By Gareth James

 

Craig Bellamy admits he is as excited as a child at Christmas over Wales’ World Cup draw and the prospect it offers of wrapping up another successful qualification campaign.

 

The Wales manager has reacted with huge enthusiasm after his squad were drawn into a group featuring familiar rivals Belgium, along with North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein.

 

The draw sets up a thrilling campaign as Wales aim to qualify for their second consecutive World Cup, with group matches scheduled between March and November next year.

 

The pairing with Belgium reignites a notable rivalry. Wales famously defeated Belgium 3-1 to reach the Euro 2016 semi-finals, although they have failed to win in their last four encounters since.

 

Bellamy, who previously worked in Brussels as an assistant coach at Anderlecht, expressed his excitement about facing a team he knows well.

 

“To get Belgium is great; I lived in Brussels for three years so that’s nice,” Bellamy said.

 

“There’s a few players I was involved with, like Jeremy [Doku] and Zeno Debast, so it will be nice to see them. It’s a team I know very well, a team I’ve watched quite a lot, especially in the last five, six years.”

 

Wales’ group also includes intriguing challenges, with North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, and Liechtenstein offering varied tests. Bellamy views the draw as a positive one, giving his team a solid chance of advancing.

 

“I’m so happy with that,” he added.

 

“Belgium again, we’re so familiar with them of course. I have to be honest. When I looked at it, it was like, ‘I’d like to be in this group.’

 

“North Macedonia is going to be a different type of game, but we’ve been there before. Kazakhstan, we haven’t been there before, so we will have to be clever with our travel. Also, we have Liechtenstein.”

 

Bellamy also reflected on how the World Cup holds personal significance for him. The 1994 tournament in the United States played a pivotal role in shaping his aspirations as a young footballer.

 

“The USA was for me the most incredible, it was the most incredible World Cup. I was a young teenage kid,” Bellamy shared.

 

“I wasn’t sure what football was going to be for me. But then at that World Cup… that moment had a real impact on me, and I wanted to be a footballer after that. I try not to be romantic about football, but this is the opportunity to do this. This means a lot.”

 

Looking ahead, Bellamy is eager to see his players rise to the occasion, with the five-team group providing an opportunity for an active and competitive campaign.

 

“I’m happy with the five teams,” Bellamy noted. “It gets the competition going very quickly, and that’s what I wanted. We’re going to have to do our homework really well and hopefully try and attack and finish top of the group.”

 

While Wales plot their own path to qualification, the other Home Nations face different sets of challenges.

 

Thomas Tuchel’s England will tackle Serbia, Albania, Latvia, and Andorra, while Scotland are set to face Greece, Belarus, and either Portugal or Denmark, depending on the Nations League quarter-final results.

 

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also have formidable paths, with Northern Ireland potentially meeting either Germany or Italy.

 

For Bellamy, though, the upcoming campaign is not just a test of strategy and resilience but also a chance to continue building his team and setting the foundation for future success.

 

Having been placed in a five team group, Wales’ eight-fixture campaign will get under way in March 2025 at home to Kazakhstan.

 

The odd number of teams mean there will be rest games in some of the double-header international windows.

 

Bellamy’s side will also play games in June, September, October and November. Play-offs are scheduled for March 2026.

 

22 March 2025: Wales v Kazakhstan 19:45 GMT

 

25 March 2025: North Macedonia v Wales 19:45 GMT

 

6 June 2025: Wales v Liechtenstein 19:45 BST

 

9 June 2025: Belgium v Wales 19:45 BST

 

4 September: Kazakhstan v Wales 15:00 BST

 

13 October: Wales v Belgium 19:45 BST

 

15 November: Liechtenstein v Wales 17:00 GMT

 

18 November: Wales v North Macedonia 19:45 GMT

 

*Kick-off times subject to change

 

 

Group A

Germany or Italy (Nations League QF winner), Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg

 

Northern Ireland’s fixtures

Luxembourg (A) – September 4

Germany/Italy (A) – September 7

Slovakia (H) – October 10

Germany/Italy (H) – October 13

Slovakia (A) – November 14

Luxembourg (H) – November 17

 

Group B

Switzerland, Sweden, Slovenia, Kosovo

 

Group C

Portugal or Denmark (Nations League QF loser), Greece, Scotland, Belarus

 

Scotland’s fixtures

Portugal/Denmark (A) – September 5

Belarus (A) – September 8

Greece (H) – October 9

Belarus (H) – October 12

Greece (A) – November 15

Portugal/Denmark (H) – November 18

 

Group D

France or Croatia (Nations League QF winner), Ukraine, Iceland, Azerbaijan

 

Group E

Spain or Netherlands (Nations League QF winner), Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria

 

Group F

Portugal or Denmark (Nations League QF winner), Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Armenia

 

Republic of Ireland’s fixtures

Hungary (H) – September 6

Armenia (A) – September 9

Portugal/Denmark (A) – October 11

Armenia (H) – October 14

Portugal/Denmark (H) – November 13

Hungary (A) – November 16

 

Group G

Spain or Netherlands (Nations League QF loser), Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Malta

 

Group H

Austria, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, San Marino

 

Group I

Germany or Italy (Nations League QF loser), Norway, Israel, Estonia, Moldova

 

Group J

Belgium, Wales, North Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Liechtenstein

 

Wales’ fixtures

Kazakhstan (H) – March 22

North Macedonia (A) March 25

Liechtenstein (H) – June 6

Belgium (A) – June 9

Kazakhstan (A) – September 4

Belgium (H) – October 13

Liechtenstein (A) – November 15

North Macedonia (H) – November 18

 

Group K

England, Serbia, Albania, Latvia, Andorra

 

England’s fixtures

Albania (H) – March 21

Latvia (H) – March 24

Andorra (A) – June 7

Andorra (H) – September 6

Serbia (A) – September 9

Latvia (A) – October 14

Serbia (H) – November 13

Albania (A) – November 16

 

Group L

France or Croatia (Nations League QF loser), Czech Republic, Montenegro, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar

 

World Cup 2026 European qualifiers: Key dates

Group-stage matc

h dates: March 21-25, June 6-10, September 4-9, October 9-14 and November 13-18, 2025

Play-off match dates: March 26-31 2026

Final tournament dates: June 11 to July 19 2026