Why are the Wales Under-21 football results disappointing?

The Wales U21 team's disappointing results are largely due to their primary focus on developing players for the senior national team, often leading to call-ups that deplete the U21 squad.

How many players has the Wales U21 team produced for the senior squad?

In the past year, seven players have successfully transitioned from the Wales U21 team to the senior national squad, a rate significantly above the European average.

What is the main goal of the Wales Under-21 football team?

The main goal of the Wales U21 team is to nurture and develop players, ensuring a steady stream of talent graduates to play for the senior men's national team.

Home / Sports / FAW Chief: U21 Struggles Fuel Senior Team

FAW Chief: U21 Struggles Fuel Senior Team

5 Jan

•

Summary

Wales U21s are bottom of their qualifying group.
Seven players graduated to the senior team in one year.
U21s often depleted by senior call-ups, affecting performance.

FAW Chief: U21 Struggles Fuel Senior Team

The Welsh Under-21 football team is currently experiencing a challenging period in their 2027 European Championship qualifying campaign, finding themselves at the bottom of their group after significant losses. While results have been disappointing, including a heavy defeat to Belgium, Football Association of Wales chief football officer Dave Adams views these outcomes as a consequence of prioritizing player development for the senior national team. Adams stated that the U21 squad's main purpose is to feed talent into the senior side, a mission he believes they are excelling at compared to other European nations.

Adams highlighted that in the past twelve months, seven players have made the step up to the men's national team, a graduation rate of approximately 1.6 players per season. This figure far exceeds the European average of about 0.6 players per season. He pointed to players like Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio as examples of rapid transitions, along with Jordan James who already has 25 caps despite still being eligible for the U21s.