🔗 Share this article

The team's focus are squarely on the upcoming World Cup play-off draw as they await learning their semi-final and possible final challengers.

After finished as runners-up in their qualifying 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 meet either the Albanian side, Bosnia, Kosovo or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.

Ex- Wales striker Rob Earnshaw thinks the Dragons will embrace a tie against whichever team following their latest result at Cardiff City Stadium.

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

"Many supporters were saying recently, 'do we really want Republic of Ireland as it's that local atmosphere?'. I think a number of people were hesitant. But for me, that could be incredible.

"So it's one of those, yes, we're ready for the Kosovans or Bosnia and the Albanians are competitive and Ireland, of course, they're a very good team so they'll be difficult.

"But you just feel that we'll take anyone right now and it doesn't matter, and a lot of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Potential Playoff Semifinal Rivals Reviewed

Wales sit thirty-fourth in the FIFA rankings, with Albania 61st, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia seventy-fifth and the Kosovan side 84th.

Albania had a impressive qualifying run, with their only losses suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed full points without allowing a solitary goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's recognizable players, though it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who topped their scoring tally in the qualifiers with 3 goals.

Importantly, the Albanians have not yet qualified for a World Cup, although they participated at the 2016 European Championship and Euro 2024, not managing to advance to the knockout stages on each times.

While Slovenia and Sweden endured difficult campaigns, with both not managing to win a qualification match, their group was a straight shootout between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.

The Switzerland finished the six-game qualifiers three points clear 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 Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's historic leading goalscorer – in a squad aiming for a maiden major tournament appearance.

They have not yet faced the Welsh team.

Bosnia were defeated only one time in the qualifiers, and earned a points additional than Wales managed in their 8 games, but nonetheless finished two points adrift of Group H winners Austria.

They were 13 minutes away from securing a spot at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians ensured the pair drew in the last game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the pool.

Wales have failed to beat the Bosnians 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 nation's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia's standout player.

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

Lastly, we have Ireland.

Having taken only a single point from their first 3 matches, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the playoffs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott netted the two goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before scoring a triple – with the third goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Irish stunned Hungary to take runner-up spot in Group F in dramatic fashion.

Key player Seamus Coleman played a vital role in his side's resurgence while Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the number one jersey his own.

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