Wales' remarkable rise: from 117th in the world - to the cusp of the top 10, in less than four years

First published in June 2015 - after THAT victory over Belgium

Wales' 1-0 victory over Belgium on Friday night could see them move into the top 10 football nations in the world, when the FIFA rankings are published next month.

In less than four years, Wales have climbed from their lowest ever ranking - a lowly 117th, behind Haiti - to their highest, up there with the likes of Brazil and Holland.

Their renaissance began under Gary Speed and, after his tragic death, has been continued by Chris Coleman.

Here's the story of Wales' remarkable rise...

In August 2011, Wales fell to their lowest position in the FIFA world rankings - 117th - behind Guatemala, Guyana and Haiti.

John Toshack had left his job as Wales manager the previous autumn, with Brian Flynn in caretaker charge, as Wales began their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with three defeats in a row.

Gary Speed's reign then started with losses to the Republic of Ireland, England and Scotland, before victory over Northern Ireland in the Nations Cup.

A 2-1 home defeat to Australia at the Cardiff City Stadium in August 2011 then saw them slip to 117th in the world.

The revival began the following month, September 2011, as Wales won their first points in Euro 2012 qualifying, with a 2-1 win over Montenegro.

Despite a 1-0 defeat to England at Wembley, Wales rose to 90th in the world rankings in the September 2011 rankings.

Gary Speed's side rocketed up to 45th the following month, as Wales' renaissance continued with back-to-back victories over Switzerland and Bulgaria.

A 4-1 friendly victory over Norway followed in November 2011, but, just two weeks later, Speed was found hanged at his home in Chester, plunging Welsh football into mourning.

His friend and former teammate Chris Coleman was appointed in January 2012, and the following month, Wales lost 1-0 to Costa Rica in a hugely emotional memorial match.

Wales then lost successive friendlies to Mexico and Bosnia-Herzegovina, before starting their World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat at home to Belgium in September 2012.

Four days later, Wales were humiliated 6-1 in Serbia, their worst defeat in 15 years - as they slipped back to 57th in the world rankings.

Having lost all four of his games in charge of Wales, Coleman was faced with calls to resign.

He made Ashley Williams his new captain, replacing Aaron Ramsey, and earned his first victory as Wales manager, with Scotland beaten 2-1 in Cardiff.

They then lost another World Cup qualifier to Croatia, and ended 2012 down at 82nd in the FIFA rankings.

2013 began with a friendly win over Austria, and then, again, victory over Scotland but defeat to Croatia in the qualifiers.

Things went downhill again after the summer break. After a goalless friendly draw with the Republic of Ireland, Wales' slim hopes of reaching the World Cup were ended by a 2-1 defeat in Macedonia.

A few days later, Coleman's side fell to the bottom of their qualifying group, and again slipped outside the world's top 50, after losing 3-0 at home to Serbia in September.

Gareth Bale came off the bench after returning from injury, but even the winger, who had recently signed for Real Madrid and become the world's most expensive footballer, could not lift Wales.

There were more questions over Coleman's position, but Wales finished their World Cup qualifying campaign strongly, with a 1-0 win over Macedonia and a 1-1 draw in Belgium.

Craig Bellamy retired from international football, but Coleman signed a new contract, as Wales ended 2013 with a friendly draw with Finland.

2014 began with a friendly victory over Iceland, and an encouraging 2-0 defeat against the Netherlands.

Wales were ranked 41 in the world, as their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign nearly began in embarrassment last September.

Gareth Bale scored a header and a late free-kick, as they came from behind to beat minnows Andorra 2-1 on their hosts' controversial 3G pitch.

That victory moved Wales up to 29th in the world rankings - their highest position for more than 20 years.

In October 2014, they drew 0-0 at home with Bosnia-Herzegovina, and beat Cyprus 2-1, to maintain their momentum at the start of the European Championships qualifying campaign.

A gutsy 0-0 draw against group favourites Belgium in November was followed by an impressive 3-0 victory in Israel this March, after which Wales moved up to an all-time high of 21st in the world.

Friday night's famous 1-0 win over Belgium at the Cardiff City Stadium means Wales are three points clear at the top of Group B, and in a strong position to seal a place at next summer's European Championships in France, with four qualifying games remaining.

The result means Wales are due to be among the top seeds for qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, and set to achieve a new record high, and a place in the top 10 in the world, when the FIFA rankings are next published on 9 July.