Our prediction for this World Cup 2026 match:
Wales
Match Time & Date:
22/03/2025
20:45
Prediction: 2-0
Kazakhstan
Cardiff City Stadium will be the centre of attention when Wales and Kazakhstan lock horns in a highly-anticipated World Cup qualifier. The Dragons are seen as hot favourites to win the opener, but they will have to prove their worth on the field. Key player Brennan Johnson is available for selection despite accumulating yellow cards in the Nations League, with captain Ben Davies, Leeds United winger David James, and veteran midfielder Joe Allen making the cut as well.
The Kazakhs, on the other hand, defeated Curacao 2-0 in a friendly on Wednesday evening, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry in South Wales. Given Kazakhstan’s eight-game losing run on the road in all competitions, home win should definitely be considered. A man to watch in the away team will be Akhmat Grozny forward Maksim Samorodov, who scored the opener against Curacao.
Highlighted Player (Joe Allen):
Joe Allen is another high-quality footballer from the new generation of Wales internationals, who was part of the team that took Swansea from League One to the Premier League, and he had no problems adapting to arguably the strongest league championship in Europe.
Allen operated as a deep-lying playmaker as the Swans impressed upon reaching the elite division, with his excellent passing skills persuading Liverpool to splash £15 million on his services. The central midfielder didn’t exactly manage to develop into an indispensable member of the side at Anfield, but he is considered an important squad player and has always performed well when called upon.
Meanwhile, he has been one of the pillars of the most successful team in the Wales history together with Gareth Bale, Ashley Williams and Aaron Ramsey, while even representing Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Allen started five games for the Dragons as they secured the first ever appearance at the European Championship finals.
Highlighted Team (Kazakhstan):
Kazakhstan national team played their first international match on June 1, 1992 against Turkmenistan, with the team beating the Emeralds 1-0. The former Soviet republic have been competing on the international stage since 1991, when the country declared independence.
Kazakhstan have yet to book their place at major tournaments, but they have not been serving as a cannon fodder for top European national teams. The Kazakhs were part of Asian Football Confederation before joining UEFA in 2002. However, they could not enter UEFA Euro 2004 qualification as the draw had been made earlier. Kazakhstan national football team recorded their biggest win over Pakistan in June, 1997 and they suffered their biggest defeat in 2005, with the team losing to Turkey 6-0.
Kazakhstan wear sky-blue shirts and sky-blue shorts when playing at home, while their away colour is yellow. Astana Arena is considered Kazakhstan national football team’s home ground and the capacity of the stadium is 30.244. The venue was opened in July, 2009.
Arminia Bielefeld 
Bayer Leverkusen 
Arsenal
Fulham
Wolves 
West Ham 
Nottingham Forest
Manchester United 
Dunkerque 
PSG
Real Madrid 
Real Sociedad 
