🔗 Share this article

Wales' focus are firmly on the upcoming World Cup play-off draw as they await discovering their semi-final and possible final challengers.

Having finished as runners-up in their qualification group following a commanding 7-1 victory over North Macedonia – their largest win since 1978 – the side will host the semifinal encounter on their own turf.

They will play against either the Albanian side, Bosnia, the Kosovan team or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.

Ex- Wales forward Rob Earnshaw thinks the Welsh squad will embrace 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 anyone, we're ready'," Earnshaw said.

"Many fans were saying recently, 'do we actually want Ireland because of that local atmosphere?'. In my view a number of people were hesitant. But personally, that would be amazing.

"So it's that type of situation, yes, we're ready for Kosovo or Bosnia and the Albanians are not bad and Republic of Ireland, naturally, they are a strong team so it will be challenging.

"However you just feel that we'll take anybody at the moment and it doesn't matter, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Potential Play-off Semifinal Rivals Reviewed

Wales are placed thirty-fourth in the world standings, with Albania sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina 75th and Kosovo eighty-fourth.

Albania enjoyed a strong qualifying campaign, with their sole losses coming at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed full points without allowing a single goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's prominent players, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who led their goal tally in the qualifiers with three goals.

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

While Slovenia and Sweden had difficult runs, with both not managing to win a qualification match, Group B was a direct battle between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.

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

Kosovo feature former Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time top scorer – in a squad targeting a first international competition appearance.

They have never played the Welsh team.

Bosnia-Herzegovina lost only one time in the qualifiers, and earned a points more than the Welsh managed in their 8 games, but nonetheless finished two points adrift of their group winners Austria.

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

Wales have failed to beat the Bosnian side in 4 matches but experienced a unforgettable defeat against the Dragons as they qualified for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after losing.

As his nation's all-time leading scorer and record appearance player, ex- Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, now at Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia-Herzegovina's star player.

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

Lastly, we have Ireland.

Having secured 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 both goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before bagging a hat-trick – with the third goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland stunned Hungary to take runner-up spot in their group in dramatic style.

Talisman Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his side's revival while Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the starting jersey his to keep.

Ireland are winless in their past 4 meetings with Wales, defeated in 3 of these, though James McClean shattered the hearts of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's team won a decisive World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.