🔗 Share this article Craig Bellamy's squad Ready to Take on Anyone in World Cup Playoff Draw The team has won 8 of their previous sixteen matches under coach Craig Bellamy Wales' focus are firmly on the upcoming World Cup playoff draw as they await learning their semi-final and possible final opponents. Having ended as runners-up in their qualifying pool thanks to a decisive 7-1 victory over North Macedonia – their largest win since 1978 – Wales will play the semifinal encounter on home soil. They will face either the Albanian side, Bosnia, Kosovo or Ireland in that fixture on 26 March. Ex- Wales forward Rob Earnshaw thinks the Welsh squad will welcome a tie against any opponent after their most recent result at Cardiff City Stadium. "I know Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his approach is 'give us anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw commented. "Many people were saying recently, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland as it's that derby feel?'. In my view many people didn't. But personally, that would be amazing. "So it's one of those, indeed, we're ready for the Kosovans or Bosnia and Albania are decent and Ireland, naturally, they are a strong team so they'll be difficult. "But the sense is that we're prepared for anybody at the moment and we're confident, and a lot of that is down to Craig Bellamy." Potential Playoff Semi-final Rivals Reviewed The Welsh squad are placed 34th in the world rankings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Ireland 62nd, Bosnia 75th and Kosovo 84th. Albania had a strong qualifying run, with their sole losses suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who secured maximum points without conceding a single goal. The Premier League's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's recognizable names, though it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who led their goal tally in qualifying with three goals. Importantly, Albania have never qualified for a World Cup, although they participated at the 2016 European Championship and the 2024 Euros, failing to advance to the knockout stages on both occasions. While Slovenia and Sweden had poor runs, with each not managing to win a qualification match, their group was a straight shootout between Switzerland and the Kosovan team. The Switzerland finished the six-game campaign 3 points clear of the Kosovans, whose one loss came at the hands of the pool winners. Kosovo feature former Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his country's all-time top scorer – in a team targeting a first international competition appearance. They have never faced the Welsh team. Bosnia lost only one time in qualifying, and claimed a points additional than Wales managed in their 8 games, but nonetheless ended two points behind of Group H 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 pair tied in the final game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team won the group. The Welsh have not managed to defeat the Bosnians in four matches but experienced a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they qualified for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman despite the defeat. Being his country's historic top goalscorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is undoubtedly Bosnia-Herzegovina's key player. The 39-year-old was his squad's top scorer in qualifying with 5 goals. Lastly, we have Ireland. After taken just one point from their first 3 qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the playoffs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary. Troy Parrott netted the two goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before scoring a hat-trick – with the final goal arriving 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 team's resurgence while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the starting position his own. The Republic of Ireland are without a win in their last 4 encounters with Wales, losing 3 of these, though James McClean broke the hopes of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's men won a decisive World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.