64 days to go: The Dragons’ long-awaited return
FIFA counts down to the World Cup 2026 with a daily statistical story.
Wales hold the record for the longest gap between World Cup participations: 64 years. The Dragons thrived at their first World Cup at Sweden 1958. Jack Kelsey, Terry Medwin, Cliff Jones, Ivor Allchurch, John Charles and Co decked Hungary to reach the knockout phase, and gave Brazil a strict examination in the quarter-finals, only losing 1-0 because of a brilliant Pele goal. Wales came close to reaching USA 1994. Needing to win at home to Romania, Paul Bodin thudded a penalty against the crossbar that would have put Neville Southall, Gary Speed, Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes, Dean Saunders and team-mates 2-1 up. The Gheorghe Hagi-propelled Romanians went on to win and qualify. The Welsh finally returned to football’s biggest stage at Qatar 2022. A Gareth Bale brace bagged a 2-1 victory over Austria in the semi-finals of the UEFA qualifying play-offs, before the former Real Madrid superstar scored the only goal against Ukraine in the final.
Egypt and Norway had shared the record for the longest gap between World Cup participations at 56 years.