Wales welcome Kazakhstan to the Cardiff City Stadium tonight in the opening match of their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Kick-off is at 1.15 IST on Sunday morning (23 March 2025).
The hosts qualified from the group stage in 2022 and will be looking to make it two in a row.
The Hawks, meanwhile, have never qualified for the main event.
The Dragons were unbeaten in last year’s UEFA Nations League to secure promotion to the top flight.
They ended the league phase with a 4-1 home win over Iceland.
Liam Cullen scored twice while Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson added second-half goals.
The visitors are winless in six Nations League games and have been relegated to League C.
They lost 5-0 away to Norway in November in their final league game.
They have played three friendlies this year and recorded a 2-0 win over Curaçao earlier this week.
Wales vs Kazakhstan Head-to-Head and Statistics
The two teams will meet for the first time.
The visitors have been participating in World Cup qualifiers since 1998. They have recorded only 12 wins in that period.
The hosts have lost just one of their last 12 competitive games, with that defeat coming on penalties against Poland in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying in March 2024.
Meanwhile, the Hawks are winless in their last eight competitive games, suffering seven defeats.
Kazakhstan have lost four of their last five World Cup qualifying matches, conceding 15 goals and scoring just one.
Wales are unbeaten in their last nine qualifying games, recording six wins.
The visitors have not recorded a win in their last two World Cup qualifying campaigns.
Wales vs Kazakhstan Prediction
Y Dreigiau enter this match in fine form, having won three of their last six games while keeping three clean sheets. They’ve also secured victory in four of their previous six home World Cup qualifiers, making them strong favourites.
However, they face a setback with Aaron Ramsey ruled out for the rest of the season following hamstring surgery. Uncapped teenager Kai Andrews has been called up to the squad, but injuries have sidelined Ethan Ampadu, Harry Wilson, Wes Burns, and Rhys Norrington-Davies.
Meanwhile, the Hawks prepared for this qualifier with a confidence-boosting 2-0 win over Curaçao earlier this week, building on their last victory—a 2-0 triumph against Turkmenistan in a friendly back in March 2024. Despite this recent success, their World Cup qualifying record remains a concern, with their last win in this competition dating back to 2013.
Score Prediction: Wales 2-0 Kazakhstan
