After reaching two consecutive European competitions, the National Football team for Cymru had one remaining task for the current players to achieve which was to step onto the international stage by reaching the final rounds of the World Cup. In June, in a marvellous achievement, the Cymru team secured their place in the 2022 World Cup and also, in doing this, a place in the history books.

It has been 64 years since Cymru last competed in the final rounds, when Jimmy Murphy’s team beat Israel in a play-off and reached as far as the final eight in Sweden in 1958. Even after losing John Charles through injury, one of the world’s leading players at the time, Cymru played a game full of character against Brazil in the quarter-finals losing by one goal scored by Pelé, a boy of 17 at the time. Cymru has come close more than once, but since then it’s been decades of heartbreak until Gareth Bale and the remaining ‘stars of the golden generation’ broke that curse this year.

The World Cup will be played at Qatar from 21 November until 18 December 2022. Due to the sweltering heat there in the summer, this is the first occasion when the competiton will be held during winter.

STORIEL are joining in the celebrations throughout Cymru by exhibiting some treasures on loan from a few local members of the ‘Wal Goch’ (Red Wall) along with some special items from the Wrexham Museum collection. We extend our thanks to each for sharing these items with the public for this period at STORIEL. Also shown are Limited Edition prints of original paintings by Owain Fôn Williams, goalkeeping coach and former professional goalkeeper.