đź”— Share this article Craig Bellamy's squad Set to Take on Whichever Opponent in FIFA World Cup Qualifying Fixture Wales have secured eight of their last 16 matches under manager Craig Bellamy The team's sights are squarely on the upcoming World Cup play-off fixture as they prepare for learning their semifinal and potential final opponents. Having ended second in their qualification pool following a dominant 7-1 victory over North Macedonia – their largest success since 1978 – Wales will host the semi-final encounter on their own turf. They will play against either Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Kosovan team or Ireland in that match on 26 March. Ex- Wales striker Rob Earnshaw believes the Dragons will embrace a match against any opponent after their most recent result at Cardiff City Stadium. "I know Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his mentality is 'bring on whoever, we're ready'," Earnshaw commented. "Many supporters were asking last night, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland because of that local feel?'. I think a number of supporters didn't. But personally, that could be amazing. "It's one of those, yes, we'll take Kosovo or the Bosnians and the Albanians are decent and Republic of Ireland, naturally, they're a strong team so they'll be challenging. "But you just feel that we'll take anyone right now and we're confident, and a lot of that is because of Craig Bellamy." Possible Playoff Semi-final Rivals Evaluated Wales sit 34th in the world standings, with the Albanian team 61st, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia 75th and Kosovo 84th. Albania had a strong qualification run, with their only defeats suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who secured maximum points without conceding a single goal. Burnley's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Albanian squad's recognizable names, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who topped their scoring tally in the qualifiers with three goals. It is worth noting, the Albanians have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup, though 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 poor campaigns, with both not managing to win a qualifying match, Group B was a straight shootout between Switzerland and the Kosovan team. The Swiss finished the six-game campaign 3 points ahead of the Kosovans, whose single loss came at the hands of the pool winners. The Kosovan squad include former Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's historic leading goalscorer – in a squad targeting a maiden major tournament appearance. They have never played Wales. Bosnia lost only one time in the qualifiers, and claimed a point more than Wales achieved in their 8 games, but nonetheless finished 2 points adrift of Group H winners Austria. They were a quarter of an hour away from clinching a place at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's equaliser for the Austrians ensured the teams tied in the last game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group. Wales have failed to defeat the Bosnian side in four attempts but did have a unforgettable defeat against Zmajevi as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after the defeat. Being his country's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, ex- Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia-Herzegovina's star player. The 39-year-old was his team's leading goalscorer in the qualifiers with 5 goals. Lastly, we have Ireland. After secured only a single point from their opening three qualifiers, Heimir HallgrĂmsson's side surged into the play-offs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary. Troy Parrott netted both goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before scoring a triple – with the third goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to secure runner-up spot in Group F in thrilling style. Talisman Seamus Coleman played a vital role in his side's revival while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the number one position his to keep. The Republic of Ireland are without a win in their last 4 meetings with the Welsh, defeated in 3 of those, although James McClean shattered the hearts of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's team won a crucial World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.