Wales Faces Tough Challenge in Nations League A Without Rodon

Craig Bellamy will lead Wales back into the top tier of the Nations League without his defensive linchpin Joe Rodon – and straight into a collision course with Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He does at least bring a new face with him for the climb.

Rodon ruled out as Wales step up a level

Wales have been thrown into League A with Portugal, Denmark and Norway, but they will do it without their first-choice centre-back. Rodon has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, a major blow for a side already light on experience at the back.

His usual partner Dylan Lawlor is also missing from the 28-man squad. The defender has yet to play this season because of a knee problem, while Cardiff City’s Ronan Kpakio is another absentee from the defensive unit.

For a team about to face Haaland, Ronaldo and a string of Champions League-hardened forwards, that is a brutal list.

Ashford’s chance as Bellamy refreshes attack

The door opens at the other end of the pitch. Cardiff forward Cian Ashford, 21, earns his first senior call-up after catching the eye in the early weeks of the Championship season.

Bellamy has not been shy in refreshing his attacking options. Liverpool youngster Lewis Koumas is in again, while Mark Harris and Liam Cullen return. There is also a recall for Wes Burns, now at Leicester City, who could make his first Wales appearance since 2024, adding direct running and experience out wide.

Cardiff’s forward line is still hit by injuries. Isaak Davies and Rubin Colwill are both unavailable, and there is no place for midfielder Kai Andrews despite his impressive start on loan at Aaron Ramsey’s Oxford United from Coventry City.

Big names back, captain ready to lead again

There is better news in midfield and defence. Harry Wilson of Leeds United and Wolves’ Jordan James both return after missing June’s friendlies against Ghana and Romania through injury. Swansea City’s Ben Cabango is also back to bolster the centre-back options in Rodon’s absence.

Captain Ben Davies stays in the squad and, this time, should play. The 33-year-old was included for the summer fixtures but did not feature as he continued his recovery from a serious ankle injury suffered with Tottenham in January. He is now back in action for Spurs and in line for his first Wales appearance since October 2025, when he won his 100th cap.

His experience will be essential in a group where any mistake is punished.

A brutal schedule in a low moment

Wales open their campaign away to current Nations League holders Portugal on 24 September, the first of four fixtures in an extended international window.

Denmark provide the opposition in two of those games, with a trip to Copenhagen and a return match in Cardiff on 4 October. In between, World Cup quarter-finalists Norway come to the Welsh capital on 1 October.

All of this comes at a low ebb for the national side. Wales are winless in four, and these are their first competitive fixtures since a penalty shoot-out defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina in March’s play-offs cost them a place at the World Cup.

They have not beaten a side in the top 20 of the FIFA world rankings since a 2-1 victory over Croatia in October 2023. Under Bellamy, they are still waiting for a first win against a team ranked above them.

They now face three of them in quick succession.

Wales sit 38th in the world, their lowest position since August 2014. Portugal, Denmark and Norway will test whether that slide continues or finally stops.

Ronaldo, Haaland – and a reshaped dugout

Their opponents are yet to name squads, but Ronaldo is expected to be in Portugal’s first group under Jorge Jesus, his former manager in the Saudi Pro League. Norway will bring Haaland. Denmark rarely arrive without a clear identity and a hardened core.

Bellamy has had his own turbulence off the pitch. These matches are his first since he came close to leaving the national job after talks with Championship side Burnley.

In the meantime, two key members of his staff have gone. Assistant Piet Cremers has taken a role in Belgium, while James Rowberry has stepped away to focus on his club duties as assistant manager at Stoke City.

Bellamy has turned to familiar authority to fill the gaps. Former Wales captain Ashley Williams joins the coaching team, as does ex-Swansea City boss Alan Sheehan, adding fresh voices and strong personalities to a dugout that will be under scrutiny from the first whistle in Lisbon.

The margins at this level are thin. New blood in Ashford, returning leaders in Davies and Wilson, and a reshaped backroom team all arrive just as Wales are thrown in against some of the game’s biggest names.

League A offers no hiding place. The question now is whether Bellamy’s Wales are ready to live there.