🔗 Share this article

The team's focus are firmly on the upcoming World Cup playoff fixture as they prepare for discovering their semi-final and potential final rivals.

After ended as runners-up in their qualification pool following a commanding 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – the side will play the semifinal encounter on home soil.

They will face either Albania, Bosnia, the Kosovan team or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.

Ex- Wales forward Rob Earnshaw believes the Dragons will relish a match against whichever opponent following their most recent result at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I know Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his approach is 'bring on anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw said.

"A lot of people were asking last night, 'should we really want Ireland because of that derby feel?'. In my view a number of people didn't. But personally, that could be fantastic.

"So it's one of those, yes, we're ready for Kosovo or Bosnia and Albania are decent and Republic of Ireland, naturally, they're a very good team so it will be tough.

"But the sense is that we'll take anyone right now and it doesn't matter, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Possible Play-off Semifinal Rivals Reviewed

The Welsh squad sit 34th in the world rankings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina 75th and the Kosovan side 84th.

The Albanian national team enjoyed a impressive qualifying campaign, with their sole losses coming at the hands of their group winners England, who secured full points without allowing a single goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Albanian squad's prominent players, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who topped their scoring tally in the qualifiers with 3 goals.

Importantly, Albania have never earned a spot for a World Cup, though they participated at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, not managing to reach the knockout stages on each times.

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

The Switzerland finished the six-match campaign three points ahead of Kosovo, whose single loss was at the hands of the pool winners.

The Kosovan squad feature former Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's historic top scorer – in a squad targeting a first international competition appearance.

They have not yet played Wales.

Bosnia-Herzegovina lost only one time in the qualifiers, and claimed a points more than the Welsh managed in their 8 games, but nonetheless ended 2 points adrift of Group H winners Austria.

They were 13 minutes away from clinching a place at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians meant the teams tied in the final game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.

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

Being his country's historic leading scorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City forward 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.

And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.

After secured only a single point from their first three matches, 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 scoring a hat-trick – with the third goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland stunned Hungary to secure runner-up place in Group F in dramatic style.

Talisman Seamus Coleman played a crucial role in his team's revival while Premier League keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the starting jersey his to keep.

Ireland are without a win in their past 4 encounters with Wales, losing 3 of these, though James McClean shattered the hearts of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's team won a decisive World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.