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Welsh national team struggled to succeed internationally

Club football is next to rugby one of the most popular sports in Wales. Wales has produced club teams of varying fortunes since the early birth of Victorian football, and in 1876 a Welsh national football team played their first international match. Football has always had close competition with the de facto rugby union of the country, and there is much debate about which game is more popular in Wales. The Football Association of Wales (FAW) was founded in 1876 to oversee the Welsh national team and direct the sport in Wales. Later, the Welsh football league system was founded and operated.

The Welsh professional football teams traditionally played in the same leagues as their English counterparts and were organized into regional divisions. This often meant that teams from North and South Wales were not facing each other, as the transport links between the two regions were poor. In 1992, the Cymru Premier was formed to create a national league. Five Welsh clubs refused to become members. Nevertheless, the teams that win the Cymru Premier title have a greater chance of participating in European competitions as the top three clubs are drawn to the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. You can also take part in the Welsh Cup, the most prestigious cup competition in Welsh football.

The Welsh national team struggled to succeed internationally. In 1958 she appeared only in the World Cup, although she reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 2016. As a result, some world-famous players from Wales have not been seen in the biggest international tournaments, although many of them have made a name for themselves at club level. Key Welsh players include John Charles, Trevor Ford, Ian Rush, Mark Hughes, Neville Southall, Ryan Giggs, Cliff Jones and Gareth Bale, while in Wales greats like Ivor Allchurch, Fred Keenor and Jack Kelsey are valued.

The Cymru Premier, formerly called League of Wales and Welsh Premier League, was founded in 1992 as Wales had no national league at the time. Teams relegated from the Cymru Premier will be relegated to the FAW Championship, which is divided into two regional leagues, the FAW North (North Wales) and the FAW South (South Wales). Originally, the Premier League consisted of 18 teams, but since the 2010/11 season, there were at the suggestion of clubs in the league only 12 teams.

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