WALES will consider changing the football team name after the World Cup.
The country’s teams currently use the English word with Uefa and Fifa.
However, they are in talks with the European federations to switch the team name to Cymru.
Cymru – the Welsh name for Wales – is already used by the Welsh FA in its internal and external communications and by staff at the governing body’s headquarters in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The FAW plans to speak to various stakeholders in Welsh football about the merit of changing the country’s name in international competition.
FAW chief executive Noel Mooney said ahead of Wales’ first World Cup since 1958: “The team should always be called Cymru, that’s what we call it here.
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“Our view at the moment is that domestically we’re clearly called Cymru. That’s what we call our national teams.
“If you look at our website, how we talk about ourselves, we are very much Cymru.
“Internationally we feel we have a bit more work to do yet. So we are going to this World Cup as Wales.
“But I think 2023 will be a year when we have a good discussion with all the different stakeholders – whether that Governments, our own boards, councils and decision-making bodies, staff, clubs and players.
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“We’re a very open democratic organisation and we don’t just unilaterally decide today to do something like that.
“I would say it’s the direction of travel, but there’s no firm decisions on it. It’s more almost by osmosis that we’re heading towards it.”
The issue of a possible name change for Wales was brought into sharp focus earlier this month when Robert Page’s side were drawn in the same Euro 2024 qualifying group as Turkey.
The Turks now compete on the international stage as Turkiye after the Ankara government asked for the country to be known globally by its Turkish name and not the anglicised version.
Mooney said: “We spoke to the Turkish at the Euro 2024 draw about it.
“We’ve also had unofficial discussions with Uefa over coffees at different events.
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“We’ve asked what their direction of travel is, for example is there a movement towards people using their indigenous language?
“What I do know is there’s a renaissance of the Welsh language and a sense of great pride in what we do with the culture and the heritage.”
Changing its name to Cymru would end Wales’ status as being the last alphabetically of Uefa’s 55 national association members at different draws and meetings.
Meanwhile, Dafydd Iwan’s Yma o Hyd has been confirmed as Wales’ official World Cup song for Qatar.
The folk singer, 79, has been a smash hit among Dragons players, management and fans with his Welsh-speaking anthem track which means ‘We’re Still Here’.
Emotional Iwan belted out his rousing track with tears in his eyes in Cardiff before the play-off semi-final against Austria in March – and was back on the pitch to lead match-winner Gareth Bale and his team-mates in celebratory song after beating Ukraine.
The Wales squad will not star in a music video like they did with the Manic Street Preachers before Euro 2016 but the footage of Iwan joined by Bale and Aaron Ramsey post-match in Cardiff back in June will figure.
Iwan said of the remastered version of his song which will be released on November 7: “Yma o Hyd has become a national slogan and now the song which gave meaning to it is the official anthem of the Cymru National Team for the World Cup.
“It’s an impossible dream come true and the incredible sound of The Red Wall on this track is exciting and inspiring to hear.
“This version of Yma o Hyd forever documents a marvellous moment in Welsh history, with all those wonderful voices helping Cymru reach the World Cup with their passion.
“No other nation will have anything like this to inspire their team on the grandest stage of them all. So c’mon Cymru, let us tell the world that we are here.”
Following the Ukraine win thanks to Bale’s free-kick, Iwan reached the No1 in the iTunes chart after beating Kate Bush’s Running Up the Hill single to top spot.
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Iwan, whose song was originally recorded in 1981 and released in 1983, tells the story of how Welsh language and culture has survived more than 2,000 years against all the odds.
Wales kick-off their Group B campaign against USA on November 21 before facing Iran and arch-rivals England.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
