đź”— Share this article The Welsh team Prepared to Take on Anybody in World Cup Play-off Fixture Wales have won 8 of their previous sixteen matches under manager Craig Bellamy The team's attention are squarely on the upcoming World Cup play-off fixture as they prepare for learning their semi-final and possible final opponents. After finished as runners-up in their qualification pool thanks to a decisive 7-1 win over North Macedonia – their largest success since 1978 – Wales will play the semifinal encounter on their own turf. They will play against either Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March. Ex- Wales striker Rob Earnshaw believes the Dragons will embrace a tie against any opponent following their latest performance at Cardiff City Stadium. "I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his approach is 'bring on whoever, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw commented. "Many people were saying last night, 'do we actually want Republic of Ireland because of that local feel?'. In my view a number of supporters were hesitant. But for me, that would be incredible. "So it's that type of situation, indeed, we'll take Kosovo or the Bosnians and the Albanians are competitive and Republic of Ireland, of course, they are a capable team so they'll be tough. "But you just feel that we're prepared for anyone right now and we're confident, and a lot of that is because of Craig Bellamy." Possible Play-off Semi-final Opponents Reviewed The Welsh squad sit thirty-fourth in the world standings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Republic of Ireland 62nd, Bosnia 75th and the Kosovan side eighty-fourth. Albania had a strong qualifying run, with their only defeats coming at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed full points without allowing a single goal. The Premier League's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's more notable names, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who topped their scoring tally in the qualifiers with three goals. Notably, the Albanians have never earned a spot for a FIFA World Cup, though they participated at Euro 2016 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, Group B was a direct battle between Switzerland and the Kosovan team. The Switzerland finished the six-game campaign three points clear of the Kosovans, whose single defeat came at the hands of the group winners. Kosovo feature ex- Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his country's historic top scorer – in a squad targeting a first major tournament appearance. They have never played the Welsh team. Bosnia lost just once in the qualifiers, and earned a point more than the Welsh achieved in their eight games, but still finished 2 points adrift of Group H winners Austria. They were a quarter of an hour away from securing a spot at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians meant the pair drew in the final game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group. Wales have not managed to defeat the Bosnians in 4 attempts but did have a unforgettable defeat against Zmajevi as they qualified for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after the defeat. Being his country's historic top goalscorer and record appearance player, former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia-Herzegovina's star player. The veteran was his squad's leading goalscorer in qualifying with 5 goals. Lastly, we have Republic of Ireland. After taken only a single point from their first 3 qualifiers, Heimir HallgrĂmsson's side stormed into the playoffs with back-to-back wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary. Troy Parrott netted both goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before scoring a triple – with the final goal arriving in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland stunned Hungary to secure runner-up spot in their group in thrilling style. Key player Seamus Coleman played a crucial role in his side's revival while Premier League keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the number one jersey his own. Ireland are winless in their past 4 meetings 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 crucial World Cup qualifying match at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.