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Wales' attention are firmly on the upcoming World Cup playoff fixture as they prepare for discovering their semifinal and potential final rivals.

Having ended as runners-up in their qualification group following a decisive 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – the side will host the semifinal match on their own turf.

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

Former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw feels the Welsh squad will relish a match against any team following their latest result at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I know Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his approach is 'bring on anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw commented.

"A lot of supporters were saying recently, 'should we really want Ireland because of that derby feel?'. In my view many supporters were hesitant. But personally, that would be amazing.

"So it's one of those, indeed, we're ready for the Kosovans or the Bosnians and Albania are competitive and Republic of Ireland, naturally, they're a capable team so they'll be tough.

"However the sense is that we're prepared for anybody right now and we're confident, and a lot of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Potential Playoff Semifinal Opponents Evaluated

The Welsh squad are placed thirty-fourth in the FIFA rankings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina seventy-fifth and Kosovo eighty-fourth.

The Albanian national team had a solid qualification run, with their only defeats suffered at the hands of their group winners England, who secured full points without conceding a solitary goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Albanian squad's recognizable players, although it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their scoring chart in the qualifiers with 3 goals.

It is worth noting, Albania have not yet qualified for a FIFA World Cup, although they participated at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, failing to advance to the last 16 on both times.

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

The Switzerland finished the six-match qualifiers three points clear of the Kosovans, whose one defeat came at the hands of the group winners.

The Kosovan squad include ex- Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time top scorer – in a squad aiming for a first international competition appearance.

They have not yet faced the Welsh team.

Bosnia-Herzegovina were defeated just once in qualifying, and earned a points more than the Welsh achieved in their 8 games, but nonetheless finished 2 points adrift 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 equaliser for the Austrians ensured the pair tied in the last game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the pool.

The Welsh have failed to defeat the Bosnians in four attempts but experienced a unforgettable defeat against Zmajevi as they qualified for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman despite losing.

Being his nation's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, now at Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia-Herzegovina's standout player.

The 39-year-old was his squad's leading goalscorer in qualifying with 5 goals.

And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.

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

Troy Parrott netted both goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before bagging a hat-trick – with the third goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to secure runner-up place in Group F in thrilling style.

Key player Seamus Coleman played a vital role in his team's resurgence while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the number one jersey his to keep.

The Republic of Ireland are winless in their past four encounters with Wales, defeated in three of these, though James McClean broke the hearts of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's team won a crucial World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.