Football in Wales

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Association football (Welsh: pêl-droed) is one of the most popular sports in Wales, along with rugby union.^[1][2][3] Wales has produced club teams of varying fortunes since the early birth of football during the Victorian period, and in 1876 a Wales national football team played their first international match. Football has always had a close rivalry with the country's de facto national sport rugby union, and it is much discussed as to which is Wales' more popular game. The Football Association of Wales (FAW), was established in 1876 to oversee the Wales national team and govern the sport in Wales, later creating and running the Welsh football league system.^[4]

Welsh professional club teams traditionally played in the same leagues as their English counterparts, structured into regional divisions. This often resulted in teams from north and south Wales not facing each other as the transport links between the two regions were poor. In 1992 the Cymru Premier was formed to create a national league. Five Welsh clubs refused to join, but despite this the teams that come top of the Cymru Premier have a greater chance of playing in European competition, as the top three clubs are drawn into the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. They also have the opportunity to compete in the Welsh Cup, the most prestigious cup competition in Welsh football.

Currently, the four biggest clubs in Wales are professional clubs in the English Football League between the second and fourth tiers. Those are Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham. Both Cardiff and Swansea have won domestic cup titles in England and have played in the top division.

Until 2016 the Wales national team rarely qualified for the major international tournaments, with its only appearance in the World Cup occurring in 1958. However, they reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 and the last 16 of UEFA Euro 2020, as well as having qualified for the 2022 World Cup. This has led to some world-renowned players from Wales not being seen at the biggest international tournaments, though many of them have made a name for themselves at club level. Welsh players of note include Trevor Ford, Cliff Jones, John Charles, Ian Rush, Mark Hughes, Neville Southall, Ryan Giggs, Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale^[5] while in Wales Ivor Allchurch, Fred Keenor and Jack Kelsey are cherished.^[6]

Dragon Park, the Wales National Football Development Centre, is located in Newport.^[7][8][9]

As the Welsh domestic league system is not professional, most Welsh people support teams from England or Wales that compete in England. The most supported football club in Wales is Liverpool.^[10][11]