The Welsh team Ready to Take on Anyone in FIFA World Cup Qualifying Draw
The team has secured eight of their recent sixteen matches under coach Craig Bellamy
Wales' attention are firmly on the upcoming World Cup play-off draw as they await discovering their semifinal and possible final rivals.
Having finished second in their qualifying group thanks to a commanding 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – the side will play the semifinal encounter on their own turf.
They will meet either Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo or Ireland in that match on 26 March.
Former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw thinks the Dragons will embrace a tie against whichever team following their latest result at Cardiff City Stadium.
"I know Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his mindset is 'give us anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw said.
"A lot of people were wondering recently, 'do we actually want Ireland as it's that derby atmosphere?'. I think a number of supporters didn't. But personally, that could be incredible.
"So it's one of those, indeed, we'll take Kosovo or Bosnia and the Albanians are decent and Ireland, naturally, they are a strong team so it will be tough.
"But the sense is that we're prepared for anybody right now and we're confident, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."
Possible Play-off Semifinal Opponents Reviewed
Wales are placed thirty-fourth in the world rankings, with the Albanian team 61st, Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina 75th and Kosovo eighty-fourth.
Albania had a impressive qualifying run, with their only defeats coming at the hands of their group winners England, who claimed full points without conceding a solitary goal.
Burnley's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's prominent names, although it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their goal tally in qualifying with three goals.
Importantly, Albania have not yet earned a spot for a World Cup, though they featured at the 2016 European Championship and Euro 2024, not managing to advance to the knockout stages on each times.
While Slovenia and Sweden had difficult runs, with each failing to win a qualifying match, Group B was a straight shootout between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.
The Switzerland finished the six-game campaign 3 points clear of the Kosovans, whose single defeat was at the hands of the pool winners.
Kosovo include 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 faced the Welsh team.
Bosnia were defeated just once in the qualifiers, and earned a points more than the Welsh achieved in their eight games, but nonetheless ended 2 points behind of Group H winners Austria.
They were a quarter of an hour away from securing a place at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's equaliser for the Austrians ensured the pair drew in the final game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team won the group.
Wales have not managed to beat the Bosnians in four attempts but did have a memorable defeat against the Dragons as they earned qualification for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman despite losing.
Being his country's all-time top goalscorer 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 team's top scorer in the qualifiers with 5 goals.
Lastly, we have Republic of Ireland.
After taken just one point from their opening 3 qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the playoffs with successive 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 final goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Irish surprised Hungary to take runner-up spot in their group in thrilling style.
Talisman Seamus Coleman had a crucial role in his team's resurgence while Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the number one position his to keep.
The Republic of Ireland are winless in their last 4 meetings with Wales, losing 3 of those, though James McClean broke 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.