Principality Stadium all set to stage Spain game

WALES are set to return to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium under new manager Ryan Giggs after a sevenyear absence.

The Football Association of Wales last month announced a glamour October home friendly against 2010 World Cup winners Spain, but said the venue was to be confirmed.

The FAW has since been in talks with the Welsh Rugby Union about playing at the 74,500-seater stadium.

And, barring any last-minute hitches in those negotiations, it is understood the Principality Stadium will shortly be confirmed as the venue for the first Wales-Spain clash for 33 years.

If so, it will be the Wales football team’s first game there since England were the visitors for a 2012 European Championship qualifier in March 2011.

Wales have played all their home matches in recent years at the 33,000-capacity Cardiff City Stadium.

Former manager Chris Coleman and his playing squad revelled in the more intimate atmosphere of Cardiff’s ground and it became a fortress as Wales qualified for Euro 2016 – their first major tournament for 58 years.

But the FAW is keen to maximise the financial streams potentially on offer for the visit of a star-studded Spain side set to include the likes of David de Gea, David Silva and Diego Costa.

The FAW hope to attract a 60,000plus crowd, even though the game is due to played on a Thursday – a school night – which makes it difficult for supporters to travel down from north Wales.

Although Wales’ UEFA Nations League games – against the Republic of Ireland and Denmark in September and November – are likely to be played at the Cardiff City Stadium, the FAW want to see if supporters are attracted by a return to the Principality Stadium.

Should Wales top their Nations League group, they will be promoted to the top tier and be guaranteed two home fixtures against major European nations in the competition’s next round of fixtures.

Wales played regularly at the Principality Stadium, then called the Millennium Stadium, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but often struggled to draw healthy crowds during some poor campaigns. It is thought the former Manchester United great appreciates the positive impact of allowing more fans to attend the Spain friendly.