Wales and World Cups aren’t the unfamiliar bedfellows many would have you believe.
Over the years Welsh teams have competed in all sorts of World Cups, from rugby and hockey to roller derby and lacrosse. Just two years ago Wales actually won a World Cup thanks to our darts superstars Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton.
But when it comes to THE World Cup, the football World Cup, we’ve had to spend the past six decades watching enviously from afar.
After waiting all this time for Wales to return to football’s biggest stage, our presence in Qatar still feels surreal.
Prior to the play-off against Ukraine in June, I said qualification would be the ultimate achievement and anything we did at the tournament itself would just be a bonus. Wales have been to two other major tournaments in recent years but playing at the biggest one of all will be incredible.
There were only 13 spots for UEFA nations at this competition. Euro 2020 champions Italy won’t be in Qatar but Wales will be.
Other than the host nation, who qualified automatically, Wales has the smallest population of any country at this World Cup and we are the fifth smallest country to qualify for a FIFA World Cup this millennium.
This should emphasise what an outstanding feat it is for our small country just to be here. With that in mind, I’m tempted to stick to my original opinion that just being here is enough of an achievement and who really cares how we do against the US, Iran and England?
But now that the tournament’s nearly here, that attitude has changed. I don’t want my team to just make up the numbers and feel it would almost be a waste if we didn’t have some kind of impact.
My expectations for this tournament have fluctuated wildly. I was pretty happy when the draw was first made, thinking the group was weaker than either of Wales’ groups for Euro 2016 and 2020.
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But as time wore on that confidence eroded.
Wales’ Nations League campaign, though littered with near misses and late heartache, highlighted a naivety in the squad. This golden opportunity to test ourselves against Europe’s top nations ultimately resulted in one draw, five defeats and a relegation.
I grew increasingly concerned by individual players’ club form. Earlier in the season it felt like very few of our probable starters looked ready for a World Cup.
Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey played only sporadically for their new clubs. Neither Brennan Johnson nor Neco Williams had the desired impact as Nottingham Forest struggled on their return to the Premier League and Harry Wilson was sidelined for months through injury.
Wayne Hennessey was just warming the bench while Danny Ward had a nightmare start to life as Leicester’s first choice. Dan James was shipped out to Fulham after failing to find his mojo at Leeds and Joe Rodon had an uneasy start after moving to Rennes.
Connor Roberts lost his starting spot for Burnley, Ethan Ampadu won just one of his first nine Serie A games with Spezia and one of Wales’ key players, Joe Allen, suffered an injury which turned out to be more serious than first thought.
Other than Chris Mepham’s remarkable renaissance at Bournemouth and the ever-solid form of the reliable Ben Davies, there weren’t many likely starters who were enjoying a stellar season.
But recent games have lifted my hopes. A lot of these players who had tough starts to the season will head into the World Cup in high spirits. Bale scored a vital late equaliser for LA FC in his final pre-tournament appearance and Ramsey impressed in midfield as he played 90 minutes in consecutive Ligue 1 games.
Johnson started and Williams came off the bench last Saturday as Forest picked up a rare but important victory over Crystal Palace.
Harry Wilson has started consecutive games for Fulham and looks fully fit after his injury. His team-mate James has struggled to nail down a starting spot at Craven Cottage but he scored a confidence-boosting goal in an impressive cameo against Manchester United last weekend.
Kieffer Moore was also on target as Bournemouth demolished Everton 3-0.
Hennessey hasn’t played many minutes for his club but Ward has put his early season wobbles behind him, conceding just one goal in more than 550 minutes of league football to help propel Leicester away from the danger zone. It will be fascinating to see who Page picks in goal on Monday.
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Ampadu has been moved into midfield for Spezia where he usually plays his best football. Two weeks ago he registered an eye-catching assist in the draw against Udinese and last weekend secured a valuable away win at Verona.
There are still players who have not been regular starters recently including Roberts and Rodon but these are two men who always raise their games for Wales, so I’m not too concerned about their club form.
The news that Allen is back in training is also a big boost and hopefully he can play a part in these group games because without him, our midfield options look weak.
Wales suddenly have a lot of players who seem to be entering this tournament in good form and this has boosted my optimism levels ahead of the opener on Monday.
Obviously the upcoming games will be challenging. The US are a young and industrious side who will back themselves to handle Wales’s energy and pace. With Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie in the side, they will fancy their chances of bullying Wales in midfield but their recent results on foreign soil suggest they don’t travel well and they only finished third in North American qualifying, only dodging an inter-continental play-off on goal difference.
Iran are seen as the group’s dark horses. Their performances in Russia four years ago surprised many neutrals as they nearly progressed to the knock-out stages. With Carlos Quieroz back in charge they are expected to sit deep and frustrate, a tactic which Wales traditionally struggle against.
They should be well-suited to the blistering heat of Qatar and should have a strong traveling support to cheer them on, so they will probably cause Wales plenty of problems.
Then there’s England, the old enemy and the match nobody really wants to think about right now. They are the undisputed favourites in this group and anything less than a first place finish will have the London-based tabloids frothing at the mouth.
After some poor Nations League performances, the pressure could unnerve Gareth Southgate’s men but we know their squad contains the most individual quality in this group.
It’s an awkward final game if Wales need a win to progress. This is neither a group of death nor a walk in the park. It’s likely to be tight, feisty and attritional but it’s a group which offers Wales a realistic chance of progression.
Wales have reached the knock-out stage in all three of their previous tournaments and Rob Page’s men will be determined to extend that record in the Qatari desert.
There are factors which aren’t in Wales’s favour this time around. Many of Wales’s star players are several years beyond their prime and all three of their opponents have more players at Champions League clubs.
But all four countries have had their problems and Wales know that on their day, they are more than capable of competing on this stage.
Wales may be a tiny country by World Cup standards but we should not let that intimidate us. We know the kind of spirit this squad possesses and we know these players are capable of magic moments.
Just being at the World Cup is great but having worked so hard to get here, it’s now important to make our mark and let the entire globe know what we’re about.
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