The Welsh team Set to Challenge Anybody in FIFA World Cup Play-off Draw

The team's attention are firmly on Thursday's World Cup play-off draw as they await discovering their semi-final and potential final rivals.

Having ended as runners-up in their qualifying group following a decisive 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their largest success since 1978 – Wales will play the semi-final encounter on their own turf.

They will face either the Albanian side, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Ireland in that match on 26 March.

Former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw thinks the Dragons will embrace a match against whichever team after their latest performance at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I know Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his mentality is 'give us whoever, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw said.

"Many people were wondering last night, 'should we actually want Ireland as it's that local atmosphere?'. I think a number of people were hesitant. But for me, that could be fantastic.

"It's that type of situation, yes, we'll take the Kosovans or the Bosnians and Albania are decent and Ireland, naturally, they are a capable team so it will be tough.

"But you just feel that we'll take anyone at the moment and we're confident, and much of that is down to Craig Bellamy."

Possible Playoff Semifinal Rivals Assessed

The Welsh squad are placed 34th in the world rankings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina seventy-fifth and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.

The Albanian national team enjoyed a impressive qualifying run, with their only losses suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed maximum points without allowing a solitary goal.

Burnley's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's more notable names, although it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who led their goal chart in the qualifiers with 3 goals.

It is worth noting, Albania have never earned a spot for a FIFA World Cup, although they featured at the 2016 European Championship and the 2024 Euros, not managing to reach the last 16 on both times.

While Slovenia and Sweden endured torrid campaigns, with each not managing to win a qualification match, their group was a direct battle between Switzerland and Kosovo.

The Swiss ended the six-game qualifiers 3 points ahead of the Kosovans, whose single loss was at the hands of the pool winners.

The Kosovan squad include former Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time leading goalscorer – in a team aiming for a maiden major tournament appearance.

They have not yet faced the Welsh team.

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

They were a quarter of an hour away from securing a place at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians meant the teams tied in the last game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team won the pool.

Wales have not managed to beat the Bosnian side in four matches but experienced a unforgettable loss against Zmajevi as they qualified for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman even after losing.

Being his country's all-time top goalscorer and most-capped player, former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, now at Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia's standout player.

The veteran was his squad's leading goalscorer in the qualifiers with 5 goals.

And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.

After taken just one point from their first three matches, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the play-offs with back-to-back wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott scored both goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before scoring a triple – with the third goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland stunned Hungary to take runner-up place in Group F in dramatic style.

Talisman Seamus Coleman had a vital role in his team's revival while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the number one position his own.

Ireland are winless in their past four encounters with Wales, losing three of those, though James McClean shattered the hopes of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's team won a decisive World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.