Wales have moved into the top 10 of FIFA's world rankings for the first time and now sit just one spot behind ninth-placed England.
Chris Coleman's side have moved up 12 places after their 1-0 European Qualifiers win over Belgium in Cardiff last month.
The victory was their sixth win in 11 matches and they have lost only once - in a 2-0 friendly defeat to Holland - in that sequence.
It caps a remarkable rise for a team which was languishing at 117th on the list less than four years ago under previous manager Gary Speed. They were the sixth-lowest European nation at that stage but now sit in front of former world and European champions Spain, Italy and France.
That means Wales, as well as England, will be in the top seeds for the 2018 World Cup qualifying competition, with the groups set to be drawn in St Petersburg on July 25.
Germany, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Romania and Croatia will be the other top seeds, meaning England and Wales could be drawn against Italy, who will be in the second pot.
New FIFA World Ranking
1. Argentina (+2)2. Germany (-1)3. Belgium (-1)4. Colombia (=)5. Netherlands (+1)6. Brazil (-1)7. Portugal (=)8. Romania (+4)9. England (+6)10. Wales (+12)
Results against Belgium and Israel in particular have played a part in the Welsh surge, given wins otherwise in recent times have come against Macedonia, Iceland, Andorra and Cyprus.
Their good form & consequent latest placing means they will be in the pot of top seeds for the 2018 World Cup
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