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Wales' attention are squarely on Thursday's World Cup play-off fixture as they await learning their semifinal and possible final opponents.

Having ended second in their qualifying pool thanks to a dominant 7-1 victory over North Macedonia – their largest win since 1978 – the side will host the semi-final match on their own turf.

They will play against either Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo or Republic of Ireland in that match on 26 March.

Ex- Wales forward Rob Earnshaw believes the Welsh squad will embrace a tie against any team after their latest result at Cardiff City Stadium.

"I know Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his mentality is 'bring on anyone, it doesn't matter'," Earnshaw commented.

"Many fans were saying last night, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland because of that local atmosphere?'. I think a number of supporters were hesitant. But personally, that could be amazing.

"So it's one of those, indeed, we'll take the Kosovans or the Bosnians and the Albanians are decent and Republic of Ireland, naturally, they're a capable team so it will be difficult.

"However the sense is that we're prepared for anybody right now and it doesn't matter, and a lot of that is down to Craig Bellamy."

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The Welsh squad sit thirty-fourth in the FIFA standings, with Albania sixty-first, Republic of Ireland sixty-second, Bosnia 75th and Kosovo eighty-fourth.

The Albanian national team had a strong qualification run, with their only defeats suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed full points without conceding a single goal.

Burnley's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are part of the Albanian squad's more notable names, although it was ex- Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford striker Rey Manaj who led their goal tally in the qualifiers with 3 goals.

It is worth noting, the Albanians have not yet qualified for a World Cup, though they participated at Euro 2016 and Euro 2024, not managing to reach the last 16 on both occasions.

As Slovenia and Sweden endured poor campaigns, with both failing to win a qualifying match, Group B was a direct battle between Switzerland and Kosovo.

The Swiss finished the six-game campaign three points clear of Kosovo, whose one loss came at the hands of the group winners.

The Kosovan squad feature ex- Manchester City keeper Arijanet Muric and Mallorca's Vedat Muriqi – his country's historic leading goalscorer – in a squad targeting a first international competition appearance.

They have not yet played Wales.

Bosnia-Herzegovina lost only one time in the qualifiers, and earned a point more than Wales managed in their 8 games, but still finished 2 points adrift of Group H winners Austria.

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

The Welsh have failed to beat the Bosnians in four attempts but did have a unforgettable loss against the Dragons as they earned qualification for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after the defeat.

As his country's all-time leading scorer and most-capped player, former Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko, currently with Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia's star player.

The veteran was his team's leading goalscorer in the qualifiers with five goals.

Lastly, we have Ireland.

After secured only a single point from their first 3 qualifiers, Heimir Hallgrímsson's side stormed into the playoffs with back-to-back wins against Armenia, Portugal and Hungary.

Troy Parrott netted the two goals against the 2016 European Championship winners Portugal before scoring a hat-trick – with the final goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Republic of Ireland surprised Hungary to secure runner-up place in their group in thrilling fashion.

Key player Seamus Coleman had a vital role in his team's resurgence while Premier League keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the starting position his own.

Ireland are winless in their last 4 meetings with the Welsh, losing 3 of these, although James McClean shattered the hearts of the Red Wall as Martin O'Neill's team won a crucial World Cup qualifier at Cardiff City Stadium in 2017.