The Biggest Wins and Defeats in Wales’s History

Wales has seen the beauty of the highs and the agony of the lows in international football. With only two FIFA World Cup qualifications to their name, the national team has experienced droughts of success and major tournament appearances. If you were a bettor during these periods, you might have had better success if you had wagered your money on games that let you win cash prizes when you play instead. However, this unfortunate history has only made the team’s victories all the merrier — and their record is dotted with plenty of those spine-tingling moments. Let’s take a look.

Losses
We’ll save the best for last and go over some of Wales’s most gut-wrenching losses in history first.

1876 Match (0-4 vs Scotland)
Interestingly, the Wales national football team is the third oldest in international football, right behind their neighbours Scotland and England. While record books and sports sites frequently cite the groundbreaking 0-9 defeat to Scotland as their worst loss in history (and rightfully so), the significance of losing their first-ever match may just outdo that statistic. The two teams played each other in an association match at Hamilton Crescent in Scotland, and it set the stage for their long-standing rivalry.
As Scotland established club football in 1867 (much earlier than Wales) and rugby was the dominant sport in Wales, Scotland had a leg up for being the more experienced team. While Scotland’s players were from amateur teams and established clubs, Wales’s team was composed of amateurs of varying job backgrounds, including a stonemason and a chimney sweep. The Welsh team struggled to gain possession and find opportunities to score. Despite a disallowed goal, the Scots dominated the pitch and won 4-0.

1994 World Cup (0-5 vs Georgia)
This 0-5 defeat against Georgia was the nail in the coffin for the Welsh football team in 1994. Disastrous trip logistics, political unrest, and time zone differences created chaos in Tbilisi well before the match even began. Hosted just days before the day of Wales’s harrowing 0-3 defeat in the same city in 1983 against Russia, they were hopeful and confident that they wouldn’t have that experience again.
Unfortunately, within minutes of the game beginning, the rumours of Georgia being the ‘Brazil of Eastern Europe’ became readily apparent, and Wales just couldn’t respond. With half an hour left on the clock, the scoreboard already read 5-0 — a low moment for the Welsh team. It was so low, in fact, that Jim Weeks wrote an entire Vice article about it titled ‘Trauma in Tbilisi’.

2020 Euro (0-4 vs Denmark)
In stark contrast to their Euro 2016 performance, where they made their way to the semifinals, Wales suffered a hard-hitting loss to Denmark — the biggest defeat at the tournament. Denmark’s performance that day was nothing short of powerful, and they certainly earned their spot in the quarterfinals despite losing their initial two group-stage games.
With just one shot on goal and a tally of four yellow cards, the statistics made it clear that Wales didn’t have their heads in the game. They struggled to match Denmark’s work rate very quickly after the start of the match and failed to recover after the Danes’ opening goal. To add insult to injury, Danish striker Martin Braithwaite scored a goal after the 90th minute, during four minutes of extra time. While it was initially ruled offside, VAR stepped in to save the day and overturned that decision. To no one’s true surprise, Gareth Bale did not appear for the UEFA post-match press conference, and Wales was officially out of the Euro 2020 championship.
Wins

To brighten the mood, let’s go ahead and celebrate some of the Welsh national team’s most memorable victories.
1888 British Home Championship (11-0 vs Ireland)
It’s forever marked in history books as the biggest victory the team has ever experienced — their 11-0 win against Ireland in the 1888 British Home Championship. This round-robin tournament was created to formalize the many annual friendly matches between the UK’s four teams: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. The Welsh boasted other dominant wins over Ireland in both championship matches and friendlies throughout the late 1880s to late 1890s, notably scores of 7-1, 8-2, and 6-0.

2018 UEFA Nations League (4-1 vs Ireland)
Fast-forward to 2018, and we saw Wales run circles around Ireland with a fantastic 4-1 victory. With no successes against Ireland in the previous 26 years, it was an especially satisfying win that broke the curse. As it was also renowned pro footballer Ryan Giggs’s first game in charge, it spoke volumes about what the Giggs era could do for Welsh football.
In the first home game of the new regime, Wales made a strong statement. The first 45 minutes of the match featured three goals and dominant energy from the young team, with 17-year-old Ethan Ampadu putting on a midfield masterclass for the world to see. Injury-weakened and demoralized, Ireland couldn’t keep up and contain Wales’s relentlessness.

2016 Euro (3-0 vs Russia)
In the 2016 Euro, Wales managed to advance to the knockout stages of a major tournament for only the second time. It was a remarkable win and a shining display of tenacity and footballing skills, with 19 shots on target from Aaron Ramsey and Neil Taylor. Russia played intensely yet recklessly, which eventually led to their downfall. Wales took full advantage of the space and bravely fought to gain possession and get the ball to the back of the net a total of three times. This Euro match was a moment of euphoria, with fans cheering and weeping in disbelief.

[ photo embedded from FAW cymru ]