Nations League draw sees Wales facing football giants

Wales are to face two of the biggest names in world football after the draw was made for the 2026-27 Nations League.

Craig Bellamy’s team have been placed in Group A4 alongside Nations League holders Portugal, plus Denmark and Norway.

That means a rematch with Ronaldo after the Euro 2016 semi-final (if he continues to play for Portugal after this summer’s World Cup, of course) and a stern challenge in the shape of Norway’s talismanic striker Erling Haaland.

The draw which took place in Brussels also sees England facing Spain in a rerun of the Euro 2024 final, which turned out to be Gareth Southgate’s final match in charge. New boss Thomas Tuchel’s men will also take on Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group A3.

Steve Clarke’s Scotland will take on fellow World Cup 2026 qualifiers Switzerland, along with Slovenia and North Macedonia in Group B1.

The Republic of Ireland were drawn to face Israel, Austria and Kosovo in B3 while Northern Ireland will be up against Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia in B2.

The Nations League group matches will be played in the autumn, with four ties set to be played in a window running between late September and early October, and the final two in November.

The quarter-finals and promotion-relegation play-offs will be played in March 2027, with the final four to battle it out in the Nations League finals in June.