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Welsh football fans have been urged not to travel to mainland Europe to watch Wales compete at the European Championships this summer.

Wales are due to play France in a friendly in Nice on June 2, before the competition gets underway.

Rob Page’s side will travel to Baku, Azerbaijan, to face Switzerland on June 12 and Turkey on June 16, before heading to Rome to take on Italy on June 20.

France, Azerbaijan and Italy are all on the amber list of countries for international travel to and from the UK.

The competition – which is still being called Euro 2020 – was meant to be held last year, but was delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It is the second time Wales have qualified for a European Championships – the first time being in 2016, when Wales, led by manager Chris Coleman, stunned the footballing world by reaching the semi-finals – knocking out the much-fancied Belgium in a famous quarter-final encounter in Lille.

Thousands of Welsh fans travelled out to France to see the team in that historic tournament five years ago – but thing won’t be the same this time around.

FAW President Kieran O’Connor said: “This is a tournament we have worked hard to qualify for and that we know all our supporters have been looking forward to.

“We are all thrilled this tournament is finally set to take place. It’s also clear that playing in different locations during a global pandemic brings with it certain challenges and responsibilities.

“We are therefore asking again for the Red Wall’s co-operation in not travelling to Baku, Rome or Nice this June, ensuring our fans and our communities stay as safe as possible as we all play our part in navigating ourselves through this pandemic.”

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “June will be an exciting month for our national men’s football team and for our brilliant supporters. We all want to see Wales repeat the success of 2016 – competing in Euro 2020 is a superb achievement and we will all want to follow the team’s progress.

“Everyone has shown great team spirit during the pandemic, looking out for each other to keep Wales safe. Unfortunately, the pandemic isn’t over yet and this means we still need to make some changes to our lives to stay safe.

“For football fans, the best way to show your support for Wales is to stay in Wales and support the team from home.

“It’s our very clear advice that you shouldn’t travel – France, Azerbaijan and Italy are on the amber list because the virus is in circulation there.”

Wales squad

Manager Rob Page is set to announce his 26-man Wales squad for Euro 2020 at 7.30pm on Sunday, May 30.

The team is currently in Portugal preparing for the tournament.

Twenty-eight players are part of the training camp in Portugal and are in contention to make the final squad.

There are some notable exclusions from the training camp, with some players still on club duty.

Winger Dan James was left out of the training camp due to club commitments, playing for Manchester United in their Europa League defeat to Villarreal on Wednesday night.

Connor Roberts and Ben Cabango, both of Swansea City, are preparing to face Brentford in the EFL Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday – with the winner earning a place in the Premier League next season.

The players involved in the training camp are:

• Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace)
• Danny Ward (Leicester City)
• Adam Davies (Stoke City)
• James Lawrence (St Pauli)
• Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur)
• Joe Rodon (Tottenham Hotspur)
• Chris Mepham (Bournemouth)
• Chris Gunter (Charlton Athletic)
• Rhys Norrington-Davies (Sheffield United)
• Neco Williams (Liverpool)
• Joe Allen (Stoke City)
• Joe Morrell (Luton Town)
• Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea)
• Matt Smith (Manchester City)
• Johnny Williams (Cardiff City)
• Kieffer Moore (Cardiff City)
• Aaron Ramsey (Juventus)
• Harry Wilson (Liverpool)
• Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)
• David Brooks (Bournemouth)
• Tyler Roberts (Leeds United)
• Tom Lawrence (Derby County)
• Rabbi Matondo (Schalke 04)
• Dylan Levitt (Manchester United)
• Tom Lockyer (Luton Town)
• Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City)
• Mark Harris (Cardiff City)
• George Thomas (QPR)