🔗 Share this article The Welsh team Set to Challenge Anyone in FIFA World Cup Qualifying Fixture The team has won eight of their previous sixteen matches with coach Craig Bellamy Wales' focus are firmly on Thursday's World Cup playoff fixture as they prepare for discovering their semi-final and possible final challengers. After ended as runners-up in their qualifying pool following a dominant 7-1 win over North Macedonia – their largest win since 1978 – the side will play the semi-final match on home soil. They will play against either Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo or Ireland in that match on 26 March. Ex- Wales forward Rob Earnshaw believes the Dragons will welcome a tie against whichever opponent following their most recent result at Cardiff City Stadium. "I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, we were teammates with him and his mindset is 'bring on whoever, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw said. "A lot of fans were wondering last night, 'do we really want Republic of Ireland because of that local atmosphere?'. In my view a number of people were hesitant. But personally, that would be fantastic. "So it's that type of situation, indeed, we're ready for the Kosovans or the Bosnians and the Albanians are competitive and Republic of Ireland, of course, they're a capable team so it will be tough. "However the sense is that we'll take anyone right now and we're confident, and a lot of that is because of Craig Bellamy." Possible Playoff Semifinal Rivals Reviewed The Welsh squad are placed thirty-fourth in the world standings, with Albania sixty-first, Republic of Ireland 62nd, Bosnia 75th and the Kosovan side 84th. The Albanian national team had a strong qualifying campaign, with their only losses coming at the hands of Group K winners England, who secured full points without allowing a solitary goal. Burnley's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Albanian squad's recognizable players, though it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who topped their goal chart in the qualifiers with 3 goals. It is worth noting, Albania have never earned a spot for a World Cup, although they participated at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, not managing to advance to the knockout stages on each times. While Slovenia and Sweden had poor campaigns, with each not managing to win a qualification match, Group B was a straight shootout between Switzerland and the Kosovan team. The Swiss finished the six-match campaign three points clear of the Kosovans, whose single defeat came at the hands of the pool winners. Kosovo feature former Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time leading goalscorer – in a squad targeting a maiden international competition appearance. They have never played Wales. Bosnia-Herzegovina lost just once in qualifying, and earned a points additional than Wales achieved in their eight 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 equaliser for the Austrians meant the pair drew in the last game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group. Wales have not managed to beat the Bosnians in four matches but did have a unforgettable defeat against the Dragons as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after the defeat. Being his nation's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia-Herzegovina's standout player. The 39-year-old was his squad's top scorer in the qualifiers with 5 goals. And finally, we have Republic of Ireland. Having secured just one point from their opening 3 qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side stormed into the play-offs with back-to-back wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary. Troy Parrott scored both goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before bagging a hat-trick – with the third goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Irish stunned Hungary to secure runner-up place in their group in dramatic style. Key player Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his side's revival while Premier League goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the number one jersey his to keep. Ireland are without a win in their past four encounters with the Welsh, losing three of these, although James McClean shattered the hopes of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's team won a decisive World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.