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Wales will invite Kazakhstan to the Cardiff City Stadium in their FIFA World Cup 2026 qualification campaign opener on Saturday. The hosts qualified for the group stage in 2022 and will look to secure their second consecutive qualification this time around. The Hawks, meanwhile, have never qualified for the main event.
The Dragons enjoyed an unbeaten run in the UEFA Nations League last year and secured a promotion to League A. They concluded their league phase campaign with a comfortable 4-1 home win over Iceland. Liam Cullen bagged a brace while Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson added goals in the second half.
The visitors were winless in their six games in the Nations League and were relegated to League C. They lost 5-0 away to Norway in November in the final league phase match. They have played three friendlies this year and recorded a 2-0 win over Curaçao earlier this week.
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Wales vs Kazakhstan Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- The two teams will meet for the first time.
- The visitors have participated in the World Cup qualifiers since 1998. They have registered just 12 wins in that period.
- The hosts have lost just one of their last 12 competitive games, with that loss coming on penalties against Poland in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers in March 2024.
- The Hawks, meanwhile, are winless in their last eight competitive games, suffering seven losses.
- Kazakhstan have lost four of their last five games in the World Cup qualifiers, conceding 15 goals while scoring just once.
- Wales are unbeaten in their last nine games in the qualifiers, recording six wins.
- The visitors have not registered a win in their last two World Cup qualification campaigns.
Wales vs Kazakhstan Prediction
Y Dreigiau head into the match in great form, winning three of their last six games while keeping three clean sheets. They have won four of their last six home games in the World Cup qualifiers and are strong favorites.
Aaron Ramsey has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after having undergone surgery on a damaged hamstring. Uncapped teenager Kai Andrews has been named in the squad, though Ethan Ampadu, Harry Wilson, Wes Burns, and Rhys Norrington-Davies miss out due to injuries.
The Hawks warmed up for the qualifiers with a 2-0 win over Curaçao earlier this week and will look to build on that form. Notably, it was their first victory since a 2-0 win over neighbors Turkmenistan in a friendly match in March 2024. Their last win in the World Cup qualifiers was registered in 2013, which is a cause for concern.
The hosts have been in great form recently and even though they have an injury-hit squad for this match, we back them to register a comfortable win.
Prediction: Wales 2-0 Kazakhstan
Wales vs Kazakhstan Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Wales to win
Tip 2: Goals - Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Under 2.5 goals
Tip 3: Both teams to score - No
Tip 4: At least a goal to be scored in the second half - Yes
