🔗 Share this article

Wales' focus are firmly on the upcoming World Cup playoff fixture as they prepare for learning their semi-final and potential final opponents.

Having ended as runners-up in their qualification group thanks to a decisive 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their largest success since 1978 – the side will play the semifinal encounter on their own turf.

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

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

"I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his approach is 'give us whoever, we're ready'," Earnshaw said.

"A lot of fans were saying recently, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland because of that local feel?'. I think many people were hesitant. But for me, that would be amazing.

"So it's one of those, yes, we're ready for Kosovo or Bosnia and the Albanians are not bad and Ireland, of course, they're a very good team so it will be challenging.

"However the sense is that we're prepared for anyone right now and it doesn't matter, and a lot of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Potential Play-off Semifinal Opponents Assessed

Wales are placed 34th in the FIFA standings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia seventy-fifth and Kosovo eighty-fourth.

The Albanian national team had a solid qualifying campaign, with their only defeats suffered at the hands of their group winners England, who secured maximum points without allowing a solitary goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Albanian squad's more notable names, although it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who topped their scoring tally in the qualifiers with three goals.

It is worth noting, the Albanians have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup, though they featured at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, not managing to advance to the knockout stages on each occasions.

While Slovenia and Sweden endured poor runs, with both failing to win a qualification match, Group B was a direct battle between Switzerland and Kosovo.

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

The Kosovan squad include ex- Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's historic leading goalscorer – in a squad targeting a maiden international competition appearance.

They have never played Wales.

Bosnia lost only one time in the qualifiers, and claimed a point more than the Welsh managed in their eight games, but still ended 2 points behind of Group H winners Austria.

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

The Welsh have not managed to defeat the Bosnian side in four attempts but experienced a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they qualified for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman even after losing.

Being his country's historic leading scorer and most-capped player, ex- Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia-Herzegovina's key player.

The 39-year-old was his squad's top scorer in the qualifiers with five goals.

Lastly, we have Republic of Ireland.

Having taken only a single point from their opening three qualifiers, 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 arriving in the 96th minute – as the Irish stunned Hungary to secure second spot in Group F in dramatic style.

Talisman Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his team's resurgence while Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the starting position his own.

Ireland are winless in their past four meetings with Wales, defeated in three of those, although James McClean broke 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.