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Wales' attention are squarely on the upcoming World Cup playoff draw as they prepare for discovering their semi-final and potential final opponents.

After ended second in their qualification group following a decisive 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their largest win since 1978 – Wales will play the semifinal encounter on their own turf.

They will play against either Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.

Former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw thinks the Welsh squad will embrace a tie against any opponent after their most recent performance at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I know Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his mentality is 'give us anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw said.

"Many supporters were saying recently, 'should we really want Ireland as it's that derby feel?'. I think a number of supporters were hesitant. But personally, that would be incredible.

"It's that type of situation, yes, we'll take the Kosovans or the Bosnians and the Albanians are competitive and Republic of Ireland, of course, they are a very good team so they'll be challenging.

"But the sense is that we're prepared for anybody right now and it doesn't matter, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Possible Playoff Semi-final Opponents Evaluated

The Welsh squad sit thirty-fourth in the FIFA standings, with Albania sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia 75th and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.

Albania had a impressive qualifying campaign, with their only defeats suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed maximum points without allowing a single goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are among the Albanian squad's recognizable names, though it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their goal tally in qualifying with three goals.

Notably, the Albanians have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup, although they participated at the 2016 European Championship and the 2024 Euros, not managing to advance to the knockout stages on both times.

While Slovenia and Sweden endured torrid campaigns, with both failing to win a qualification match, their group was a straight shootout between Switzerland and Kosovo.

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

Kosovo include former Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time top scorer – in a squad targeting a maiden major tournament appearance.

They have never faced the Welsh team.

Bosnia-Herzegovina were defeated only one time in the qualifiers, and earned a point additional than the Welsh managed in their 8 games, but still finished two points behind 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 equaliser for the Austrians ensured the pair tied in the final game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the pool.

Wales have failed to beat the Bosnian side in 4 attempts but did have a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman despite losing.

Being his country's historic leading scorer and most-capped player, former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia-Herzegovina's star player.

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

Lastly, we have Ireland.

After taken 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 scored both goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before bagging a triple – with the third goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Irish surprised Hungary to secure runner-up spot in Group F in dramatic style.

Talisman Seamus Coleman played a vital role in his team's revival while Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the starting position his own.

Ireland are without a win in their last four meetings with Wales, losing 3 of those, though James McClean shattered the hopes of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's team won a crucial World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.