Kazakhstan vs Wales – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Kazakhstan and Wales go head-to-head in the 2026 FIFA World Cup European qualifiers on Thursday.

Both sides will be searching for crucial points in Group J, with Wales looking to maintain their second-place position while Kazakhstan fight to keep their faint World Cup dreams alive.

Kazakhstan vs Wales – Match preview and team news

Kazakhstan team news

Kazakhstan are without several key players including Mikhail Gabyshev, who was ruled out due to a cruciate ligament injury. Captain Askhat Tagybergen retired from international duty in June, leaving a leadership void in the squad.

Goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov might get the nod to start after his heroics for Kairat Almaty against Celtic, which saw them win in penalties to qualify for the UCL, as Aliyev remains confident about his fitness. Another teenager Dastan Satpaev is expected to feature for the hosts, while experienced midfielder Ramazan Orazov has returned to contention after missing recent squads due to lack of playing time.

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Wales team news

Craig Bellamy’s Wales squad has been hit by a series of withdrawals for the trip to Astana. Joe Rodon was ruled out due to concussion protocols despite playing the full 90 minutes for Leeds United last weekend. Wrexham goalkeeper Danny Ward was stretchered off during his club’s victory over Millwall and will miss the match.

Captain Aaron Ramsey has been left out to build up fitness at his Mexican club, Pumas UNAM, after a five-month layoff following hamstring surgery. Ethan Ampadu and Connor Roberts are also absent through injury. Tom King, Rhys Norrington-Davies, and Joel Colwill have been called up as replacements.

Form

Kazakhstan: WLWLL

The Kazakhs have only won one of their opening three qualifiers, beating Liechtenstein in between defeats to Wales and North Macedonia.

Wales: WWDWL

Craig Bellamy’s Wales have shown resilience despite a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Belgium in their last qualifier. The Dragons had fought back from 3-0 down to level the match before conceding a late winner. Prior to that setback, Wales had impressed with a 3-0 home victory over Liechtenstein.

Wales currently sit second in Group J with seven points from four matches, just one point behind leaders North Macedonia. With 10 goals scored in four games, the Dragons have been one of the most prolific attacking teams in the qualifiers.

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Predicted Lineups

Kazakhstan: Seysen; Tapalov, Alip, Maliye, Kairov, Vorogovskiy; Chesnokov, Muzhikov, Orazov, Zaynutdinov; Samorodov

Wales: Darlow; Williams, Mepham, Rodon, Davies; James, Sheehan; Johnson, Wilson, Thomas; Moore

How to watch Kazakhstan vs Wales?

UK fans can watch the game live on BBC One and S4C. The match will also be available on BBC iPlayer and through live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.

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