Wales vs Kazakhstan LIVE: Craig Bellamy’s crew start World Cup qualifying marketing campaign in Cardiff

Kazakhstan have lost seven of their last eight competitive games, including the past five in a row.

They last had a longer losing run between November 2016 and October 2017 (six).

Craig Bellamy believes Wales’ experience of playing at major tournaments will have a positive bearing on their attempt to reach the 2026 World Cup.

Wales start their qualifying campaign against Kazakhstan in Cardiff on Saturday before visiting North Macedonia three days later.

Group favourites Belgium and minnows Liechtenstein complete the section, with Bellamy confident Wales will benefit from participating at three major tournaments in the last decade.

Wales have lost just two of their last 16 matches in all competitions with seven wins and eight draws.

Those defeats were a 4-0 defeat away at Slovakia in a friendly in June 2024 and a penalty shootout loss to Poland in their Euro 2024 play-off final three months earlier.

Kazakhstan have won three of their last four meetings with the British home nations, beating Scotland in March 2019 and winning home and away against Northern Ireland in June and September 2023.

“I liked the opposition, England, because we have got Belgium,” said Craig Bellamy, about the scheduled friendly with the Three Lions later this year.

“I needed the high intensity, but I didn’t need it on a Friday (three days before the Belgium game).

“I needed England to work on a Thursday and we didn’t want to travel, so ideally it was to be a home game.

“But I wanted to keep the pitch OK as well because of the importance of the Belgium game.

“So, the high intensity and quality of the opposition without travelling, England was perfect.”

Wales boss Craig Bellamy says playing a friendly against England later this year is ideal to help them qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Wales meet England at Wembley on October 9, just four days before hosting Group J favourites Belgium in a World Cup qualifier.

Belgium’s trip to Cardiff City Stadium is expected to be pivotal to Welsh hopes of topping the section and qualifying for their second successive World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Kazakhstan XI: Zarutskiy, Tapalov, Bystrov, Marochkin, Alip, Vorogovskiy; Chesnokov, Tagybergen, Muzhikov, Samorodov; Zhaksylykov

Subs: Pokatilov, Seisen, Astanov, Zhumakhanov, Zhaksybayev, Kenzhebek, Zhagorov, Zhukov, Aimbetov, Satpayev, Orazov, Mukhamed

This will be the first meeting between Wales and Kazakhstan at men’s senior level.

Kazakhstan are ranked 110 in the world, 81 places below Wales, and were relegated from the second tier of the Nations League in November with only one point from six games.

But Wales should beware complacency: Kazakhstan won six of their 10 Euro 2024 qualifiers and beat Northern Ireland home and away, as well as upsetting Denmark and Finland.

England boss Thomas Tuchel said: “The games against Senegal and Wales will present good challenges for us against two very different opponents.

“Facing a strong African team in a passionate city with rich football heritage and then a derby match at the iconic Wembley; two big occasions that can only help us on the road to the World Cup.”

The neighbours have met on 104 occasions, most recently during the 2022 World Cup group stage, and will go toe-to-toe once more on October 9.

The Football Association has also announced a friendly against Senegal – another nation England faced in Qatar – at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on June 10.