Wales national football team records and statistics

This page details Wales national football team records; the most capped players, the players with the most goals, Wales's match record by opponent and decade.

Player records

Most capped players

Top goalscorers

Age records

• Youngest player to make debut: Harry Wilson – 16 years and 207 days
• Oldest player to play a game: Billy Meredith – 45 years and 229 days
• Youngest player to play at World Cup finals: Rubin Colwill – 20 years and 216 days
• Oldest player to play at World Cup finals: Wayne Hennessey – 35 years and 305 days

Other

• Longest serving player: Billy Meredith – 25 years (1895–1920)

Games and results

Firsts

• First International: 26 March 1876 vs
• First home international: 5 March 1877 vs
• First win: 26 February 1881 vs
• First overseas opponent: , 25 May 1933
• First win over an overseas opponent: 23 November 1949 vs

Biggest

• Biggest Win: 11–0 vs , 3 March 1888
• Biggest Loss: 0–9 vs , 23 March 1878

Longest

• Longest winning streak: 6, 2 June 1980 – 16 May 1981
• Longest losing streak: 5, 25 March 1876 – 27 March 1880

Goals

• First Welsh goal: William Davies, 18 January 1879 vs
• Youngest player to score: Gareth Bale – 17 years and 83 days, 7 October 2006 v

• Most goals scored in one game by a player: 4
• John Price, 12 Feb 1882 vs
• Jack Doughty, 3 Mar 1888 vs
• Mel Charles, 11 Apr 1962 vs
• Ian Edwards, 25 October 1978 vs

Hat-tricks

• First hat-trick: John Price, 12 February 1882 vs

International tournaments

FIFA World Cup

Qualification

• First match: 15 October 1949 vs
• First goal: Mal Griffiths vs , 15 October 1949

Finals

• First finals: Sweden 1958
• Total number of times qualified for the finals: 2 (1958, 2022)
• First game: 8 June 1958 vs
• First goal: John Charles vs , 8 June 1958
• Most successful finals: 1958 – Quarter-finals
• World Cup top goalscorer: 2
• Ivor Allchurch (1958)

UEFA European Championship

Finals

• First finals: France 2016
• Total number of times qualified for the finals: 2 (2016, 2020)
• First game: 11 June 2016 vs
• First goal: Gareth Bale vs , 11 June 2016
• Most successful finals: 2016 – Semi-finals
• European Championship top goalscorer: 3
• Gareth Bale (2016)

Rankings

• Highest FIFA Rank: 8 (October 2015)
• Lowest FIFA Rank: 117 (August 2011)
• Highest Elo Rank: 3 (1876–1885)
• Lowest Elo Rank: 75 (September 2000)

Team records

Head to head

<small>P – Played; W – Won; D – Drawn; L – Lost<br /> Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only<br /> Up to date as of 31 March 2026</small>

By decade

<small> P – Played, W – Won, D – Drawn, L – Lost, GF – Goals For, GA – Goals Against, GD – Goal Difference<br /> Statistics include official FIFA recognised matches only<br /> Up to date as of 31 March 2026</small>

Notes

1. Only clubs played for while receiving caps are listed.

See also

• British Home Championship

References

Bibliography

Notes

External links

• RSSSF: Wales – International Results