The Welsh team Set to Take on Anybody in FIFA World Cup Qualifying Draw
The team has secured 8 of their last sixteen matches with manager Craig Bellamy
The team's attention are squarely on the upcoming World Cup playoff fixture as they await discovering their semi-final and possible final challengers.
Having ended second in their qualifying pool thanks to a decisive 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their biggest win since 1978 – the side will host the semi-final encounter on their own turf.
They will face either Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.
Ex- Wales striker Rob Earnshaw believes the Dragons will relish a tie against whichever opponent after their latest performance at Cardiff City Stadium.
"I know Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his approach is 'give us whoever, we're ready'," Earnshaw commented.
"Many fans were saying last night, 'do we really want Ireland as it's that local feel?'. I think a number of people were hesitant. But personally, that would be incredible.
"So it's that type of situation, indeed, we're ready for the Kosovans or Bosnia and the Albanians are decent and Ireland, naturally, they're a capable team so it will be difficult.
"However you just feel that we'll take anyone at the moment and it doesn't matter, and much of that is because of Craig Bellamy."
Potential Play-off Semifinal Rivals Assessed
Wales are placed thirty-fourth in the world standings, with Albania 61st, Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia-Herzegovina 75th and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth.
The Albanian national team enjoyed a impressive qualifying run, with their sole losses suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who secured full points without conceding a solitary goal.
Burnley's Armando Broja and the Serie A side's Elseid Hysaj are among the Albanian squad's more notable players, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who topped their goal tally in qualifying with 3 goals.
Importantly, the Albanians have never qualified for a World Cup, though they featured at the 2016 European Championship and Euro 2024, failing to reach the knockout stages on each times.
While Slovenia and Sweden had torrid runs, with both failing to win a qualification match, their group was a straight shootout between Switzerland and Kosovo.
The Switzerland finished the six-game campaign three points ahead of the Kosovans, whose one loss was at the hands of the group winners.
The Kosovan squad feature former Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his nation's all-time top scorer – in a team targeting a first major tournament appearance.
They have not yet played the Welsh team.
Bosnia were defeated only one time in the qualifiers, and earned a point additional than Wales managed in their 8 games, but still finished 2 points behind of their group winners Austria.
They were a quarter of an hour away from securing a spot at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's equaliser for the Austrians ensured the pair tied in the final game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the pool.
The Welsh have failed to defeat the Bosnians in 4 matches but did have a unforgettable defeat against the Dragons as they qualified for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman despite the defeat.
Being his country's historic leading scorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia-Herzegovina's star player.
The veteran was his team's leading goalscorer in qualifying with 5 goals.
Lastly, we have Ireland.
Having secured just one point from their first 3 qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side surged into the play-offs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.
Troy Parrott netted the two goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before scoring a triple – with the final goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Irish surprised Hungary to take second place in Group F in dramatic fashion.
Talisman Seamus Coleman had a vital role in his team's revival while Premier League keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the starting jersey his to keep.
The Republic of Ireland are without a win in their past 4 meetings with the Welsh, losing three of those, although James McClean broke the hopes of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's team won a decisive World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.
