On Tuesday, two of the biggest clubs in Wales will meet in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, renewing a cross-nation rivalry that has laid dormant for 21 years.
Wrexham, who have enjoyed three straight promotion seasons to reach the Championship, will host fellow Cardiff City for their first matchup since March of 2004.
Being their country’s most successful clubs within the English football pyramid alongside Swansea City, it’s natural that Wrexham and Cardiff are considered rivals. Yet due to a lack of regular meetings and a considerable distance between the grounds, it’s not thought of as a regular derby.
The Sporting News details the history of the games between these two clubs, how far apart they are, and why it’s been so long since the two sides have contested a match.
MORE: Round dates, schedule, fixtures, and results for the 2025/26 Carabao Cup tournament
History of Cardiff City vs. Wrexham rivalry
While Wrexham were founded in 1864, making them the oldest football club in Wales and the third oldest in the world, and Cardiff City were established 35 years later, there is not as deep a history between the two clubs as one might imagine.
First facing off in 1912, the clubs have locked horns 77 times across their storied histories, although they have gone 21 years since their last meeting.
There are a number of reasons for this. Largely, the two clubs have avoided each other in recent domestic league action due to respective promotions and relegations that have seen them miss each other for the most part. In fact, across their history, only 32 of their 77 all-time meetings have come in league play, the vast majority of those between 1975 (their first-ever domestic league meeting) and 1995.
This season, it seemed that the two were on course to clash in the Championship, with Wrexham promoted for the third consecutive season to the second tier of English football, but Cardiff City were simultaneously relegated to League One.
Thus, this matchup is a rare but special one for the clubs.
“I had a chat with the lads about our history in this competition and the rivalry between Wrexham and Cardiff,” Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson told the media ahead of the match. “I don’t think it needed too much explaining because everywhere I’ve been going in the last few weeks, supporters have been speaking to me about that and I’m sure the players have been the same.”
The two sides have met six times in cup finals throughout their history, with the majority of those (four) coming in the Welsh Cup. The first such meeting came back in 1920, in the second-ever contest between Cardiff City and Wrexham. The clubs have split these four finals, winning two apiece. The 1960 final was drawn, but Wrexham won the replay.
The contests in the Welsh Cup have been the most meaningful, especially during the days where the title winner would enter into the European Cup Winners’ Cup. With a combined 45 titles between the two clubs split nearly evenly, Wrexham and Cardiff are the two most successful sides in the competition, as nobody else boasts more than 10 all-time.
The 1995 final was the last time they met in the Welsh Cup, because from 1996 to 2011 clubs competing in the English football league system were not eligible to take part. From 2011 to 2025 only a few Welsh clubs competing in England decided to take part due to the lack of the Welsh Cup’s European qualification, which was taken away in 2012.
The other two final meetings between these sides came in the now-defunct FAW Premier Cup, with Wrexham winning on both occasions in 1998 and 2000.
How far apart are Wrexham and Cardiff City?
While both Cardiff City and Wrexham are in Wales, they are on opposite ends of the country.
With Wrexham in the north and Cardiff City in the south, the two grounds are 141 miles apart, which is around a three-hour drive.
Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground is just around 40 miles south of Liverpool. Meanwhile, Cardiff is located on the southern coast of the country, with the club’s home ground just a short walk from the waters of the Bristol Channel.
Who are the biggest rivals of Wrexham and Cardiff City?
While Wrexham and Cardiff City are two of the biggest clubs in Wales, their sparse on-field history has gravitated both sides towards more heated rivalries with other clubs.
Wrexham’s most fierce rivalry is generally considered to be with Chester FC (formerly Chester City prior to their 2010 liquidation), with the English club located just 10 miles away over the border. Thus, their matchup is called the “Cross-border derby,” with the two sides meeting over 100 times throughout history.
Cardiff City, meanwhile, contest the South Wales derby against fellow Welsh giants Swansea City, which is by far their biggest rivalry match. They also play the Severnside derby against both Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. There is a lesser rivalry with neighbouring Newport County, although the League Two club have seldom been in the same division as Cardiff.
Cardiff City vs. Wrexham all-time record
According to Wrexham’s own in-house club archive, Wrexham and Cardiff City have met a total of 77 times throughout their competitive history.
Across these meetings, Cardiff have won 39, Wrexham have won 24, and 14 have been drawn.
The last time these two teams met was in the 2004 semifinals of the FAW Premier Cup. They needed penalties to decide the winner, with seven rounds of spot-kicks until Wrexham emerged the winner when Michael Ingham saved from Tony Vidmar. In the fourth round of the 2025/26 Carabao Cup, it could be time for new heroes to be crowned.
