Portugal v Wales: Can Craig Bellamy Bring Back Feelgood Factor without Harry Wilson?
THE UEFA Nations League was very good to Wales the last time Craig Bellamy took charge of it.
An unbeaten campaign, promotion back to League A and a renewed sense of optimism helped Bellamy make an encouraging start to life in the Wales hot-seat.
Now he heads into a fresh Nations League challenge with a much tougher assignment: away trips to Portugal and Denmark, followed by home games against Norway and Denmark in quick succession. Wales begin in Lisbon this Thursday, 24 September, before heading to Copenhagen three days later, and the competition that helped Bellamy build momentum early on may now be asked to restore it again.
This time the test is clearly harder. Wales are back among Europe’s elite in League A, and there is no easing into the group. Portugal away is difficult enough on its own, but it also comes with all the familiar intrigue that tends to follow Cristiano Ronaldo, who has again been selected by Portugal, now under new head coach Jorge Jesus.
For Wales, it is the sort of glamour fixture supporters relish — but also the sort that exposes every weakness if a team is not quite ready for it.
The immediate question is whether Bellamy can rediscover the mood his side generated in that earlier Nations League campaign. Wales topped their previous group and remained undefeated, which brought a welcome lift after a frustrating period and showed that Bellamy’s methods could produce a genuine response.
The challenge now is different, but the principle is the same. If Wales can compete strongly again, even against stronger opposition, the feelgood factor around the national side can quickly return.
Bellamy’s task has not been made any easier now that Harry Wilson has withdrawn from the Wales squad, turning the earlier expectation that he would miss the Nations League games into a confirmed absence. Goalkeeper Karl Darlow has also withdrawn, while Nathan Broadhead’s absence is now formally reflected in the reshuffled squad. Bellamy has responded by calling up Joe Taylor, Charlie Savage and goalkeeper David Cornell. Taylor and Cornell are uncapped at senior level, while Savage returns to the Wales squad for the first time since June 2024.
At the same time, Bellamy originally had to plan without defensive pair Joe Rodon and Dylan Lawlor, which makes the back line one of the main talking points of the window. Lawlor has since returned to club action for Cardiff, and while it still seems unlikely that Bellamy would rush him straight into this demanding set of internationals, his progress is worth monitoring in case he is invited to link up with the squad in some capacity.
That defensive theme becomes even more interesting because Bellamy has refreshed his coaching set-up at exactly the moment Wales are about to face elite attacking talent. Former Wales captain Ashley Williams and former Swansea City head coach Alan Sheehan have joined the staff as assistant coaches ahead of the autumn Nations League campaign. Williams, in particular, brings obvious authority and experience, and there will be real curiosity over whether the new-look staff can influence Wales quickly at the back before matches against Ronaldo now and Erling Haaland’s Norway shortly afterwards.
There are, however, positive signs from the domestic picture. All three Welsh Championship clubs went into the international break on a high. Swansea City came from behind to beat Lincoln 2-1 and moved to the top of the Championship, Wrexham beat Southampton 2-1 with Kieffer Moore on the scoresheet, and Cardiff City secured a 3-1 win over Charlton, with Ashford’s club form already having earned him his first senior Wales call-up. That does not guarantee anything at international level, but it certainly does no harm if Wales players report for duty with confidence, rhythm and a sense that football on home soil is moving in the right direction.
Another reason this campaign matters is that the Nations League is not just decorative. Wales are one of the co-hosts of Euro 2028, but they will still take part in normal qualifying, with the 12 group winners and eight best runners-up reaching the finals automatically.
Two places are reserved for the two best-ranked host nations who do not qualify directly, while the remaining places are decided through play-offs involving remaining qualifying runners-up and the best-ranked non-qualified Nations League group winners.
In other words, a strong Nations League campaign can still strengthen Wales’s route towards a home European Championship.
That is why this week feels significant even this early. Portugal away is not just an attractive fixture or a reunion with a familiar giant of the European game. It is the beginning of a campaign that could shape Wales’s confidence, sharpen Bellamy’s new coaching team, give new faces like Ashford meaningful exposure, and possibly provide valuable insurance for the road to Euro 2028. Bellamy has already shown once that the Nations League can work in Wales’s favour. The question now is whether he can do it again against a much tougher class of opposition.
It would be no surprise if Wales had to suffer at times in Lisbon. Portugal at home, with Ronaldo still around and quality all over the pitch, is a formidable opening assignment. But Wales do not necessarily need a statement win to leave this international window feeling better about themselves. A disciplined performance, signs of defensive improvement and evidence that Bellamy’s Wales are still moving forward would be a good start. From there, the feelgood factor may follow.
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Did Ewe Know?
Ashley Williams captained Wales in the unforgettable Euro 2016 semi-final against Portugal — and now returns to the national set-up as part of Craig Bellamy’s coaching staff ahead of another meeting between the two countries.