The Welsh team Prepared to Challenge Anybody in FIFA World Cup Qualifying Fixture
Wales have won 8 of their previous sixteen matches under manager Craig Bellamy
The team's sights are firmly on the upcoming World Cup play-off draw as they await discovering their semi-final and potential final opponents.
After ended second in their qualification group following 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, Kosovo or Ireland in that match on 26 March.
Ex- Wales striker Rob Earnshaw believes the Dragons will relish a match against any team after their latest performance at Cardiff City Stadium.
"I'm familiar with Craig Bellamy, I played with him and his mentality is 'bring on anyone, we're ready'," Earnshaw commented.
"Many supporters were saying recently, 'should we really want Republic of Ireland as it's that derby atmosphere?'. I think many supporters didn't. But for me, that would be fantastic.
"So it's one of those, yes, we're ready for the Kosovans or Bosnia and Albania are decent and Republic of Ireland, of course, they are a very good team so it will be difficult.
"However you just feel that we'll take anybody right now and we're confident, and much of that is down to Craig Bellamy."
Potential Playoff Semifinal Rivals Evaluated
Wales sit thirty-fourth in the world rankings, with Albania 61st, Republic of Ireland 62nd, Bosnia-Herzegovina seventy-fifth and Kosovo 84th.
The Albanian national team enjoyed a strong qualifying run, with their sole losses suffered at the hands of Group K winners England, who claimed maximum points without conceding a solitary goal.
The Premier League's Armando Broja and Lazio's Elseid Hysaj are among the Red and Blacks's prominent names, though it was former Inter Milan, Barcelona and Watford forward Rey Manaj who led their goal tally in the qualifiers with 3 goals.
Notably, Albania have not yet qualified for a FIFA World Cup, though they featured at Euro 2016 and the 2024 Euros, not managing to reach the last 16 on both times.
While Slovenia and Sweden endured torrid runs, with both not managing to win a qualifying match, Group B was a direct battle between Switzerland and Kosovo.
The Swiss ended the six-game qualifiers three points ahead of the Kosovans, whose one loss came at the hands of the pool winners.
Kosovo include ex- Manchester City goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and La Liga's Vedat Muriqi – his country's historic top scorer – in a team aiming for a maiden international competition appearance.
They have not yet played Wales.
Bosnia lost just once in qualifying, and claimed a point additional than the Welsh managed in their eight games, but nonetheless finished 2 points behind of their group winners Austria.
They were a quarter of an hour away from clinching a place at the finals, but Michael Gregoritsch's leveler for the Austrians ensured the teams tied in the last game of qualification and Ralf Rangnick's team topped the group.
Wales have not managed to defeat the Bosnian side in four matches but did have a memorable defeat against Zmajevi as they qualified for Euro 2016 under Chris Coleman even after the defeat.
Being his nation's all-time top goalscorer and most-capped player, ex- Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko, now at Fiorentina, is unquestionably Bosnia's key player.
The veteran was his squad's leading goalscorer in qualifying with five goals.
And finally, we have Republic of Ireland.
Having secured only a single point from their first 3 matches, 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 bagging a hat-trick – with the third goal coming in the 96th minute – as the Irish surprised Hungary to take runner-up place in Group F in thrilling style.
Key player Seamus Coleman had a vital role in his side's resurgence while Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher has secured the starting position his to keep.
Ireland are without a win in their last four encounters with the Welsh, losing 3 of these, although 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.