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Wales' focus are firmly on Thursday's World Cup play-off draw as they await discovering their semifinal and possible final challengers.

Having ended as runners-up in their qualifying group following a commanding 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their largest win since 1978 – the side will host the semi-final encounter on their own turf.

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

Ex- Wales forward Rob Earnshaw thinks the Dragons will embrace a tie against whichever opponent following their most recent result at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his mindset is 'bring on whoever, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw commented.

"A lot of people were saying recently, 'should we really want Ireland because of that local feel?'. I think a number of supporters were hesitant. But personally, that could be amazing.

"So it's that type of situation, indeed, we're ready for Kosovo or Bosnia and Albania are competitive and Ireland, naturally, they're a capable team so they'll be difficult.

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

Possible Playoff Semifinal Opponents Assessed

The Welsh squad sit 34th in the FIFA standings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Republic of Ireland 62nd, Bosnia-Herzegovina seventy-fifth and Kosovo eighty-fourth.

The Albanian national team enjoyed a solid qualifying run, with their sole defeats suffered at the hands of their group winners England, who claimed maximum points without conceding a solitary goal.

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

It is worth noting, the Albanians have not yet qualified for a World Cup, although they participated at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, failing to advance to the knockout stages on each occasions.

As Slovenia and Sweden had difficult campaigns, with each not managing to win a qualification match, Group B was a direct battle between Switzerland and Kosovo.

The Switzerland finished the six-game campaign 3 points ahead of Kosovo, whose one loss came at the hands of the group winners.

The Kosovan squad feature ex- Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his country's all-time leading goalscorer – in a squad aiming for a first international competition appearance.

They have never played Wales.

Bosnia-Herzegovina lost only one time in qualifying, and earned a point additional than Wales achieved in their 8 games, but still finished two points adrift of Group H winners Austria.

They were 13 minutes away from clinching a spot at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians ensured the teams tied in the last game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the pool.

The Welsh have not managed to defeat the Bosnians in 4 attempts but did have a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they earned qualification for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman even after losing.

Being his nation's historic leading scorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia's standout player.

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

Lastly, we have Ireland.

Having taken only a single point from their first three matches, 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 scoring a hat-trick – with the final goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Irish stunned Hungary to secure second spot in their group in dramatic fashion.

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

The Republic of Ireland are without a win in their past 4 meetings with the Welsh, defeated in three of those, although James McClean shattered the hopes of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's men won a decisive World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.