Wales centurion Chris Gunter has been appointed head coach of the nation’s U19s side for the rest of the 2025/26 season, including this summer’s U19 European Championship taking place in north Wales.

Gunter has been a part of the Wales coaching set up for a few years, and is a UEFA Pro Licence holder.

The former right back won 109 caps for Wales in a 15-year career, and was a central part of a number of successful sides, including the EURO 2016 side that reached the semi-finals under Chris Coleman.

He played every minute of all six matches at the tournament, memorably delivering the pinpoint cross for Sam Vokes’ header in the famous 3-1 quarter-final victory over Belgium.

The former defender made his senior debut for Cymru in 2007 at just 17 years of age and went on to represent his country at three major tournaments, whilst becoming the first men’s player to reach 100 caps for Cymru.

Following his retirement in March 2023, Gunter joined the Men’s National Team coaching staff, when Cymru narrowly missed out on a place in the UEFA EURO 2024 finals. During that time Gunter also supported the integration and development of emerging talent within the senior international environment.

Gunter was appointed Cymru U19 head coach in August 2024 before later taking charge of the U17 squad. A product of the Cymru age-group system himself, Gunter previously represented the nation at U17, U19 and U21 levels. He will now lead Cymru U19 into the UEFA U19 EURO Finals this summer, which will be hosted in the north – a landmark event for Welsh football.

Gunter will take charge of the side for the March FIFA international window and at the final’s tournament this summer. He will also continue his role as Head Coach of the U17 squad as they prepare for their UEFA U17 EURO Group B qualifiers in San Marino in April.

Speaking about his appointment, Gunter said: “I’m really pleased to be leading this group into the final’s tournament. I’ve worked with a lot of the group before and knowing how good they can be gives me huge excitement.

“Anytime you represent your country it’s a huge honour, and to be doing that in a EURO finals is going to be special for everybody involved.

“Hosting the tournament shows where Welsh football is at and the work that’s gone into it. With the amazing support we will have in June, I cannot wait to see the players perform at the highest level.”

If you want to read more pieces from Sportin Wales, why not read to our monthly magazine here or subscribe to the magazine and newsletter at https://sportin.wales/subscribe/.

Our podcast is back for the new season and our co-founder Alex Cuthbert is in charge! You can find all the episodes here or the video versions on our YouTube channel.

You can also keep track of our pieces and videos on our socials at @Sportin_Wales on X or Sportin Wales on Instagram and Facebook.