North vs. South: Welsh Football's Enduring Divide Takes Center Stage

On October 28, 2025, Wrexham and Cardiff City will renew their historic rivalry in the Carabao Cup fourth round, the first time the two teams have met in a league fixture since 2001. The match is seen as a symbolic clash between the north and south of Wales, a divide that has long plagued the country's sports and cultural landscape.

Back in 2017, Wrexham board member Spencer Harris highlighted this disparity, pointing out that all of Wales' international sporting events and major museums were located in the south, near the M4 motorway corridor. With a population of 687,000 in north Wales compared to 2.5 million in the south, Harris argued that a "leveling-up" was needed.

Eight years later, work is now underway on a new Kop stand at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground, part of a wider regeneration project funded by the Welsh government. This is a welcome step, but Wrexham fans still feel their region is the "poor relation" compared to the capital and south Wales.

The match also comes at a time when the fortunes of the two clubs have shifted. Wrexham, under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have enjoyed a remarkable resurgence, clinching three consecutive promotions. Meanwhile, Cardiff City have been relegated to League One, meaning they head to north Wales as the underdogs.

For lifelong Wrexham supporter Tomi Caws, the north-south rivalry has always been a key part of the fixture. "If you're from north Wales, it doesn't matter what your political party is, you feel hard done by compared to south Wales and the capital," he says.