🔗 Share this article

Wales' attention are firmly on the upcoming World Cup playoff draw as they await discovering their semifinal and possible final rivals.

Having ended as runners-up in their qualification group thanks to a decisive 7-1 victory over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – Wales will play the semi-final encounter on their own turf.

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

Former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw believes the Welsh squad will relish a tie against any team after their latest performance at Cardiff City Stadium.

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

"A lot of fans were wondering last night, 'should we actually want Ireland because of that derby atmosphere?'. In my view a number of people were hesitant. But personally, that would be incredible.

"It's that type of situation, yes, we'll take the Kosovans or the Bosnians and Albania are decent and Republic of Ireland, of course, they're a strong team so it will be difficult.

"However 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 Playoff Semifinal Opponents Evaluated

Wales are placed thirty-fourth in the world standings, with the Albanian team 61st, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina seventy-fifth and the Kosovan side 84th.

The Albanian national team enjoyed a strong qualifying run, with their sole losses coming at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed maximum points without conceding a solitary goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's recognizable players, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who topped their goal tally in the qualifiers with 3 goals.

It is worth noting, the Albanians have not yet earned a spot for a World Cup, although they participated at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, failing to advance to the knockout stages on each times.

As Slovenia and Sweden had torrid campaigns, with both failing to win a qualifying match, Group B was a direct battle between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.

The Switzerland ended the six-game campaign three points clear of Kosovo, whose one loss came at the hands of the group winners.

The Kosovan squad include former Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time top scorer – in a team targeting a maiden international competition appearance.

They have never faced the Welsh team.

Bosnia lost only one time in qualifying, and claimed a point additional than the Welsh achieved in their 8 games, but nonetheless ended two points behind of Group H winners Austria.

They were a quarter of an hour away from securing a spot at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians meant the pair drew in the final game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team won the group.

Wales have failed to beat the Bosnians in 4 attempts but experienced a unforgettable defeat against Zmajevi as they earned qualification for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman even after the defeat.

As his country's historic leading scorer and most-capped player, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, now at Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia's key player.

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

And finally, we have Ireland.

After secured only a single point from their first three matches, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side stormed into the play-offs with back-to-back wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott netted both goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before bagging a hat-trick – with the third goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to take second place in Group F in dramatic fashion.

Talisman Seamus Coleman played a crucial role in his side's resurgence while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the number one jersey his to keep.

The Republic of Ireland are without a win in their last 4 meetings with the Welsh, defeated in 3 of these, although James McClean broke the hearts of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's men won a crucial World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.