FIFA World Cup 2022: Greatest England vs Wales matches in history 

FIFA World Cup 2022 rivals England and Wales have played each other 103 times in their history with their first matchup an international friendly in 1879 that England won 2-1 and their last meeting a 3-0 friendly victory for England in October 2020.

Throughout the years, England have been victorious in the fixture 68 times with Wales winning 14 matches and a further 21 ending in draws.

On the eve of their showdown (29 November) that will decide their standings in Group B of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, Olympics.com looks back at the greatest matches in England vs Wales history.

England vs Wales: the early years

18 January 1879: England 2 Wales 1

Played out in snowy conditions at the Kennington Oval - a venue much more well known for cricket matches today - the very first match between the two home nation teams saw England beat Wales 2-1. Due to the adverse weather conditions on the day, both captains agreed to play out two 30-minute halves instead of the regulation 45, and reports suggest that only between 100 and 200 spectators were in attendance.

The match is notable for the fact that it saw Wales score their first international goal, with William Henry Davies on the scoresheet. And while the Welsh team featured six players from Oswestry FC, the English side was made up of clubs that included the exotically-named Thursday Wanderers FC, as well as one that is still in the professional divisions to this day: Notts County.

3 February 1883: England 5 Wales 0

Four years later, the fifth matchup between the two nations saw the first real drubbing as England ran out 5-0 winners against Wales. Once again, the match took place at the Oval, however this time around there was fine weather and some 2,000 spectators are reported to have been in attendance.

Clem Mitchell scored the first of his three goals in the 17th minute, with Charlie Bambridge and Arthur Cursham adding two more for a rampant England. Still, it seems there was no animosity between the players, as Sporting Life reported: "In the evening the rival elevens dined together at the Surrey Club House"

22 October 1938: Wales 4 England 2

Up against what was considered “the best England team in years”, Wales put in a stellar performance to dominate their rivals at Ninian Park in Cardiff.

Cheered on by a 55,000-strong crowd, the score was tied 2-2 before second-half goals from Bryn Jones and Horace Cumner sealed the victory against an England team that included the famous Stanley Matthews among their ranks.

England vs Wales: from first World Cup match to a famous Wembley victory

15 October 1949: England 4 Wales 1

The first World Cup match between the two sides took place in 1949, as the home nations faced off against each other for qualification for the following year’s World Cup.

Led by the irrepressible Jackie Milburn who scored a hat-trick on the day, England won the fixture 4-1 with Mal Griffiths providing Wales’ only consolation goal in the 74th minute.

England went on to qualify for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil where they were beaten by the USA in what has gone down as one of the greatest upsets in football history.

16 November 1966: England 5 Wales 1

Having already won their first and only World Cup at Wembley in the summer of 1966, England faced Wales in a qualifier for the 1968 European Championships.

With a team that included many of their World Cup stars, England ran out 5-1 winners with goals from such legends of the game as Geoff Hurst, Bobby Charlton and future Republic of Ireland manager Jack Charlton.

31 May 1977: Wales 1 England 0

Leighton James was the hero of the day as Wales secured their first-ever victory over England at Wembley. The win came courtesy of a first-half penalty with England unable to respond.

The result was also historic as it was the first time the Welsh had beaten their rivals in England since 1936.

England vs Wales: a first Welsh home victory in 25 years and a memorable Euro 2016 matchup

17 May 1980: Wales 4 England 1

By the time Wales lined up to play England in May 1980 they hadn’t beaten them on home turf for 25 years. All that changed at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham as Wales came back from 0-1 down to score four goals without reply.

The goalscorers that day included the hero of the 1977 match, Leighton James, who scored the third goal of the match to help complete a famous rout.

2 May 1984: Wales 1 England 0

The last time Wales beat England in an international was 1984, when a young Mark Hughes scored the only goal of the game to give them a famous victory.

Hughes would go on to achieve fame with both Manchester United and Chelsea, and his headed winner in this match gave Wales their third victory over their rivals England in seven years.

The game was also notable as the final-ever match between the two sides in the annual Home Nations Championship.

16 June 2016: England 2 Wales 1

Euro 2016 was the last time England were matched against Wales in an international tournament and it was the English who ended the day with three points in their group-stage game courtesy of goals from Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge.

However, the celebrations would be short-lived for England who suffered a shock exit in the round of 16 after being beaten 1-0 by Iceland. Wales made it all the way to the semi-finals before losing 2-0 to eventual winners Portugal in a game in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the 50th minute.