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

Having finished as runners-up in their qualifying group thanks to a decisive 7-1 victory over North Macedonia – their biggest success since 1978 – the side will play the semi-final encounter on home soil.

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

Ex- Wales striker Rob Earnshaw feels the Dragons will embrace a match against any opponent after their latest result at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his approach is 'bring on anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw commented.

"A lot of fans were wondering recently, 'do we really want Republic of Ireland because of that local feel?'. In my view a number of people didn't. But for me, that could be incredible.

"It's one of those, yes, we'll take the Kosovans or Bosnia and the Albanians are not bad and Republic of Ireland, of course, they are a very good team so they'll be tough.

"However you just feel that we're prepared for anybody right now and it doesn't matter, and much of that is down to Craig Bellamy."

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Wales sit 34th in the FIFA rankings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia seventy-fifth and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.

The Albanian national team enjoyed a solid qualification campaign, with their only losses coming at the hands of Group K winners England, who secured full points without allowing a single goal.

Burnley's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Albanian squad's more notable players, although it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their goal tally in the qualifiers with three goals.

Importantly, Albania have not yet qualified for a World Cup, although they featured at Euro 2016 and Euro 2024, not managing to reach the last 16 on both times.

While Slovenia and Sweden endured torrid runs, with each not managing to win a qualifying match, Group B was a straight shootout between Switzerland and Kosovo.

The Swiss finished the six-match campaign 3 points clear of Kosovo, whose one loss came at the hands of the group winners.

Kosovo include former Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his country's historic top scorer – in a squad targeting a maiden major tournament appearance.

They have not yet played the Welsh team.

Bosnia-Herzegovina were defeated only one time in the qualifiers, and claimed a point additional than Wales managed in their 8 games, but nonetheless ended two points adrift of their group 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 drew in the final game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the pool.

The Welsh have not managed to defeat the Bosnian side in 4 matches but did have a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after losing.

As his nation's historic top goalscorer and most-capped player, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia's star player.

The 39-year-old was his team's top scorer in qualifying with five goals.

And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.

Having secured just one point from their first 3 matches, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the playoffs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott scored the two goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before bagging a triple – with the final goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland stunned Hungary to take runner-up spot in Group F in thrilling fashion.

Talisman Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his side's revival while Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the starting jersey his own.

Ireland are without a win in their past 4 encounters with Wales, defeated in three of these, although James McClean broke the hearts of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's men won a decisive World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.