Craig Bellamy's squad Prepared to Take on Whichever Opponent in World Cup Qualifying Draw

Wales football team celebration

The team has won 8 of their last 16 matches with manager Craig Bellamy

Wales' focus are squarely on the upcoming World Cup play-off draw as they await learning their semifinal and potential final opponents.

Having finished second in their qualification group thanks to a commanding 7-1 triumph over North Macedonia – their largest win since 1978 – Wales will host the semifinal encounter on their own turf.

They will meet either Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo or Republic of Ireland in that fixture on 26 March.

Former Wales striker Rob Earnshaw believes the Welsh squad will relish a tie against any opponent after their most recent performance at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I know Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his mindset is 'bring on whoever, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw stated.

"Many supporters were wondering recently, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland because of that local feel?'. In my view many supporters were hesitant. But for me, that would be fantastic.

"It's that type of situation, yes, we're ready for Kosovo or the Bosnians and Albania are competitive and Ireland, of course, they are a capable team so it will be difficult.

"However the sense is 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 Opponents Assessed

The Welsh squad sit 34th in the FIFA rankings, with the Albanian team sixty-first, Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia seventy-fifth and the Kosovan side 84th.

Albania had a impressive qualification run, with their sole losses coming at the hands of their group 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 Albanian squad's prominent players, though it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who topped their scoring tally in qualifying with three goals.

Importantly, the Albanians have not yet earned a spot for a FIFA World Cup, although they featured at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, not managing to reach the knockout stages on each times.

As Slovenia and Sweden endured difficult campaigns, with both failing to win a qualification match, their group was a straight shootout between Switzerland and the Kosovan team.

The Switzerland 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 country's historic leading goalscorer – in a team aiming for a maiden international competition appearance.

They have never played the Welsh team.

Bosnia lost just once in qualifying, and earned a point additional than Wales achieved in their eight games, but nonetheless finished 2 points adrift of their group winners Austria.

They were 13 minutes away from securing a spot at the World Cup, but Michael Gregoritsch's equaliser for the Austrians ensured the teams tied in the last game of qualifying and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the pool.

Wales have failed to defeat the Bosnians in four attempts but did have a unforgettable loss against Zmajevi as they earned qualification for the 2016 European Championship under Chris Coleman despite losing.

As his nation's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, ex- Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia-Herzegovina's key player.

The 39-year-old was his squad's leading goalscorer in qualifying with 5 goals.

And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.

After taken just one point from their opening three matches, Heimir HallgrĂ­msson's side surged into the play-offs with successive wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott netted both goals against Euro 2016 winners Portugal before bagging a hat-trick – with the third goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to secure runner-up place in their group in dramatic fashion.

Talisman Seamus Coleman played a vital role in his side's resurgence while Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has made the number one jersey his to keep.

Ireland are winless in their past 4 encounters with Wales, losing 3 of those, though James McClean broke the hopes of the Welsh fans as Martin O'Neill's men won a crucial World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.

Alexa Cowan
Alexa Cowan

Lena is a tech enthusiast and writer passionate about exploring how digital innovations impact everyday life and personal development.