The Wales national football team represents Wales in international association football and is governed by the Football Association of Wales (FAW).

Matches played Between 1946 and 1959 the side played 64 matches. Although the majority of these came against the other national teams of the Home Nations in the British Home Championship, Wales also began playing teams from further afield on a regular basis for the first time. Their first competitive fixture following the end of the conflict was a 3–1 victory over Scotland in October 1946.

In 1949, Wales undertook their first European tour in which they played matches against Portugal, Belgium and Switzerland. Although Wales lost all three games, they won the reverse fixtures when all three nations travelled to Wales within the next two years. During the 1951–52 British Home Championship, Wales recorded their highest finish in the British Home Championship during the period by sharing the title with England.

The side also entered the FIFA World Cup for the first time in the 1950 tournament, but failed to qualify for either this or the following competition in which the Home Championship was used to determine the Home Nations qualifiers. The 1958 FIFA World Cup used a randomly drawn qualifying group and, although Wales finished second behind Czechoslovakia, they qualified winning a play-off match against Israel. In the tournament itself, Wales drew all three of their group matches and finished tied on points with Hungary. The two sides took part in a play-off match to determine who would advance to the quarter-final, which Wales won 2–1. Wales were defeated 1–0 by Brazil in the quarter-final. The 1958 tournament remains the only time Wales have qualified for a World Cup as of 2020.

Of the 64 matches Wales played during this period, they won 18. They recorded the most wins over Northern Ireland and their precursors Ireland, winning 5 of the 13 fixtures between the two. They also defeated Scotland three times, Israel and Portugal twice and had single victories over six other teams. They drew 14 ties and lost the remaining 32. Wales suffered the most defeats against England, losing 10 of the 14 fixtures between the two sides.

Results Wales' score is shown first in each case. The colours listed below are also used to signify results combined with the scoreline. + KeyColour (with score) Meaning DefeatDraw Win

+Wales national football team results 1946–1959Match DateVenue OpponentsScoreCompetitionWales scorers171Racecourse Ground, Wrexham H3–11946–47 British Home Championship Bryn Jones, Trevor Ford, Jimmy Stephen (og) 29,568172Maine Road, Manchester A0–31946–47 British Home Championship 59,250173Windsor Park, Belfast A1–21946–47 British Home Championship Trevor Ford 43,000174Ninian Park, Cardiff H0–31947–48 British Home Championship 55,000175Hampden Park, Glasgow A2–11947–48 British Home Championship Trevor Ford, George Lowrie 88,000176Racecourse Ground, Wrexham H2–01947–48 British Home Championship George Lowrie, George Edwards 32,310177Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–31948–49 British Home Championship Bryn Jones 59,911178Villa Park, Birmingham A0–11948–49 British Home Championship 68,750179Windsor Park, Belfast A2–01948–49 British Home Championship George Edwards, Trevor Ford 22,800180Estádio Nacional, Lisbon A2–3Friendly Trevor Ford (2) 51,000181Stade Maurice Dufrasne, Liège A1–3Friendly Trevor Ford 19,079182Wankdorf Stadium, Bern A0–4Friendly 18,000183Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–41949–50 British Home Championship Mal Griffiths 61,000184Hampden Park, Glasgow A0–21949–50 British Home Championship 73,782185Ninian Park, Cardiff H5–1Friendly Trevor Ford (3), Roy Paul, Roy Clarke 27,988186Racecourse Ground, Wrexham H0–01949–50 British Home Championship 30,000187Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–31950–51 British Home Championship Aubrey Powell 60,000188Roker Park, Sunderland A2–41950–51 British Home Championship Trevor Ford (2) 50,250189Windsor Park, Belfast A2–11950–51 British Home Championship Roy Clarke (2) 12,000190Ninian Park, Cardiff H2–1Friendly Trevor Ford, Mal Griffiths 51,000191Racecourse Ground, Wrexham H3–2Friendly Trevor Ford (2), Ron Burgess18,500192Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–11951–52 British Home Championship Billy Foulkes 51,500193Hampden Park, Glasgow A1–01951–52 British Home Championship Ivor Allchurch 50,250194Vetch Field, Swansea H3–01951–52 British Home Championship Walley Barnes, Ivor Allchurch, Roy Clarke 30,000195Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–21952–53 British Home Championship Trevor Ford 60,261196Wembley Stadium, London A2–51952–53 British Home Championship Trevor Ford (2) 93,500197Windsor Park, Belfast A3–21952–53 British Home Championship John Charles (2), Trevor Ford 33,000198Parc des Princes, Paris A1–6Friendly Ivor Allchurch 33,020199JNA Stadium, Belgrade A2–5Friendly Trevor Ford (2) 50,000200Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–41953–54 British Home Championship Ivor Allchurch 61,000201Hampden Park, Glasgow A3–31953–54 British Home Championship John Charles (2), Ivor Allchurch 71,378202Racecourse Ground, Wrexham H1–21953–54 British Home Championship John Charles 32,817203Praterstadion, Vienna A0–2Friendly 58,000204Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–3Friendly Ivor Allchurch 20,000205Ninian Park, Cardiff H0–11954–55 British Home Championship 53,000206Wembley Stadium, London A2–31954–55 British Home Championship John Charles (2) 89,789207Windsor Park, Belfast A3–21954–55 British Home Championship John Charles (3) 28,000208Ninian Park, Cardiff H2–11955–56 British Home Championship Derek Tapscott, Cliff Jones 60,000209Hampden Park, Glasgow A0–21955–56 British Home Championship 53,887210Racecourse Ground, Wrexham H1–2Friendly Derek Tapscott 39,000211Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–11955–56 British Home Championship Roy Clarke 37,510212Ninian Park, Cardiff H2–21956–57 British Home Championship Trevor Ford, Terry Medwin 60,000213Wembley Stadium, London A1–31956–57 British Home Championship John Charles 93,796214Windsor Park, Belfast A0–01956–57 British Home Championship 30,000215Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–01958 FIFA World Cup Qualification Roy Vernon 33,320216Zentralstadion, Leipzig A1–21958 FIFA World Cup Qualification Mel Charles 100,000217Stadion Letná, Prague A0–21958 FIFA World Cup Qualification 45,000218Ninian Park, Cardiff H4–11958 FIFA World Cup Qualification Des Palmer (3), Cliff Jones 16,098219Ninian Park, Cardiff H0–41957–58 British Home Championship 58,000220Hampden Park, Glasgow A1–11957–58 British Home Championship Terry Medwin 42,918221Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan A2–01958 FIFA World Cup Play-Off Len Allchurch, Dave Bowen 55,000222Ninian Park, Cardiff H2–01958 FIFA World Cup Play-Off Ivor Allchurch, Cliff Jones 38,000223Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–11957–58 British Home Championship Ron Hewitt 25,667224Jernvallen, Sandviken N1–11958 FIFA World Cup John Charles 20,000225Råsunda Stadium, Solna N1–11958 FIFA World Cup Ivor Allchurch 25,000226Råsunda Stadium, Solna A0–01958 FIFA World Cup 35,000227Råsunda Stadium, Solna N2–11958 FIFA World Cup Ivor Allchurch, Terry Medwin 20,000228Råsunda Stadium, Solna N0–11958 FIFA World Cup 25,000229Ninian Park, Cardiff H0–31958–59 British Home Championship 59,162230Villa Park, Birmingham A2–21958–59 British Home Championship Derek Tapscott, Ivor Allchurch 40,500231Windsor Park, Belfast A1–41958–59 British Home Championship Derek Tapscott 45,000232Ninian Park, Cardiff H1–11959–60 British Home Championship Graham Moore 60,000233Hampden Park, Glasgow A1–11959–60 British Home Championship John Charles 55,813

Head to head records

+ Opponent200214210164100101210112210153141310133910011621103141123422004010101194321513 320144143471625101000210136200228 Totals 64 18 14 32 78 121

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References Statistics

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