Football Association of Wales chief Noel Mooney has admitted his governing body were disappointed they did not manage a send-off international match four years ago and don’t want to miss out again.
The FAW are exploring the possibility of lining up a pre-tournament friendly against Ghana as part of their preparations, should Craig Bellamy’s side successfully navigate next month’s play-offs and secure a place in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
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The Dragons’ immediate focus remains firmly on the qualification path ahead, starting with a home semi-final against Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 26.
Victory would set up a decisive final in Cardiff five days later against either Italy or Northern Ireland, with a World Cup berth at stake.
Behind the scenes, however, planning is already under way for what Wales hope will be a more structured build-up than in 2022.
Talks have begun over staging a home send-off match against Ghana, potentially bringing high-profile Premier League talent such as Manchester City’s Antoine Semenyo and Tottenham’s Mohammed Kudus to Cardiff City Stadium.
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A further warm-up fixture in the United States is also being considered ahead of a possible tournament opener against co-hosts Canada in Toronto on June 12.
Chief executive Mooney confirmed discussions with the Black Stars are ongoing, stressing the desire to give supporters a chance to mark qualification properly.
“If we qualify, we’d like to have a proper send-off game at home,” said Mooney.
“We were kind of annoyed we didn’t have one before the 2022 World Cup because it was so late in the window.
“There’s nothing finalised yet, but we’ve been talking to Ghana and that’s one we’ll probably explore a bit more.
“We’ve signed a cooperation agreement with the Ghanian FA in recent times, more to do with coaching education.
“But as part of that agreement we’ve said we’d like to play each other. They’ve got plenty of very good players and it would be a really interesting challenge for us.”
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The timing of potential friendlies is complicated by Wales’ uncertain qualification status, a reality Mooney acknowledged as the FAW marked its 150th anniversary on Monday.
Founded in 1876, it remains the third-oldest football association in the world, yet Wales’ international exposure to African opposition has been minimal, limited to a single friendly against Tunisia in 1998.
Mooney admitted that arranging meaningful preparation matches in the narrow pre-World Cup window presents challenges.
“Friendlies are a big conundrum in this (pre-World Cup) window, because whether you’re going or not to the World Cup has a huge bearing.
“But one of our ideas was that we would play against a team from Africa with a different style of football.
“Ghana would be a nice game in the summer at Cardiff City Stadium, but it’s not done yet.”
From a sporting perspective, Ghana would offer a valuable contrast in approach and physicality, while also providing a useful benchmark given their own World Cup draw.
The Black Stars have been placed in a group alongside England, Croatia and Panama, and are set to face Thomas Tuchel’s England side at Foxborough on June 23.
For Wales, any plans beyond March remain hypothetical, but the outline of a potential World Cup send-off reflects lessons learned from their last appearance on the global stage.
First, though, Bellamy’s side must take care of business at home, with two high-stakes play-off matches standing between them and the chance to turn those summer plans into reality.
