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

Having ended as runners-up in their qualification group following a commanding 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their biggest success since 1978 – the side will play the semifinal match on home soil.

They will meet either the Albanian side, Bosnia, Kosovo or Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.

Former Wales forward Rob Earnshaw believes the Welsh squad will relish a match against any opponent after their most recent result at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his mentality is 'give us anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw said.

"Many fans were asking recently, 'do we really want Ireland because of that local feel?'. I think a number of supporters were hesitant. But for me, that would be fantastic.

"So it's one of those, yes, we're ready for the Kosovans or the Bosnians and the Albanians are decent and Republic of Ireland, of course, they're a very good team so they'll be difficult.

"But you just feel that we're prepared for anybody at the moment and it doesn't matter, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."

Possible Play-off Semifinal Opponents Evaluated

Wales sit 34th in the FIFA standings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia seventy-fifth and Kosovo 84th.

The Albanian national team enjoyed a strong qualification run, with their only defeats suffered 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 Albanian squad's more notable players, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who topped their scoring chart in qualifying with 3 goals.

It is worth noting, the Albanians have not yet earned a spot for a World Cup, although they featured at Euro 2016 and Euro 2024, not managing to advance to the knockout stages on each times.

As Slovenia and Sweden endured poor campaigns, with both failing to win a qualification match, their group was a direct battle between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.

The Switzerland ended the six-game campaign 3 points ahead of the Kosovans, whose single defeat came at the hands of the group winners.

The Kosovan squad include former Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's historic top scorer – in a squad aiming for a first international competition appearance.

They have not yet faced the Welsh team.

Bosnia were defeated just once in qualifying, and earned a points additional than the Welsh achieved in their eight games, but still finished 2 points adrift of their group winners Austria.

They were a quarter of an hour away from securing a spot at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians meant the teams drew in the final game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the pool.

Wales have not managed to beat the Bosnian side in 4 matches but experienced a memorable defeat against the Dragons as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after losing.

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

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

And finally, we have Ireland.

After taken only a single point from their first 3 qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the playoffs with back-to-back wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott netted the two goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before scoring a triple – with the third goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Irish stunned Hungary to take runner-up place in Group F in thrilling style.

Talisman Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his team's resurgence while Premier League keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the starting jersey his to keep.

Ireland are without a win in their past four encounters with Wales, losing three of those, although James McClean broke the hopes of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's men won a crucial World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.