Wales Prepared to Face Whichever Opponent in World Cup Play-off Fixture
Wales have won eight of their previous sixteen matches with manager Craig Bellamy
Wales' sights are firmly on the upcoming World Cup play-off draw as they await learning their semi-final and potential final opponents.
After finished second in their qualifying group thanks to a decisive 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their largest success since 1978 – the side will play the semi-final encounter on their own turf.
They will meet either Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo or Ireland in that match on 26 March.
Former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw feels the Welsh squad will relish a match against whichever team following their most recent performance at Cardiff City Stadium.
"I know Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his mentality is 'bring on whoever, we're ready'," Earnshaw stated.
"A lot of people were asking last night, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland as it's that derby atmosphere?'. I think a number of people were hesitant. But for me, that could be fantastic.
"It's one of those, indeed, we're ready for the Kosovans or the Bosnians and the Albanians are competitive and Republic of Ireland, naturally, they are a capable team so they'll be tough.
"However the sense is that we're prepared for anybody at the moment and it doesn't matter, and much of that is down to Craig Bellamy."
Potential Play-off Semi-final Rivals Assessed
The Welsh squad are placed thirty-fourth in the FIFA standings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina 75th and the Kosovan side 84th.
Albania enjoyed a solid qualification run, with their only defeats coming at the hands of their group winners England, who secured full points without conceding a solitary goal.
Burnley's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Red and Blacks's more notable players, although it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who topped their scoring chart in the qualifiers with three goals.
Notably, Albania have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup, although they featured at the 2016 European Championship and Euro 2024, not managing to reach the knockout stages on each occasions.
While Slovenia and Sweden endured poor runs, with both failing to win a qualification match, Group B was a straight shootout between Switzerland and Kosovo.
The Swiss finished the six-match qualifiers 3 points clear of Kosovo, whose single loss was at the hands of the pool winners.
The Kosovan squad feature former Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his country's all-time leading goalscorer – in a squad aiming for a maiden major tournament appearance.
They have never played Wales.
Bosnia-Herzegovina lost just once in qualifying, and earned a points additional than the Welsh managed in their eight games, but still finished two points adrift of their group winners Austria.
They were 13 minutes away from clinching a place at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians ensured the teams tied in the final game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.
The Welsh have not managed to defeat the Bosnian side in 4 matches but experienced a unforgettable defeat against the Dragons as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after the defeat.
Being his nation's all-time leading scorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, now at Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia-Herzegovina's key player.
The 39-year-old was his squad's leading goalscorer in qualifying with five goals.
And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.
Having taken just one point from their opening 3 qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the playoffs 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 final goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland stunned Hungary to secure runner-up place in Group F in thrilling fashion.
Talisman Seamus Coleman had a vital role in his team's revival while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the starting position his to keep.
Ireland are without a win in their last four meetings with Wales, losing 3 of these, though James McClean shattered the hopes of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's team won a decisive World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.