Your guide to Welsh football's pre-season fixtures

Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport start their new league campaigns in mid-August, with the Carabao Cup kicking off the previous weekend [Huw Evans Picture Agency] The countdown to the new season is on for Wales' four EFL clubs, with three ready to do battle in the Championship and one hoping for a smoother ride in League Two. Cardiff City are the one side preparing for life in a new division – even if they have not been away long – having bounced back from relegation in 2024-25 by winning promotion from League One last season. The Bluebirds' return to the Championship means that for the first time since 1980-81, Wales will have three sides in the second tier of English football. After their run of three successive promotions came to an end last season, Wrexham will begin the new campaign with ambitions to make the play-offs, at the very least, this time around. The north Wales club ended up seventh back in May. If they repeat that feat next spring, their season will go into overtime given the new format which sees teams finishing between third and eighth heading into the play-offs. Swansea City will also have an eye on the top eight as they look to maintain the momentum built under Vitor Matos after he took charge following the dismissal of Alan Sheehan last November. The Swans finished 11th last season, which was a commendable effort given that a relegation scrap appeared to be on the cards in the early days of the Matos era. For Newport County, meanwhile, the goal will be to avoid another battle to beat the drop. Last season was a miserable one for the Exiles, who only secured their EFL status on the final day of the campaign, but their plans for progress in 2026-27 have not been helped by the disruption of another managerial change, with Christian Fuchs having departed. Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham will all go on their travels during pre-season, while Italian giants Roma and Spanish side Leganes are among those heading to Wales as all concerned prepare for the return of competitive football in August. BBC Sport Wales runs through the friendly fixtures of the four Welsh clubs, with some games – most of which will be played behind closed doors - still to be confirmed. Cardiff City Swansea City Wrexham Newport County Saturday, 4 July Bristol Manor Farm v Newport County (13:00 BST, The Creek Community Stadium) Wednesday, 8 July Newport City v Newport County (19:30 BST, Spytty Park) Saturday, 11 July Cardiff City v Midtjylland (12:30 BST, Cardiff City Stadium) Gloucester City v Newport County (15:00 BST, Meadow Park) Wisla Krakow v Wrexham (14:00 BST, Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium, Krakow) Tuesday, 14 July Cork City v Cardiff City (19:45 BST, Turners Cross Stadium, Cork) Saturday, 18 July Holstein Kiel v Swansea City (15:30 BST, Kufstein Arena, Austria) Manchester United v Wrexham (16:00 BST, Helsinki Olympic Stadium) Tuesday, 21 July 21 VFL Bochum v Swansea City (17:00 BST, Fussballplatz Mittersill, Austria) Friday, 24 July TBC v Swansea City (KO TBC, Fussballplatz Mittersill, Austria) Saturday, 25 July Forest Green v Cardiff City (15:00 BST, New Lawn) Sunday, 26 July Leeds United v Wrexham (00:30 BST, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa) Tuesday, 28 July Newport County v Reading (19:30 BST, Rodney Parade) Thursday, 30 July Liverpool v Wrexham (00:30 BST, Yankee Stadium, New York) Saturday, 1 August Cardiff City v AS Roma (15:00 BST, Cardiff City Stadium) Swansea City v CD Leganes (15:00 BST, Swansea.com Stadium) Sunday, 2 August Sunderland v Wrexham (17:00 BST, Subaru Park, Pennsylvania)