A national rivalry that dates all the way back to the 13th century, the competition between England and Wales has always been a fiery meeting.
Sharing a 160 mile border, the two countries are well-known bitter rivals in British football with England often seen as the more successful in terms of silverware and quality.
But why are these two countries rivals? And, how many times have Wales beaten England?
England vs Wales Football Rivalry
A rivalry that first began in 1879, the clash between England and Wales was once a regular occurrence as the two sides would constantly battle in the Home Nations Championship – a tournament that ran from 1884 to 1984.
Playing each other on an annual basis, England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland became fiercely competitive with each other in football as the opportunity to face other European countries was not as accessible.
Fast forward to modern times, and the rivalry between England and Wales has become more of a special occasion than a regular meeting as competitions such as the World Cup, Nations League, and European Championships have made it possible to face other countries from around the globe.
Countries such as Germany have grown to be England’s fiercest rivals in modern football due to the competitive history between the two countries and the high quality of the international meetings.
The two countries are now seen as rivals due to their geographical positioning more than footballing quality, however, both sides possess arguably the best teams in Britain which leaves the ever lingering question of ‘who is the best?’.
England vs Wales: Football Results History
| DATE | HOME | SCORE | AWAY | COMPETITION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jan 1879 | England | 2-1 | Wales | International Friendly |
| 15 Mar 1880 | Wales | 2-3 | England | International Friendly |
| 26 Feb 1881 | England | 0-1 | Wales | International Friendly |
| 13 Mar 1882 | Wales | 5-3 | England | International Friendly |
| 03 Feb 1883 | England | 5-0 | Wales | International Friendly |
| 17 Mar 1884 | Wales | 0-4 | England | British Home Championship |
| 14 Mar 1885 | England | 1-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 29 Mar 1886 | Wales | 1-3 | England | British Home Championship |
| 26 Feb 1887 | England | 4-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 04 Feb 1888 | England | 5-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 23 Feb 1889 | England | 4-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 15 Mar 1890 | Wales | 1-3 | England | British Home Championship |
| 07 Mar 1891 | England | 4-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 05 Mar 1892 | Wales | 0-2 | England | British Home Championship |
| 13 Mar 1893 | England | 6-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 12 Mar 1894 | Wales | 1-5 | England | British Home Championship |
| 18 Mar 1895 | England | 1-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 16 Mar 1896 | Wales | 1-9 | England | British Home Championship |
| 29 Mar 1897 | England | 4-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 28 Mar 1898 | Wales | 0-3 | England | British Home Championship |
| 20 Mar 1899 | England | 4-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 26 Mar 1900 | Wales | 1-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 18 Mar 1901 | England | 6-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 03 Mar 1902 | Wales | 0-0 | England | British Home Championship |
| 02 Mar 1903 | England | 2-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 29 Feb 1904 | Wales | 2-2 | England | British Home Championship |
| 27 Mar 1905 | England | 3-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 19 Mar 1906 | Wales | 0-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 18 Mar 1907 | England | 1-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 16 Mar 1908 | Wales | 1-7 | England | British Home Championship |
| 15 Mar 1909 | England | 2-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 14 Mar 1910 | Wales | 0-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 13 Mar 1911 | England | 3-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 11 Mar 1912 | Wales | 0-2 | England | British Home Championship |
| 17 Mar 1913 | England | 4-3 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 16 Mar 1914 | Wales | 0-2 | England | British Home Championship |
| 15 Mar 1920 | England | 1-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 14 Mar 1921 | Wales | 0-0 | England | British Home Championship |
| 13 Mar 1922 | England | 1-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 05 Mar 1923 | Wales | 2-2 | England | British Home Championship |
| 03 Mar 1924 | England | 1-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 28 Feb 1925 | Wales | 1-2 | England | British Home Championship |
| 01 Mar 1926 | England | 1-3 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 12 Feb 1927 | Wales | 3-3 | England | British Home Championship |
| 28 Nov 1927 | England | 1-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 17 Nov 1928 | Wales | 2-3 | England | British Home Championship |
| 20 Nov 1929 | England | 6-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 22 Nov 1930 | Wales | 0-4 | England | British Home Championship |
| 18 Nov 1931 | England | 3-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 16 Nov 1932 | Wales | 0-0 | England | British Home Championship |
| 15 Nov 1933 | England | 1-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 29 Sep 1934 | Wales | 0-4 | England | British Home Championship |
| 05 Feb 1936 | England | 1-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 17 Oct 1936 | Wales | 2-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 17 Nov 1937 | England | 2-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 22 Oct 1938 | Wales | 4-2 | England | British Home Championship |
| 13 Nov 1946 | England | 3-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 18 Oct 1947 | Wales | 0-3 | England | British Home Championship |
| 10 Nov 1948 | England | 1-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 15 Oct 1949 | Wales | 1-4 | England | FIFA World Cup Qualifier |
| 15 Nov 1950 | England | 4-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 20 Oct 1951 | Wales | 1-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 12 Nov 1952 | England | 5-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 10 Oct 1953 | Wales | 1-4 | England | FIFA World Cup Qualifier |
| 10 Nov 1954 | England | 3-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 22 Oct 1955 | Wales | 2-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 14 Nov 1956 | England | 3-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 19 Oct 1957 | Wales | 0-4 | England | British Home Championship |
| 26 Nov 1958 | England | 2-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 17 Oct 1959 | Wales | 1-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 23 Nov 1960 | England | 5-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 14 Oct 1961 | Wales | 1-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 21 Nov 1962 | England | 4-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 12 Oct 1963 | Wales | 0-4 | England | British Home Championship |
| 18 Nov 1964 | England | 2-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 02 Oct 1965 | Wales | 0-0 | England | British Home Championship |
| 16 Nov 1966 | England | 5-1 | Wales | UEFA European Championship Qualifier |
| 21 Oct 1967 | Wales | 0-3 | England | UEFA European Championship Qualifier |
| 07 May 1969 | England | 2-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 18 Apr 1970 | Wales | 1-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 19 May 1971 | England | 0-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 20 May 1972 | Wales | 0-3 | England | British Home Championship |
| 15 Nov 1972 | Wales | 0-1 | England | FIFA World Cup Qualifier |
| 24 Jan 1973 | England | 1-1 | Wales | FIFA World Cup Qualifier |
| 15 May 1973 | England | 3-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 11 May 1974 | Wales | 0-2 | England | British Home Championship |
| 21 May 1975 | England | 2-2 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 24 Mar 1976 | Wales | 1-2 | England | Centenary Match |
| 08 May 1976 | Wales | 0-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 31 May 1977 | England | 0-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 13 May 1978 | Wales | 1-3 | England | British Home Championship |
| 23 May 1979 | England | 0-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 17 May 1980 | Wales | 4-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 20 May 1981 | England | 0-0 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 27 Apr 1982 | Wales | 0-1 | England | British Home Championship |
| 23 Feb 1983 | England | 2-1 | Wales | British Home Championship |
| 02 May 1984 | Wales | 1-0 | England | British Home Championship |
| 09 Oct 2004 | England | 2-0 | Wales | FIFA World Cup Qualifier |
| 03 Sep 2005 | Wales | 0-1 | England | FIFA World Cup Qualifier |
| 26 Mar 2011 | Wales | 0-2 | England | UEFA European Championship Qualifier |
| 06 Sep 2011 | England | 1-0 | Wales | UEFA European Championship Qualifier |
| 16 Jun 2016 | England | 2-1 | Wales | UEFA European Championship |
| 08 Oct 2020 | England | 3-0 | Wales | International Friendly |
| 29 Nov 2022 | Wales | TBC | England | FIFA World Cup |
England vs Wales Head-to-Head Record
| MATCHES PLAYED | 138 |
| ENGLAND WINS | 66 |
| DRAWS | 12 |
| WALES WINS | 60 |
Have Wales Ever Beaten England in Football?
Wales have beaten England in football with their first ever win over the three lions recorded in 1881, winning 1-0 at Alexandra Meadows thanks to a goal from John Vaughan.
How Many Times Have Wales Beaten England in Football?
Wales have beaten England in 60 of their 138 international meetings, they have also drawn 12 of them whilst England have won the most at 66 victories.
This means that both sides have won less than 50% of the meetings, Wales has won just 43.48% of the fixtures while England is the more dominant side with a win percentage of 47.83%.
When Did Wales Last Beat England in Football?
Wales last won against England in 1984 in a 1-0 victory in Wrexham. Wales have failed to win against England in seven of their last eight meetings with the three lions, losing six and drawing once.
Then-Manchester United youngster Mark Hughes netted the winner, scoring a header on his international debut at the Racecourse Ground in their final Home Nations meeting. The young forward’s goal past legendary goalkeeper Peter Shilton made Hughes a Welsh hero as well as handed his country their first win over England since 1980.
