🔗 Share this article

The team's focus are squarely on Thursday's World Cup playoff fixture as they prepare for learning their semifinal and potential final rivals.

After finished as runners-up in their qualifying group following a commanding 7-1 win over North Macedonia – their biggest success since 1978 – Wales will host the semi-final encounter on home soil.

They will face either Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.

Ex- Wales forward Rob Earnshaw believes the Dragons will welcome a match against whichever opponent after their latest performance at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his mindset is 'bring on whoever, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw commented.

"Many people were wondering last night, 'should we actually want Republic of Ireland because of that derby feel?'. I think a number of people didn't. But for me, that would be fantastic.

"So it's that type of situation, yes, we're ready for the Kosovans or the Bosnians and Albania are competitive and Ireland, naturally, they're a very good team so it will be difficult.

"However you just feel that we're prepared for anyone at the moment and it doesn't matter, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Potential Playoff Semifinal Opponents Reviewed

The Welsh squad are placed 34th in the FIFA standings, with the Albanian team 61st, Ireland 62nd, Bosnia-Herzegovina 75th and Kosovo 84th.

Albania had a strong qualifying run, with their only losses suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who secured maximum points without conceding a single goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are among the Albanian squad's more notable players, although it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who led their goal chart in the qualifiers with 3 goals.

It is worth noting, the Albanians have not yet earned a spot for a World Cup, although they featured at the 2016 European Championship and Euro 2024, not managing to reach the knockout stages on both occasions.

As Slovenia and Sweden endured poor runs, with both failing to win a qualifying match, Group B was a straight shootout between Switzerland and Kosovo.

The Switzerland ended the six-game campaign three points clear of Kosovo, whose single defeat was at the hands of the pool winners.

Kosovo feature ex- Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time leading goalscorer – in a team aiming for a first major tournament appearance.

They have never faced Wales.

Bosnia lost just once in qualifying, and earned a point more than the Welsh achieved in their 8 games, but nonetheless finished 2 points adrift of their group winners Austria.

They were 13 minutes away from clinching a place at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians ensured the teams tied in the last game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the pool.

The Welsh have failed to beat the Bosnian side in 4 matches but experienced a memorable loss against the Dragons as they qualified for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman despite the defeat.

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

The 39-year-old was his team's leading goalscorer in qualifying with five goals.

And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.

After secured just one point from their first three qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side stormed into the play-offs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott scored the two goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before bagging a triple – with the final goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Irish stunned Hungary to take second place in their group in thrilling fashion.

Talisman Seamus Coleman played a crucial role in his side's resurgence while Premier League keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the starting jersey his own.

Ireland are without a win in their last four meetings with Wales, defeated in 3 of these, although James McClean shattered the hearts of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's men won a crucial World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.