World Cup 2022: How qualification could transform Welsh football on and off the field

When Cardiff missed out on staging Euro 2020 matches in 2014, then FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford bemoaned the “politics” behind Uefa’s decision.

It sounded almost naïve. Speaking to the Welsh delegation as they left the conference centre in Geneva, there seemed to be a feeling they had been outmanoeuvred by their counterparts from Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

Now, the FAW hopes to have more clout in football’s corridors of power.

It helps that current chief executive Mooney spent a decade with Uefa, working as head of national associations business development having previously held roles in marketing after joining from the Football Association of Ireland.

There is work to do, however, if Wales is to become a more influential player with Fifa and Uefa.

Laura McAllister is furthering that cause more than most, and last year she lost narrowly in the election to become Uefa’s female representative on the Fifa Council.

The former Wales captain turned professor of politics has held numerous high-ranking administrative roles in sport and has served as deputy chair of Uefa’s women’s football committee since 2017.

“I’d like to see us become an exemplar of good governance, where we have independent voices who speak up for the strategy of developing the game, who speak up for the women’s game and the grassroots game,” McAllister says.

“I’m not trying to belittle the Euros – that’s an enormous tournament and to do so well there did catapult Wales on to the global stage – but the World Cup is a level beyond again.

“It’s really building on the momentum we’ve already got. We’ve qualified for consecutive Euros, we’ve been close so many times [to the World Cup] and a lot of us have been at those games where we’ve come close, but I honestly believe this is our biggest chance for such a long time.

“It’s not little old Wales. If we can’t beat Ukraine in a home tie, we probably don’t deserve to qualify for a World Cup. Let’s be realistic, we’re a better side and if we play as we can, we should do it. That gives us the foundation for everything else we want to do in the game.

“More politically, it also gives the government in Wales an opportunity to use the incredible power and reach of football and sport to sell Wales as a modern, technologically-advanced, inclusive nation. It’s going to provide so many opportunities to sell Wales to the world.”