England and Wales to play Wembley friendly

Wales and England will play a friendly at Wembley in October, which has been confirmed as the year’s schedule.

The home countries, which first faced off 146 years ago, have set up the game as a key World Cup qualifier for 2026.

The Three Lions’ game against Latvia and Wales at home in Belgium a few days later will be the focus of the friendly on October 9 as preparation for the three Lions’ game.

When England’s Group K World Cup qualifiers against Albania begin next month under Thomas Tuchel, they will officially take over as manager.

The two nations have met each other 104 times since 1879, most recently in the 2022 World Cup where Gareth Southgate’s side eased to a 3-0 win, sending Wales home from Qatar.

England also won 3-0 in the last Wembley fixture between the sides in 2020, a game played behind closed doors during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bellamy did not play much football while with Liverpool, including playing as a substitute in the 2012 League Cup final defeat to hometown side Cardiff City. Despite his impressive playing career, Bellamy only played a small number of games at Wembley. He also featured for Team GB against UAE during the 2012 Olympics.

Wales’ only previous victory at Wembley came in 1977 when they won the Home Internationals, their first win on English soil since 1936.

A friendly game between Wales and Canada will take place on September 9 at the Swansea Stadium.