England, Scotland and Wales could be paired together in Saturday’s Euro 2024 finals draw.

The Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg will host the draw ceremony, which gets under way at 5pm UK time.

Gareth Southgate’s England, runners-up at Euro 2020, will be one of the favourites to win the tournament, with in-form Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham set to be the shining light in a strong line-up.

Their performances in qualifying, where they topped Group C ahead of reigning European champions Italy, have earned them a place among the top seeds for the draw in what could be Southgate’s final bow as England boss.

His contract will be up next December and his future beyond that is uncertain.

Scotland are in Pot Three, while Wales are one of the 12 play-off hopefuls occupying three spots in Pot Four.

Rob Page’s side still have two big hurdles to overcome in order to join England and Scotland at the finals. They must first beat Finland on March 21 then also see off Poland or Estonia on March 26 to book their passage to Germany.

Page said at the time of the play-off draw on November 23: “The form we’re in at the minute and with the ‘Red Wall’ at home, we’ll take anyone on in Cardiff.

“It’s a great opportunity for us: we’re two wins at home away from another qualification to a major tournament. We’re hoping now for two big efforts.”

The placing of England, Scotland and Wales in different pots keeps open the possibility of them all being drawn together.

England faced Scotland in the group stage of Euro 2020 and Wales at the same stage at last year’s World Cup in Qatar. England and Wales also met at the group stage in Euro 2016.

From an England perspective, a ‘Group of Death’ would arguably include Denmark, the highest-ranked side in Pot Two, and the Netherlands or Croatia from Pot Three.

A rematch with Italy would round out a tough-looking pool for Southgate’s men, with the Azzurri alongside Wales in Pot Four.

Southgate, speaking after England’s final qualifier away to North Macedonia, said: “There looks like being really strong teams in Pot Two and Pot Three looks like it could be very strong.

“In the Euros we had Croatia in with us, who proved to be one of the best teams in the world over the last few years, and we managed to navigate that, so we’ve just got to be ready for whatever comes our way.”

Scotland were extremely impressive in qualification, finishing runners-up to Spain in Group A and booking their place in Germany with two matches to spare.

“It’s always nice to qualify for a major tournament,” Clarke said after last month’s final qualifier at home to Norway.

“Obviously the last one was Covid-restricted so we missed that connection and that feel with the fans.

“It’s great for everyone in the country that we have something to look forward to next summer.”

Pot One also contains last year’s World Cup finalists France, a Portugal team who won all 10 of their qualifying matches and a vulnerable-looking host nation Germany, who sacked their coach Hansi Flick in September following a 4-1 friendly defeat to Japan.

Rob Page believes Wales have a “great opportunity” to reach Euro 2024 after being handed two possible home ties in the qualification play-offs.

Wales will welcome Finland to the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday, March 21 following Thursday’s draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.

Victory in that single-leg semi-final would see the Dragons take on either Poland or Estonia at the same venue five days later, with a spot at next summer’s tournament in Germany up for grabs.

Manager Page was relieved to avoid a rematch with Ukraine, who his side beat in a play-off to qualify for last year’s World Cup, and insists Wales fear no-one in Cardiff.

“We tried to forecast the draw beforehand and we weren’t too far away,” said Page, whose team could also have been paired with Iceland at the last-four stage.

“What’s important to us is that home draw in the final – we’ve got to get the job done (against Finland) first and foremost, of course we have.

“We were probably wanting to avoid Ukraine as well so I think it’s gone to plan for us.

“I don’t think any team in that group (Ukraine, Finland and Iceland) would have been wanting to play us. I was more nervous for the draw for the home tie for the final.

“The form we’re in at the minute and with the ‘Red Wall’ at home, we’ll take anyone on in Cardiff.

“It’s a great opportunity for us: we’re two wins at home away from another qualification to a major tournament. We’re hoping now for two big efforts.”

Wales enter the play-offs unbeaten in six matches, a run which includes a 2-1 victory over Croatia and a 1-1 draw with Turkey – the two teams who finished above them in Group D.

Finland sit 62nd in the FIFA rankings and are aiming to qualify for the European Championship finals for only the second time following their debut at Euro 2020.

They were third in Northern Ireland’s qualifying group – four points behind both Denmark and Slovenia – after winning six of their 10 fixtures.

“Of course they’re a threat, we’ve got to respect that,” Page said of Finland.

“They’re a good team, they’re here for a reason.

“But if we meet the standards we set against Croatia and Turkey, I’m confident the result will take care of itself.”

Influential midfielder Aaron Ramsey missed the final three matches of qualifying due to a knee injury sustained in September.

Page has already been in contact with the former Arsenal and Juventus player, who rejoined boyhood club Cardiff in the summer, and expects him to “do everything in his power” to be ready for the play-offs.

“To have someone of Aaron’s quality to join the squad again is going to be a definite bonus for us, absolutely,” said Page.

“There’s a lot of time from now until March to get himself in the right place and he’s done a bit of work with us on camp last week.

“We’ve just had a couple of (text) messages together and he said about the draw, straight away he’s on it and he’s looking forward to it.

“He will do everything in his power now to make sure he’s part of that squad in March.”

Wales are seeking to secure a third successive appearance at the European Championship finals.

They are also attempting to reach a fourth major tournament out of the last five after last year ending their 64-year wait to play at the World Cup.

Wales came through the play-offs to book a spot at Qatar 2022, defeating Austria and Ukraine in Cardiff, and Page feels that experience could prove invaluable.

“That will be really important for us,” he said.

“A large portion of the group had the experience, so we’ve already exposed them to those types of games and environments. It won’t be alien to them.”

Wales have been drawn to host Finland in the semi-finals of the qualification play-offs for Euro 2024.

The match will take place on Thursday, March 21 at Cardiff City Stadium.

Should Rob Page’s men win that single-leg tie, they would then host either Poland or Estonia five days later at the same venue to play for a spot at next summer’s tournament in Germany.

Finland finished third in Northern Ireland’s qualifying group – four points behind both Denmark and Slovenia – after winning six of their 10 fixtures.

They sit 62nd in the FIFA rankings, 34 places below Wales, and are aiming to qualify for the European Championship finals for only the second time following their debut at Euro 2020.

Wales are seeking to secure a third successive appearance at the finals of the competition and reach a fourth major tournament out of the last five after last year ending their 64-year wait to play at the World Cup.

They finished third in Group D of qualifying, behind pool winners Turkey and second-placed Croatia.

Just three of the 24 places at Euro 2024 remain up for grabs, with Wales attempting to navigate Path A of the play-offs.

In Path B, Israel face a semi-final against Iceland following Thursday’s draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, while Bosnia and Herzegovina will host Ukraine.

Georgia take on fellow potential tournament debutants Luxembourg in Path C, while Kazakhstan travel to 2004 European champions Greece in the other semi-final of that route.

Wales must navigate the play-offs in March to reach the European Championship finals next summer.

If they do so, it will be Wales’ fourth major tournament out of the last five.

Here, the PA news agency looks at their Euro 2024 story so far and what happens next.

How did Wales get here?

It has been a campaign of transition without talismanic captain Gareth Bale following his retirement in January and the loss of other key players such as midfielder Joe Allen.

Wales began well with a bonus point away to World Cup semi-finalists Croatia – courtesy of Nathan Broadhead’s stoppage-time equaliser – and a narrow home win over Latvia.

But a sour summer – back-to-beat defeats against Armenia and Turkey – would cost them dear, despite bouncing back with a 2-0 success in Latvia and a sensational 2-1 home victory over Croatia.

Wales had automatic qualification in their hands heading into the final two games, but ultimately fell short with closing 1-1 draws against Armenia and Turkey. Croatia and Turkey qualified as the top two in Group D.

Play-off scenario

Wales will discover at 11am on Thursday morning who their semi-final opponents will be on March 21.

Manager Rob Page will attend the draw in Switzerland to get a flavour of what stands in his side’s way.

It is a case of one from three countries as Finland, Iceland or Ukraine will be paired with Wales in Path A.

The winners of that tie will play Poland or Estonia in the play-off final on March 26 for the right to play at Euro 2024.

Home sweet home

Wales will have home advantage for the semi-final, which will be played at Cardiff City Stadium.

That is a huge boost for Wales who have had some special nights in Cardiff in recent times, and beat both Austria and Ukraine there in the 2022 World Cup play-offs.

The Nyon draw on Thursday will also decide who gets home advantage for the March 26 final.

Wales got the breaks in the 2022 World Cup play-offs with two home ties. Will they be as fortunate again?

Who do Wales want?

Ukraine are 22nd in the FIFA rankings, six places above Wales, and present the toughest test on paper.

They were third in England’s qualifying group and might already be preparing for Germany had they been awarded what appeared a certain stoppage-time penalty against Italy on Monday.

Finland won six of their 10 qualifiers and finished four points behind Denmark and Slovenia, while Iceland won only three times in 10 games and were a distant fourth to Portugal, Slovakia and Luxembourg.

Whoever they play, Wales enter the play-offs with confidence after an unbeaten six-game run of three wins and three draws.

Rob Page says he is “absolutely” the right man to lead Wales in the Euro 2024 play-offs despite his position being under review.

Page has already started planning for the March play-offs and will attend Thursday’s draw in Switzerland when Wales will learn the identity of their semi-final opponents.

Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney cast doubts over Page’s future last month by saying a “serious review” would take place after the final qualifiers “when everything will be settled”.

Asked after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Turkey whether he was confident of being the manager to lead Wales towards the Euros, Page gave an emphatic one-word response: “Absolutely.”

On the next few months, he added: “It’s about planning now. I’m off to the draw and we’ll have a staff meeting next week.

“I’ll get the coaches together, probably the week after. We’ll have a review of the camp, if I can say that.

“The planning starts and then I’ll be out watching players.”

Page signed a four-year contract in September 2022 which runs until the 2026 World Cup.

Wales eventually finished third in their Euro 2024 qualifying group after a roller-coaster campaign that saw them take four points from World Cup semi-finalists Croatia but only one off Armenia, ranked 95 in the world.

Turkey and Croatia claimed the two automatic qualifying places as Wales were once more left to contest the play-offs after successfully navigating them to reach the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Wales, who are unbeaten in six games, will welcome either Finland, Iceland or Ukraine to the Cardiff City Stadium on March 21 next year.

The winners of that tie will meet Poland or Estonia, with a draw held to determine who has home advantage in the final.

Page has constantly made the point during this campaign that Wales are in transition following the retirement of talismanic captain Gareth Bale and the loss of other key players such as Joe Allen.

It is unlikely the FAW hierarchy will change manager only four months before the play-offs, but failing to qualify for Euro 2024 would hit Welsh football hard financially.

Mooney said in October: “We’ll have a serious review after the Armenia and Turkey games when everything will be settled.

“We’ll know if we’ve achieved what we’ve set out to do, which is to qualify automatically.

“In a high-team performance environment with teams that have gone to World Cups and Euros over the last few years, we have to keep going forwards.

“The FAW is not like one of these football clubs which keep changing the manager all the time, knee-jerk stuff. That’s not us.

“But I caveat that by saying we have to keep winning football matches, we can’t keep losing matches. That’s very important. We’ve reached the top table in world football, we can’t go backwards.”

Page took over in an interim capacity from Ryan Giggs exactly three years ago and led Wales at the delayed 2020 European Championship, guiding them in to the round of 16.

He won promotion to the top tier of the Nations League and was appointed on a permanent basis in June 2022 after Wales had qualified for their first World Cup for 64 years.

Rob Page insists Wales can reach Euro 2024 by drawing on their successful World Cup play-off history.

Wales were consigned to the Euro play-offs in March after a controversial 1-1 draw with Turkey in Cardiff.

Neco Williams’ early strike was cancelled out by Yusuf Yazici’s second-half penalty – with Page suggesting Wales would have won with another referee – as the Dragons fell short in their bid to overtake Croatia for the second automatic qualifying place behind group winners Turkey.

Croatia secured automatic qualification with a 1-0 home victory over Armenia, leaving Wales in the play-offs with a home semi-final against either Finland, Iceland or Ukraine. Poland and Estonia will contest the other semi-final.

The identity of Wales’ opponents will be determined by a draw on Thursday – and boss Page hopes play-off history will repeat itself as Austria and Ukraine were beaten in Cardiff en route to reaching the 2022 World Cup.

“We will throw everything into the preparation for the play-offs now,” said Page, who will attend the draw at Nyon in Switzerland.

“I’m pleased it’s a home draw. What our supporters do is incredible and this place is a fortress. We never disappoint and the crowd never disappoints – Croatia, Turkey, the Austria and Ukraine games.

“The lads who were in the play-offs have had those experiences.

“They managed the emotions of the Ukraine game for obvious reasons and that will stand them in good stead for these games.

“We’ve had some big nights here and we go into the play-offs with confidence.”

Wales had three penalty appeals turned down in a nine-minute spell midway through the first half.

Harry Wilson went down in a tangle of legs with with Abdulkerim Bardakci before Brennan Johnson was floored by a sliding Samet Akaydin tackle when the defender did not make contact with the ball.

Akaydin then flattened Johnson from behind in a crowded goalmouth, but neither Slovenian referee Matej Jug nor VAR came to the conclusion it was a penalty.

To add insult to injury, Jug decided Ben Davies had pushed Kenan Yildiz over and awarded a dubious 70th-minute penalty.

Asked if Wales would have won with another referee, Page replied: “I have to be careful what I say. But I believe so, if I’m being completely honest.

“It’s a stonewall penalty, one of the most obvious penalties I’ve seen, against Brennan. The defender’s got the wrong side of him, he runs into him and takes him out.

“Then we’ve conceded the softest penalty you’ll ever concede. It’s so frustrating. The VAR check was over after 10 seconds.

“I can’t get my head around it, I can’t really understand how they’ve come to that decision.”

Wales will return to action in March on the back of an unbeaten six-game run, stitched together after back-to-back June defeats to Armenia and Turkey that ultimately cost them dear.

But Page was delighted by his side’s performance following a tepid display in drawing 1-1 away to Armenia on Saturday.

He said: “I think you saw from the first minute we were at them. I challenged JJ (Jordan James) and Ethan (Ampadu) to be a little more creative on the ball.

“I thought both of them stepped up to the plate – and then some. JJ went to another level and from the first minute there was no thought of ‘we’ve got the play-offs’.

“We weren’t taking our foot off the gas. We were going for the win.

“If we can recreate the performance we had against Croatia, home and away, and Turkey – even out there before we went down to 10 men – then we will be OK.”

Wales welcome Turkey to Cardiff for their final Euro 2024 qualifier on Tuesday.
Rob Page’s side must win and hope Croatia do not beat Armenia in order to secure automatic European Championship qualification and avoid the play-offs in March.

Here, the PA news agency studies some of the main talking points surrounding the game.

Favour needed

Wales’ disappointing 1-1 draw in Armenia on Saturday took automatic qualification out of their hands heading in to the final round of matches.

Croatia seized advantage by winning 2-0 in Latvia to move in to the box-seat and claim the second spot behind Turkey.

The mathematics for Wales are simple: nothing other than beating Turkey will do, while praying Croatia do not finish with victory.

Armenia have been Wales’ bogeymen in this group by taking four points from them, but they now need a huge favour from the team ranked 95 in the world.

Play-off lifeline

Amid the gloom of a flat performance against Armenia in Yerevan and Croatia’s subsequent success a few hours later, it was overlooked that Wales actually secured a play-off spot on Saturday due to other results across Europe.

Wales would have suffered the agony of missing out on the play-offs had three from Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and the Czech Republic missed out on automatic qualification.

While Italy and the Czechs await their fate on Monday, Netherlands’ 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland and Switzerland’s 1-1 draw with Kosovo secured their places at Euro 2024 and gave Wales a play-off safety net.

Wales now hope Italy and the Czech Republic confirm their places in Germany next summer and provide them with a home play-off semi-final in March.

 Will the real Wales stand up?

Two months, two games, two very contrasting displays.

October saw Wales produce one of their best performances of recent times as Croatia, World Cup semi-finalists less than 12 months ago, were downed in 2-1 in Cardiff.

Confidence was running high going into November’s camp but, having been stunned by an early Armenia goal, Wales were disjointed and fortunate not to lose again to a team ranked 67 places below them in FIFA’s world order.

Boss Rob Page’s task now is to rediscover the fizz and fluency that swept aside Croatia and shelve the anxiety and hesitancy that bedevilled them in Armenia.

Defensive Locks?

Wales must make at least one change with defender Chris Mepham suspended after collecting a third booking of the campaign in Armenia.

Tom Lockyer has had an eventful time over the last six months – winning promotion with Luton and requiring heart surgery after collapsing on the Wembley turf in the Championship play-off final.

But Lockyer, known as ‘Locks’, might get the nod over Ben Cabango to join Joe Rodon and skipper Ben Davies in Wales’ three-man central defence against Turkey.

Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson could also be restored to the attack, despite an underwhelming second-half performance off the bench in Armenia.

Talented Turkey

Turkey are on the rise again after missing out on the 2022 World Cup and underperforming at the last two European Championships when exiting at the group stage.

Having sacked Stefan Kuntz and appointed Vincenzo Montella as head coach halfway through Euro 2024 qualification, Turkey have won five of their seven games and sewed up a top-two spot last month.

Turkey avenged a solitary defeat to Croatia by winning 1-0 in Osijek, and their soaring confidence was underlined by a 3-2 friendly victory over Germany in Berlin on Saturday.

Real Madrid’s Arda Guler, who scored in sensational style against Wales in June, and Kenan Yildiz, of Juventus, are both 18-year-old attacking midfielders and rated two of the brightest prospects in European football.

Neco Williams believes Armenia can do Wales a favour against Croatia and help them qualify for Euro 2024.

Wales’ automatic qualification hopes were taken out of their own hands on Saturday by a wounding 1-1 away draw to Armenia and Croatia’s 2-0 victory in Latvia.

Croatia will secure the second spot behind already-qualified Turkey by beating Armenia in their final qualifier on Tuesday.

But were Armenia to draw or win in Zagreb, that would leave the door open for Wales who would then take second place by beating Turkey at the Cardiff City Stadium on the same evening.

“Armenia are a top team,” wing-back Williams said of opponents who have damaged Wales’ qualification more than any other by taking four points from them.

“They have got some very good players and, hopefully, they can do a job on Croatia like they did against us.

“We still have a chance because you never know what’s going to happen.

“It’s not in our hands and we have got to wait for the other results. There’s a lot of luck in football, and hopefully it will be on our side.”

Wales lost 4-2 to Armenia at home in June and they were shaken again within five minutes of the Yerevan return.

Lucas Zelarayan, who had scored twice in Cardiff, punished some sloppy Welsh defending and Armenia appeared in control until the final seconds of the first half.

But Wales were gifted a lifeline when Nair Tiknizyan headed Connor Roberts’ long throw in to his own net.

Williams said: “It was a tough game, end to end, and a lot of running.

“Both teams were going for the win and probably at times it looked scrappy.

“As soon as the lads came in after the game you could feel that, frustration. No-one talked and it felt like a loss.

“But we take a point from it and all we can do now is focus on our last game against Turkey.

“If we get the three points there you never know what’s going to happen.”

The odds are that Wales will end up in the play-offs in March, the same route they negotiated to reach the 2022 World Cup by overcoming Austria and Ukraine.

Finland, Iceland, Poland and Ukraine are all potential opponents this time, although the fixtures will not be determined until after the final qualifiers across Europe.

“It could be something for us,” said Williams. “We did it for the World Cup and, if it does happen, we’ve still got a chance.

“If we don’t qualify through the group, do it that way.”

Daniel James admitted the early Zelarayan goal before a hostile Republican Stadium crowd had thrown Wales out of their stride.

James said: “They scored early and you know it’s going to be difficult because it’s a tough place to come.

“We dug deep and got back in the game, but we couldn’t get that second goal.

“We’ve just got to pick our heads up and get ready for the next game against a very good Turkey team.”

Central defender Chris Mepham will miss the Turkey game through suspension after picking up his third yellow card of the campaign in Yerevan.

Rob Page accepts that Wales’ Euro 2024 destiny might lie in the play-offs following their damaging draw with Armenia.

Wales needed a Nair Tiknizyan own goal on the stroke of half-time to give them a 1-1 draw in Yerevan, when Armenia were the most dangerous side for large parts of a low-quality contest.

Croatia are now favourites to take the second automatic qualifying spot behind Turkey, who travel to Cardiff for Wales’ last group fixture on Tuesday safe in the knowledge they will be playing in the finals in Germany next summer.

Having dropped points to remove automatic qualification from their own hands, manager Page said: “There’s a disappointed group in there, but we’ve got to pick ourselves up and finish on a high on Tuesday.

“Unfortunately it’s now out of our control. With a win, we’d all have been buzzing and looking forward to the game on Tuesday, and a win would have seen us qualify.

“It’s not materialised as we’d like, but that’s life and we have to get on with it.

“It’s about building momentum and, if it’s a play-off in March, it’s a play-off in March.

“If results go for us, we’ve still got an opportunity to qualify (automatically).

“We can only control what we can do, get the players in the right frame of mind, mentally and physically ready for Tuesday.”

Wales were beaten 4-2 by Armenia – ranked 95 in the world and 67 places below them – at the Cardiff City Stadium in June, and Page’s side were shaken again within five minutes of the Yerevan return.

Lucas Zelarayan, who scored twice in Cardiff, worked space on the edge of the area after Wales failed to clear a corner and slotted the ball into the corner of Danny Ward’s net.

Page said: “We got off to the worst possible start, we knew they were going to come out the traps fast. I’m disappointed with that.

“I thought we grew in the first half and scored at the perfect time.

“But the break came at a bad time for us because I thought we were growing in momentum.

“We got into some OK positions. Whether it was the final pass or the final ball, that final detail wasn’t quite right for whatever reason.

“We threw everything at it and both teams were going for the win.

“You could see by the changes we made. We took a wing back-off and put a winger on to try and get as many forward players on the pitch as we could.”

Wales had beaten World Cup semi-finalists Croatia last month to put them in control of the race for a top-two place.

But on a poor pitch that neither team were able to master, Wales did not remotely come close hitting the heights of that performance.

Reflecting on the contrasting two displays, Page said: “It’s not to say there were a lot of players who had off-days, but you do have that in transitions, you have inconsistencies.

“I’m not going to fault the players for their effort. Their effort, to a man, was commendable. They gave everything, like they always do.

“The pitch was heavy, like nothing we’ve seen back home, but it was the same for both sides.

“We’ll get them recovered, have a recovery session on Sunday and go through with the medical team who we’ve got available for Tuesday.

“We need to finish the campaign on a high. It’s important to have some momentum if there is a play-off in March.”

Wales newcomer Niall Huggins is ready to step onto the international stage after expressing fears that a mystery injury which left him with weak bones would end his career.

Huggins joined up with the senior Wales squad for the first time this week ahead of decisive Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey after what the Sunderland defender called a “horrendous” period.

The 22-year-old made just a couple of league starts in his first two seasons at Sunderland after joining from Leeds in August 2021, with the full-back becoming increasingly concerned over his football future.

“The last two years have been horrendous, awful to be honest,” said York-born Huggins, whose father was born in Bangor.

“When I first joined Sunderland, I suffered an initial stress fracture in my back and that put me out for four or five months.

“I had the same sort of issue but in different places when I was doing my rehab and it was something we struggled to get to the bottom of.

“There was never a reason for why it was happening. All the tests we did, nothing ever seemed to stand out.

“It was just that the bones were weak, which made it tough.”

Asked if he felt his career was at risk at the time, Huggins said: “Yes, 100 per cent. It got to the point where every time I was doing the rehab, the first few steps back on the grass, it was always there in the back of my mind.

“I would think: ‘Is this going to happen again?’ And you do start to worry. The years are going by on the contract and you are worrying about it.

“When I did finally start to get fit, it helped so much mentally. But it is still hard to look back on.”

Huggins said the issue was eventually resolved by “having an injection every morning for three months”, strengthening his bones and allowing him to return to training.

But the physical demand of matches took a toll on his body, with muscular issues and a knee problem ruling him out until Sunderland’s Championship play-off games in May.

It has not been until this season that Huggins has been able to show the potential that persuaded Marcelo Bielsa to hand him a Premier League debut for Leeds at Arsenal in February 2021.

“It literally feels like I’m starting my professional career,” said Huggins, who has started 11 Sunderland games this term and scored his first senior goal – a Championship goal-of-the-month contender – against Watford in October.

“This is the first year where I can really show what I can do and what level I can play at. To have the call-up to the senior team shows that even more.

“It wasn’t even at the back of my mind, but it felt amazing.

“To represent a country feels unbelievable. It means as much to the lads who were born outside Wales as those born in the country and who have lived there for a long time.

“It just shows the culture that the set-up creates for the players. You can see how amazing the fans are and how much it means to the country to make it to the Euros.

“The previous results show how much the lads want to play for the badge, including the lads born in England – and me being one of them. I’m just excited to one day hopefully put on the shirt and play for the country.”

Ben Davies insists Wales are determined to prove the doubters wrong by making Euro 2024 and reaching a fourth major tournament in five attempts.

Wales are preparing for decisive Euro 2024 ties against Armenia and Turkey knowing qualification for next summer’s finals is in their own hands.

Last month’s stunning 2-1 upset win over World Cup semi-finalists Croatia has set Rob Page’s side up for what could be another momentous week in Welsh football.

Tottenham defender Davies, stand-in skipper for the injured Aaron Ramsey on the night and again this week, gave a rousing ‘huddle’ speech after the Croatia game that was caught on camera.

Evoking the words of Dafydd Iwan’s Yma O Hyd – the 1980s folk protest song which has been adopted by the Football Association of Wales as an anthem and translates as “Still Here” – Davies declared that the Dragons never give in.

“It was just a case of showing the reason why we’re here,” Davies said of a speech which came during a campaign in which Wales have had to adapt to life without the match-winning exploits of the retired Gareth Bale.

“It was backs against the walls stuff, it was showing that people doubted us again but we’re still standing.

“We’re standing up against the challenges and here we are with two games to go still in the fight.

“We never stopped believing in this group. The mindset we’ve got is we can get a result against anyone. We’ve shown that.”

If they fail to qualify automatically – dropped points will leave them relying on other results for a top-two place – Wales are guaranteed a play-off place through their elite status in the last edition of the Nations League.

But overcoming Armenia and already-qualified Turkey might be an easier proposition than beating the likes of Norway, Poland and Ukraine in March.

Automatic qualification, however, looked improbable after June’s 4-2 defeat to Armenia in Cardiff, and the subsequent 2-0 away loss in Turkey three days later.

Davies said: “It was obviously disappointing to lose to Armenia at home in the summer.

“In these groups your home record usually has to be very good, but we’ve been here before.

“We’ve had our backs against the wall and we’ve given ourselves a chance. It’s exactly the same now.

“It’s quite clear the second game doesn’t matter if the first one doesn’t go our way.

“This week it’s full focus on Armenia. We had a tough result against them at home, it was a real wake-up call.

“They’re a good side and showed that against us, and it’s important we go there knowing we’ve got a big job to do.”

Davies, Ramsey and goalkeepers Danny Ward and Wayne Hennessey are the four survivors remaining from the squad that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

Wales went 58 years before their first major tournament – the 1958 World Cup – and their second in France.

But playing in Germany next summer would see them making four tournaments out of five – three successive European Championships and the 2022 World Cup.

“Growing up it was a dream of Welsh football to be going to these major tournaments,” Davies said.

“That dream still exists and this is another huge chance we’ve got.

“We don’t want to sit on the success and say: ‘OK, we’ve been there and had a nice time’.

“Once you get a taste of it you want to do it again. That’s exactly where we are as a group this time.”

Wales qualified for Euro 2020 by winning their final two games, away to Azerbaijan and at home to Hungary, and obvious parallels exist with a far-flung trip to Eastern Europe followed by a sell-out clash at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Davies said: “Of course there are similarities from the last time we qualified (for the European Championship).

“It’s a tight group and they’re always going to come down to it (last games), whatever happens. Most of us have been in this situation before and it’s an opportunity for us to do it again.”

Warren Gatland was appointed Wales head coach on this day in 2007 as Welsh rugby looked to rebuild following their early World Cup exit.

A 38-34 defeat to Fiji 41 days earlier saw Wales knocked out at the group stage in France, with Gareth Jenkins sacked the following morning.

The Welsh Rugby Union launched a global search for his replacement and the process led them 12,000 miles away to a former hooker who had played 17 non-international matches for New Zealand but never won a Test cap.

Gatland had impressed during a three-year spell in charge of Ireland between 1998 and 2001, just missing out on the Six Nations title in his final year as England held a superior points difference.

He also led Wasps to three Premiership titles and the Heineken Cup between 2002 and 2005 before returning to his homeland to coach Waikato.

After signing an initial four-year contract with Wales, Gatland said: “I feel tremendous pride in coaching Wales and gratitude at the chance to work at the highest level.

“Wales is the sleeping giant of world rugby, I want to achieve potential.”

Gatland made an immediate impact as he led Wales to Grand Slam success in 2008, an achievement he would repeat in 2012 and 2019.

In doing so, Gatland became the first coach to win three Grand Slams in the Five or Six Nations era.

Gatland’s initial 12-year reign also saw Wales reach the semi-finals of the 2011 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.

He was reappointed to the role in December 2022 and Wales reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup the following year, where they lost 29-17 to Argentina.

Rob Page says he has cleared the air with Football Association of Wales chief Noel Mooney after their public spat last month.

Mooney put Page’s future in the spotlight four days before the Euro 2024 qualifier against Croatia by saying the manager’s position would be reviewed if Wales did not qualify for Euro 2024 automatically.

Subsequent media reports suggested Mooney had wanted fellow Irishman Roy Keane, the former Sunderland and Ipswich manager and TV pundit, to replace Page following June defeats to Armenia and Turkey.

Page is just over 12 months into a four-year contract and promised to “ignore the noise” during the build-up to a game that Wales eventually won 2-1 to move into the second automatic qualifying place in Group D.

Captain Ben Davies described Mooney’s comments as “not helpful”, and Page said the issue has since been addressed at a meeting between himself, the chief executive and FAW president Steve Williams.

“It was a conversation all three of us needed,” Page said when announcing his squad on Wednesday for this month’s final Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey.

“I’m not going to go into details of what was said. It needed to be done and only positives will come from it.

“I’m due to meet him (Mooney) after the press conference and we’ll have a coffee and a chat.

“Things were said and that was it. We all move forward in the same direction. Full focus is now on the football.

“It was frustrating, unnecessary. But I don’t want to spend any more time thinking about it. We’re all on the same page.

“We all know what we’ve got to do. It would be disrespectful from me now to the players to keep going on about it.”

Tottenham forward Brennan Johnson returns to a 23-man squad after missing the win over Croatia with a hamstring injury.

Page maintains stand-in skipper Davies will be fit for both qualifiers, despite the defender missing Spurs’ 4-1 Premier League defeat against Chelsea on Monday and also being in danger of sitting out his club’s weekend game at Wolves.

Sunderland defender Niall Huggins has won his first senior call-up and Portsmouth midfielder Joe Morrell returns after a two-match suspension.

But Aaron Ramsey is again ruled out with the knee injury he sustained in September, and Page says the Cardiff midfielder has suffered a “setback” in his recovery.

He said: “It’s disappointing, I found out on Friday last week. As we all know Aaron was pushing and pushing to be part of this camp.

“Unfortunately it’s come a little too soon for him. He’s had a setback. He got up to about 90 per cent. If you’d seen him on the grass, straight lines, everything was fine.

“But there was something stopping him from going to that last step. So it’s not great for us, but it gives others an opportunity.

“He’ll be a part of it (the squad). I had that conversation with him last camp. He knew he wasn’t going to play any minutes in regards to the changing room, but to have Aaron around the lads is definitely beneficial.”

Wales can avoid the play-offs in March by beating Armenia in Yerevan on November 18 and Turkey in Cardiff three days later.

Dropped points in either game will leave them relying on other results to join already-qualified Turkey at next summer’s European Championship in Germany.

“June was a bump in the road,” Page said of damaging defeats to Armenia and Turkey in the space of four days.

“We didn’t like it. We didn’t appreciate it. We didn’t like what we saw, but we put it right in September (by beating Latvia) – and some.

“We built on that in October and capped it off with arguably one of the best performances that I’ve seen.

“We have to build on that. It will count for nothing if we don’t follow it up.”

Wales fly-half Sam Costelow is expected to be sidelined until January after suffering shoulder and hamstring injuries.

Scarlets playmaker Costelow was hurt during Wales’ 49-26 victory over the Barbarians on Saturday and went off at half-time.

He is a clear favourite to succeed Dan Biggar, who retired from Test rugby after the World Cup, in Wales’ number 10 shirt.

Wales kick off their Six Nations campaign against Scotland in Cardiff on February 3.

“We are not expecting him in the short term,” Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel told reporters ahead of Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against South African side the Lions.

“It will be beyond Christmas, beyond the new year before we see him. I haven’t an exact date. We are still waiting on the final prognosis and some specialist opinion, really, on that.

“It is a disappointing one for us because he is going to be out for the large part of the first half of the season.

“There is loads more to come from him, and this is obviously a setback in his career at the minute to have this injury.”

Costelow impressed for Wales at the World Cup in France, starting the pool game against Georgia when Gareth Anscombe was a late withdrawal.

And he is the latest member of that squad to be sidelined, with Exeter forward Christ Tshiunza suffering a broken foot on his return to domestic action and number eight Taulupe Faletau continuing his recovery from a broken arm sustained in the Georgia match.

Wales, meanwhile, are without the Six Nations services of Anscombe and full-back Liam Williams, who will play domestic rugby in Japan next year.

Warren Gatland has underlined the importance of patience as he nurtures a new generation of Wales international players.

Welsh rugby bid farewell to three of its biggest names – Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Leigh Halfpenny – in a tribute game that saw Wales beat Principality Stadium opponents the Barbarians 49-26.

Fly-half Dan Biggar stepped down after the Rugby World Cup, meaning that Wales boss Gatland has lost more than 500 caps-worth of experience this year, with scrum-half Rhys Webb also exiting international rugby.

Influential backs Liam Williams and Gareth Anscombe, meanwhile, will be unavailable for the Six Nations this season as they embark on new club careers in Japan.

But fresh faces have already emerged – players like captain Jac Morgan, Sam Costelow, Dewi Lake, Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza, who all have a World Cup in the locker.

And there are others who did not make Gatland’s squad cut for France who could be banging on his door sooner rather than later.

“We are pretty excited about some of the youngsters coming through,” Gatland said.

“You have got to be patient with them, you have got to go through a little bit of pain.

“Probably some of the symmetry between the (Welsh) regions and us hasn’t been the same.

“Unfortunately, we have probably used the national team almost as a pathway (in) that we have developed those players through playing international rugby almost out of necessity because we’ve had a weakness in some positions.

“Then, because they end up playing international rugby and doing well, they then go back and they start for their regions. We have sometimes got that wrong.

“It is just making sure we work together as the regions and the national team in terms of where we have got holes and developing players.

“I have long been an advocate of foreign players. I think they are good for the game, especially here in Wales.

“But I’ve always said we need to get world-class foreign players, and if we need to pay a lot of money for them then we should do that.

“Unfortunately, what we’ve tended to do is get middle-of-the-road journeymen who are 27 or 28, or even older, who have tended to stop the development of some of the youngsters. For the regions and for us, we need to get that right.

“We know the financial situation. We all go through some pain as a national set-up, but now is the right time to do that and then think, what could the picture look like in a couple of years?”

A year that started with Wales being riddled by off-field issues that unquestionably contributed to a dismal Six Nations campaign, ended through five wins out of six and a fourth successive World Cup quarter-final appearance.

The next World Cup cycle, culminating in Australia 2027, is now under way, and centre George North will be part of that conversation moving forward.

North, who has played in four World Cups, will be 35 if he makes the squad for Down Under, but he has already indicated that he has no current plans to follow some of his former team-mates into Test retirement.

Gatland added: “He and I have had a good chat and he wants to continue being available at the moment.

“He has been playing for a long time – since he was 18 – but he does have that experience and leadership, and he brings a voice to us.

“He is probably more important for us in the short-term, and then it is whether he makes that decision on whether he can keep going on through another cycle.

“Next World Cup, he will be 35. Whether he can get that far or not, if he is going to try and do that I am comfortable with that. It is just making sure we keep talking.”