Wales fans boo 'God Save The King' in 'meaningless' Northern Ireland stalemate

Ed Griffiths
Wed, 01 Apr 2026 06:53:11 +0000

Welsh football supporters jeered and booed the British national anthem before their side's friendly encounter with Northern Ireland at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday evening.

As God Save The King played for the visiting team ahead of kick-off, home fans made their displeasure audible throughout the stadium.

The Cardiff crowd also drowned out the anthem by repeatedly chanting "Wales, Wales" whilst it was being performed.

Following the booing, Welsh players and supporters delivered a passionate rendition of their own anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.

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The fixture came about after both nations suffered World Cup play-off semi-final defeats last Thursday.

Craig Bellamy's Wales were eliminated on penalties by Bosnia and Herzegovina at home, whilst Northern Ireland fell to Italy in Bergamo.

UEFA mandated that the losing semi-finalists face each other, creating what many considered an unwanted consolation match.

The visitors took the lead midway through the first half when Jamie Donley capitalised on defensive uncertainty.

The Tottenham forward, currently on loan at Oxford United, initially headed Justin Devenny's cross against the woodwork before reacting swiftly to convert the rebound for his second international goal.

Wales responded immediately after the interval, levelling within a minute of the restart.

David Brooks drove forward and saw his shot deflected, with Sorba Thomas on hand to bundle the loose ball home from close range.

The hosts created further opportunities through Neco Williams, whose long-range strike forced a save from substitute goalkeeper Pierce Charles, whilst captain Harry Wilson fired narrowly wide from 18 yards.

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Northern Ireland's Eoin Toal came closest to a winner, but Karl Darlow produced an excellent stop to deny his header.

This was not the first occasion Welsh football supporters have booed the British national anthem.

During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, England fans began singing "God Save the King" during a group-stage clash between the two home nations, prompting Welsh supporters to respond with boos to drown it out.

The practice appears confined to football, however.

Welsh rugby supporters showed full respect for the anthem ahead of a Six Nations fixture in February.

The match itself drew a sparse crowd despite being officially declared a sell-out weeks earlier.

Many ticket holders evidently chose to stay away from what was widely regarded as a meaningless fixture.

Northern Ireland's result extended their winless run against Wales to 10 matches, stretching back 46 years to Noel Brotherston's winner at Ninian Park.