The Wales National Team have a history of posing badly for squad photos at major international tournaments, and the men’s team recently reminded everyone of that fact before their international friendly against Ghana.
Wales drew 1-1 with the African side, who have qualified for the 2026 World Cup, in Cardiff on Tuesday night. Caleb Yirenkyi put the visitors 1-0 up midway through the second half, but Lewis Koumas struck a last-gap equaliser for Craig Bellamy’s side.
Prior to kick-off, Wales’ players took part in their bizarre pre-match tradition of posing for their team photo in rather unusual fashion. See their awkward squad photo below:
It’s not just the men’s team who pose like this. Last summer, while making their long-awaited Women’s European Championship debut, Wales’ women’s team followed suit with their own peculiar team photo. See the picture below:
The chaotic pre-match squad photo has become part of tournament tradition for Wales these days, but some may not be aware of the origin story behind the random ritual.
It has been spotted at both women’s and men’s international tournaments since Euro 2016, when the men made it all the way to the semi-finals in France with the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale starring.
Story Behind Wales’ Bizarre Pre-Match Squad Photos
Wales players pose for a team group photo before the match
Speaking back in 2016 – when the images first started to go viral – Joe Ledley outlined that they noticed they were getting “lucky” whenever they took an unusual squad photo.
“We were just not very good at them. At first, we didn’t look into it, but then gradually a few photos got together, and it was awful, so we just thought we may as well keep it the same,” he said, as per Belfast Live.
“It’s been lucky for us too. It’s not really superstitious, but I don’t think we will have a proper photo.”
Jonny Williams backed up Ledley’s claims in 2016, adding: “I wasn’t there at the last game, but it looked on the TV like it’s got worse. I’ve been involved in a couple, but they were by accident, to be fair.
“I just don’t think we’re very good at them, and now we’re just doing it for banter I think, but I don’t know how much further we can go….unless we leave Wayne Hennessey on his own at the back!”
We won’t be seeing Wales’ strange team lineups at the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico because they failed to qualify for the showpiece international tournament. Bellamy’s men suffered a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off semi-finals back in March. Their sights are now set on the UEFA Nations League, which gets underway in September.
The 2026 Formula One season rolls into the ‘jewel in the crown’ this weekend at Monaco, for the first European race of the season. The legendary Monaco circuit brings a huge challenge for the drivers with 78 laps of racing on a tight and twisty circuit with the barriers never being far away.
The Monaco circuit consists of 19 corners with minimal overtaking opportunities, with only short straights and no straight mode zones, meaning drivers will not get additional power to assist with overtakes. The circuit could be well suited to the Ferrari car, which has looked good in slow speed sections so far. They aim to stop Mercedes‘ 100% winning record in proper races this season.
Kimi Antonelli comes into the race with a big 43-point lead over teammate George Russell after securing his fourth win in succession at the Canadian Grand Prix, but where will he finish this weekend?
We have asked the Supercomputer to predict who it thinks will come out on top.
Monaco GP predicted by Supercomputer (22-11)
Position
Driver
Team
22.
Lance Stroll
Aston Martin
21.
Valtteri Bottas
Cadillac
20.
Fernando Alonso
Aston Martin
19.
Sergio Perez
Cadillac
18.
Nico Hulkenberg
Audi
17.
Arvid Lindblad
Racing Bulls
16.
Gabriel Bortoleto
Audi
15.
Esteban Ocon
Haas
14.
Alex Albon
Williams
13.
Carlos Sainz
Williams
12.
Liam Lawson
Racing Bulls
11.
Isack Hadjar
Red Bull
10 Franco Colapinto
Alpine
Alpine have had a strong start to the season which they will be looking to build upon. Argentine Colapinto picked up a sixth-place finish in Canada last time out and the Supercomputer predicts him to get another points finish this weekend in Monaco.
9 Oliver Bearman
Haas
Bearman has been one of the standout drivers this season so far, sitting in ninth position in the Drivers’ Championship with 18 points. He is predicted to get his tally up to 20 points, picking up a couple more this weekend for the Haas team.
8 Max Verstappen
Red Bull
Four-time champion Max Verstappen comes into the Monaco Grand Prix on a high off the back of his first podium of the season in Canada. It is predicted, however, that Red Bull will have a difficult weekend, with their car struggling with issues on bumpy tracks, something which the Monaco circuit is, which will dent any chance the Dutchman has of recreating his Canada exploits.
Frenchman Pierre Gasly is another driver who has enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 season. He has been a consistent point scorer so far and this is not likely to change, according to the Supercomputer’s predictions.
6 Oscar Piastri
McLaren
McLaren will have to shake off the disappointments from Canada, where a strategy error, which put them on intermediate tyres instead of slicks at the start, derailed their weekend completely. Piastri later had contact with Albon in the race before trundling to an 11th-place finish. The Supercomputer believes the Australian will, however, bounce back with a solid sixth-place finish and put some good points on the board.
5 Lando Norris
McLaren
Next comes Piastri’s teammate Lando Norris. Also suffering from the strategy blunder, his race came to an end on lap 38 due to a gearbox issue. The current champion won last year in Monaco, but has a far inferior car compared to the last visit to the principality. The Supercomputer predicts the Brit to come home in fifth place this Sunday.
4 George Russell
Mercedes
Following the perfect start in Australia in the season opener, Russell’s season has since gone a bit off script. The Brit has been outshone by teenage teammate Kimi Antonelli and suffered a mechanical failure while leading in Canada last time out, seeing him plummet to 43 points behind the Italian in the championship. The Supercomputer predicts Russell will finish P4 this weekend, further losing ground in the championship battle.
F1 25 have released the 2026 Season, and the new ratings have caused quite a stir.
3 Lewis Hamilton
Ferrari
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton will come into Monaco full of confidence following a second-place finish in Canada. With a strong Ferrari car behind him, he will be in the fight for victory this weekend. He is a three-time winner at this venue and will look to use his experience to propel himself further up the order. The Supercomputer believes he will fall just short of the victory and will come home in third.
2 Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes
The 19-year-old Italian wonderkid has set the F1 season alight so far, winning four of the opening five races. He is full of confidence, with both himself and his car firing on all cylinders. The Italian has a great chance of victory this weekend and making it five on the bounce. Despite this, the Supercomputer predicts he will narrowly miss out on victory, but will still extend his lead in the championship by another six points.
1 Charles Leclerc
Ferrari
Hometown hero Charles Leclerc comes into the weekend trying to recreate the heroics from his emotional victory here in 2024. Having grown up in the streets of Monaco, there is nobody on the grid who knows the track like the 28-year-old. This, and a circuit that suits the Ferrari car, will combine the perfect mix to set Leclerc on his way to victory, giving us a non-Mercedes race winner for the first time this season. Not a bad way to celebrate a new contract, either.
Celtic are pushing to secure a new manager, and an update from Sky Sports has now emerged on their pursuit of Robbie Keane.
Martin O’Neill was brought to the club during the 2025/2026 campaign, but the experienced manager only signed a deal until the summer.
The Glasgow giants are now in the market to find a replacement, despite O’Neill winning the Scottish Premiership title.
Although Celtic lifted the title during the 2025/2026 season, some of their performances were still a concern, so it’s no surprise to see them pursuing other options.
The Bhoys now need a strong summer transfer window under a new manager, if they want to win the league without having to wait until the final day.
According to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, Celtic have held constructive talks with Keane about taking over as manager.
Further discussions have now been scheduled as Celtic weigh up bringing their former striker to the club.
Sky Sports also shared the ‘breaking news’ live on air, with Celtic pushing to secure Keane as their manager.
It looks as though Keane could be their man, although Dermot Desmond does want to understand if O’Neill would be interested in taking the job on a permanent basis.
Arsenal are showing an interest in signing one of the brightest young talents in England ahead of the summer transfer window, and he wants to join the club.
The Gunners enjoyed a phenomenal season, finally winning the Premier League after over 20 years.
Arsenal did miss out on lifting the Champions League, however, losing in the final on penalties. As a result, they won’t want to stand still with their recruitment.
The summer window is an opportunity for the Gunners to go to the next level once again, potentially pushing to win a European trophy.
It’s also a chance for them to invest in young talent from around the world, knowing they already have a squad capable of winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final.
According to GIVEMESPORRT correspondent Ben Jacobs, Arsenal are in talks to sign Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga ahead of the summer transfer window.
The 16-year-old is attracting interest from a number of clubs, including from the Premier League, with the Foxes receiving as many as eight enquiries.
It’s claimed that Monga could cost in the region of £10m, while it’s possible that a deal could go to a tribunal to determine a fee, due to his age.
Monga Wants to Join
According to reports, Arsenal are confident that they can secure the signature of Monga in the upcoming transfer window.
It’s also claimed that Monga does want to join Arsenal this summer, despite interest from other clubs such as Manchester United.
Monga, described as ‘generational’, is almost guaranteed to leave Leicester in the coming weeks after they were relegated from the Championship, with a host of Premier League clubs battling to secure his signature.
It appears Arsenal could be leading the race as they prepare to build a squad for the future after already winning the Premier League title.
