What Wales must do to keep World Cup dream alive

Craig Bellamy has won eight of his 16 games since taking charge of Wales in July 2024 [FAW] Wales are getting used to these moments; high-stakes matches under the lights at Cardiff City Stadium. For a third successive campaign, Wales are two home wins away from qualifying for a major tournament. Having taken the play-off route to the 2022 World Cup, they missed out on Euro 2024 at the final hurdle.

On Thursday, they host Bosnia-Herzegovina in a semi-final, with the winners at home to Italy or Northern Ireland five days later, for a place in this summer's showpiece in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The consistency with which Wales are reaching these stages is a far cry from the barren half a century which preceded Euro 2016. But those 58 years without being at a major tournament are beginning to fade in the rearview mirror.

Wales know what they must do to keep their World Cup dream alive when they take on Bosnia in Cardiff. "We've done everything we can," said head coach Craig Bellamy. "You always feel a lot calmer as it goes along.

The more you tick off something, the more you reassure yourself. "Imagine if you're going into an exam and you haven't put the work in and you're expecting good results to happen. The players have been top and they're used to this.