🔗 Share this article

The team's focus are squarely on Thursday's World Cup play-off draw as they await discovering their semi-final and potential final opponents.

Having finished as runners-up in their qualifying group following a dominant 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – the side will host the semi-final match on home soil.

They will play against either Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Republic of Ireland in that match on 26 March.

Former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw feels the Welsh squad will embrace a tie against any opponent following their most recent result at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his mindset is 'bring on anyone, we're ready'," Earnshaw commented.

"Many people were wondering recently, 'should we actually want Ireland because of that derby atmosphere?'. I think many supporters didn't. But for me, that could be amazing.

"It's one of those, indeed, we'll take the Kosovans or Bosnia and the Albanians are competitive and Republic of Ireland, of course, they are a strong team so they'll be difficult.

"But you just feel that we're prepared for anyone right now and we're confident, and much of that is down to Craig Bellamy."

Potential Playoff Semi-final Rivals Reviewed

Wales sit thirty-fourth in the world rankings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia seventy-fifth and Kosovo 84th.

The Albanian national team had a strong qualification campaign, with their sole defeats coming at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed maximum points without conceding a single goal.

Burnley's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's recognizable players, although it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who led their scoring tally in the qualifiers with 3 goals.

Importantly, the Albanians have not yet qualified for a World Cup, though they participated at Euro 2016 and Euro 2024, failing to reach the knockout stages on both occasions.

While Slovenia and Sweden endured torrid runs, with both not managing to win a qualifying match, their group was a direct battle between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.

The Swiss ended the six-game qualifiers 3 points ahead of the Kosovans, whose one loss was at the hands of the group winners.

The Kosovan squad include ex- Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time leading goalscorer – in a squad aiming for a maiden major tournament appearance.

They have not yet faced the Welsh team.

Bosnia lost just once in qualifying, and earned a points additional than Wales managed in their 8 games, but nonetheless ended 2 points behind of their group winners Austria.

They were 13 minutes away from securing a place at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians ensured the teams drew in the last game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team won the group.

The Welsh have failed to beat the Bosnian side in 4 matches but experienced a memorable loss against Zmajevi as they qualified for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after losing.

As his nation's all-time leading scorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia's star player.

The veteran was his team's top scorer in the qualifiers with five goals.

Lastly, we have Republic of Ireland.

Having taken just one point from their first three qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the playoffs with back-to-back wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott scored the two goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before bagging a triple – with the third goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to secure second spot in Group F in dramatic style.

Talisman Seamus Coleman had a vital role in his side's resurgence while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the starting position his own.

The Republic of Ireland are winless in their last 4 meetings with Wales, losing three of those, though James McClean broke the hearts of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's team won a decisive World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.