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Wales' attention are firmly on the upcoming World Cup playoff fixture as they prepare for discovering their semi-final and possible final opponents.

After ended as runners-up in their qualification pool thanks to a commanding 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – Wales will play the semi-final match on home soil.

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

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

"I know Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his mindset is 'bring on whoever, we're ready'," Earnshaw stated.

"A lot of people were asking last night, 'do we really want Republic of Ireland as it's that derby atmosphere?'. In my view many people didn't. But personally, that would be incredible.

"It's one of those, indeed, we're ready for Kosovo or the Bosnians and Albania are not bad and Ireland, of course, they're a strong team so it will be challenging.

"But the sense is that we'll take anybody at the moment and it doesn't matter, and a lot of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Possible Play-off Semifinal Opponents Reviewed

The Welsh squad are placed thirty-fourth in the world standings, with Albania 61st, Republic of Ireland 62nd, Bosnia seventy-fifth and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.

The Albanian national team had a impressive qualifying campaign, with their only defeats coming at the hands of their group winners England, who secured maximum points without conceding a solitary goal.

Burnley's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Red and Blacks's more notable players, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who topped their goal tally in qualifying with three goals.

Importantly, Albania have not yet earned a spot for a World Cup, although they featured at the 2016 European Championship and the 2024 Euros, failing to reach the knockout stages on each occasions.

As Slovenia and Sweden endured difficult runs, with each not managing to win a qualifying match, Group B was a direct battle between Switzerland and Kosovo.

The Swiss ended the six-game qualifiers 3 points ahead of Kosovo, whose one defeat came at the hands of the group winners.

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

They have not yet played the Welsh team.

Bosnia-Herzegovina were defeated only one time in qualifying, and claimed a point additional than the Welsh managed in their 8 games, but nonetheless ended two points adrift of their group winners Austria.

They were 13 minutes away from clinching a place at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians meant the pair tied in the last game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.

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

Being his nation's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, ex- Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia's star player.

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

And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.

After secured only a single point from their opening three qualifiers, 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 final goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to secure runner-up spot in Group F in thrilling fashion.

Key player Seamus Coleman played a vital role in his team's revival while Premier League keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the starting position his own.

Ireland are winless in their past 4 encounters with Wales, losing three of these, although James McClean broke the hearts of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's men won a decisive World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.