lewis Koumas. Bellamy is clearly ready to gamble on form and fearlessness.
There is no such luck for some of Ashford’s club-mates. Cardiff forwards Isaak Davies and Rubin Colwill miss out through injury. Midfielder Kai Andrews, on loan at Oxford United from Coventry City and in strong early-season form, is also left out despite his bright start under Aaron Ramsey’s guidance at club level.
Davies back at the heart of it
At the other end of the age spectrum, Ben Davies remains the anchor. The captain keeps his place after being named in the summer squad without playing a minute.
The 33-year-old has only just come through a long lay-off after a serious ankle injury with Tottenham in January. He has since returned to action for Spurs and is now in line for his first Wales appearance since October 2025, when he reached the landmark of 100 caps. With Rodon and Lawlor missing, his leadership and positional sense become non-negotiable.
New lieutenants on the touchline
Bellamy’s squad announcement comes against a backdrop of upheaval off the pitch. These games are his first since coming close to walking away from the national job after talks with Championship side Burnley.
In the meantime, two key members of his backroom staff have gone. Assistant Piet Cremers has taken a role in Belgium, while James Rowberry has chosen to focus on his position as assistant manager at Stoke City.
Bellamy has turned to familiar Welsh figures to fill the gaps. Former captain Ashley Williams joins the coaching staff, bringing authority and the memory of deep tournament runs. Ex-Swansea City boss Alan Sheehan also steps in, adding tactical nous in what promises to be a testing spell for the national side.
Form slide meets brutal schedule
The context could hardly be harsher. Wales have not won in four matches. Their last competitive outing ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in March’s play-offs, a loss that shut the door on a place at the World Cup.
They have not beaten a team inside the world’s top 20 since a 2-1 victory over Croatia in October 2023. Under Bellamy, they are yet to defeat a side ranked above them. That uncomfortable statistic is about to be attacked head-on.
Wales now sit 38th in the FIFA rankings, their lowest position since August 2014. Standing between them and any kind of resurgence: the current Nations League holders Portugal, a Denmark side ranked 21st, and World Cup quarter-finalists Norway.
The schedule is unforgiving. Wales travel to Portugal on 24 September to open this newly extended international break. Two clashes with Denmark bookend a home game against Norway in Cardiff on 1 October. The return meeting with the Danes follows on 4 October, by which time Bellamy will know exactly how far his side has to climb.
Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to be named in Portugal’s squad under Jorge Jesus. Haaland will lead Norway’s charge. Denmark rarely give much away at home in Copenhagen.
Amid all that, a young forward from Cardiff, a centurion captain returning from injury, and a manager who nearly walked away must drag Wales back into the company they once kept with ease. The Nations League will not wait for them to find their feet.
