🔗 Share this article

The team's attention are squarely on the upcoming World Cup playoff fixture as they await discovering their semi-final and possible final challengers.

After ended as runners-up in their qualifying group following a dominant 7-1 victory over North Macedonia – their largest success since 1978 – the side will host the semifinal encounter on home soil.

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

Former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw feels the Dragons will relish a tie against whichever opponent following their latest result at Cardiff City Stadium.

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

"Many people were saying recently, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland as it's that derby feel?'. In my view many people didn't. But personally, that could be fantastic.

"So it's one of those, indeed, we're ready for the Kosovans or Bosnia and Albania are decent and Republic of Ireland, of course, they're a capable team so they'll be challenging.

"But you just feel that we'll take anybody at the moment and we're confident, and a lot of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Potential Playoff Semi-final Opponents Reviewed

The Welsh squad are placed 34th in the FIFA standings, with Albania 61st, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina 75th and the Kosovan side 84th.

Albania had a solid qualifying run, with their sole defeats suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed maximum points without conceding a solitary goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Red and Blacks's more notable names, although it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their goal chart in qualifying with three goals.

Notably, the Albanians have not yet qualified for a World Cup, though they participated at Euro 2016 and Euro 2024, failing to reach the last 16 on both occasions.

As Slovenia and Sweden endured torrid campaigns, with each not managing to win a qualification match, Group B was a straight shootout between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.

The Swiss ended the six-game campaign three points ahead of the Kosovans, whose single loss was at the hands of the group winners.

The Kosovan squad include former Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's historic leading goalscorer – in a squad aiming for a first international competition appearance.

They have not yet played the Welsh team.

Bosnia-Herzegovina were defeated just once in qualifying, and claimed a points more than Wales achieved in their eight games, but still finished 2 points behind of their group winners Austria.

They were a quarter of an hour away from securing a place at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's equaliser for the Austrians ensured the teams drew in the final game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.

The Welsh have failed to defeat the Bosnians in 4 matches but did have a memorable loss against the Dragons as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman despite losing.

As his country's all-time top goalscorer and record appearance player, ex- Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia's key player.

The veteran was his squad's leading goalscorer in qualifying with 5 goals.

Lastly, we have Ireland.

After taken only a single point from their opening three matches, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the play-offs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott scored the two goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before bagging a hat-trick – with the final goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to take second spot in their group in thrilling fashion.

Talisman Seamus Coleman played a vital role in his side's revival while Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the number one position his to keep.

The Republic of Ireland are winless in their last 4 encounters with the Welsh, defeated in three of those, although James McClean broke the hopes of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's men won a decisive World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.