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Wales' sights are firmly on the upcoming World Cup play-off draw as they await discovering their semi-final and possible final challengers.

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

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

Ex- Wales striker Rob Earnshaw thinks the Dragons will welcome a tie against whichever team following their latest performance at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his approach is 'give us anyone, we're ready'," Earnshaw said.

"Many supporters were saying last night, 'should we really want Ireland because of that derby feel?'. I think a number of people were hesitant. But personally, that could be incredible.

"So it's one of those, yes, we'll take Kosovo or Bosnia and the Albanians are not bad and Ireland, naturally, they are a capable team so it will be difficult.

"However you just feel that we'll take anyone right now and we're confident, and much of that is down to Craig Bellamy."

Potential Playoff Semifinal Opponents Assessed

The Welsh squad are placed thirty-fourth in the FIFA standings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia 75th and the Kosovan side 84th.

The Albanian national team had a impressive qualification campaign, with their only losses coming at the hands of their group winners England, who secured full points without conceding a solitary goal.

The Premier League's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's more notable players, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who led their scoring chart in the qualifiers with 3 goals.

Notably, the Albanians have never qualified for a World Cup, though they participated at the 2016 European Championship and Euro 2024, failing to reach the last 16 on each occasions.

While Slovenia and Sweden endured difficult runs, with both failing to win a qualifying match, their group was a direct battle between Switzerland and Kosovo.

The Swiss finished the six-match qualifiers three points clear of the Kosovans, whose single defeat was at the hands of the pool winners.

The Kosovan squad include ex- Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time top scorer – in a team targeting a maiden major tournament appearance.

They have not yet faced Wales.

Bosnia were defeated only one time in the qualifiers, and claimed a point more than Wales managed in their 8 games, but still ended two points behind of Group H winners Austria.

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

Wales have not managed to beat the Bosnians in 4 attempts but experienced a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they qualified for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman despite the defeat.

As his nation's historic top goalscorer and most-capped player, ex- Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, now at Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia's standout player.

The 39-year-old was his squad's top scorer in the qualifiers with 5 goals.

Lastly, we have Ireland.

Having secured only a single point from their opening three matches, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side stormed into the playoffs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott scored both goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before bagging a triple – with the final goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Irish stunned Hungary to take second place in their group in dramatic fashion.

Key player Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his side's resurgence while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the starting jersey his to keep.

Ireland are winless in their last four encounters with the Welsh, losing three of these, though James McClean shattered the hearts of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's men won a decisive World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.