Wales' Euro 2016 squad returned home to a heroes' welcome in Cardiff on Friday afternoon.
First Minister Carwyn Jones joined excited fans at Cardiff Airport - renamed Cardiff Bale Airport for the day in honour of Wales star Gareth Bale - to welcome home the surprise Euro 2016 semi-finalists.
Chris Coleman's players had earlier left their Brittany base in Dinard for the final time ahead of a homecoming party which would see the squad take an open top bus tour through Cardiff city centre.
The parade was due to end at Cardiff City Stadium - Wales' home ground - with over 30,000 fans present as the nation celebrated success at its first major tournament for 58 years.
Welsh band Manic Street Preachers, who wrote and sang the official Wales Euro 2016 anthem, were set to perform on stage before the players and staff were presented to the crowd.
One player was missing, however, as midfielder Joe Ledley had earlier boarded a private plane in France to marry his fiancee Ruby May in Ibiza this weekend.
Wales had not qualified for a major tournament since the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, suffering several agonising near-misses down the years before reaching France.
They started the competition as big outsiders but ended up with a group which contained England, Slovakia and Russia.
Wales then beat Northern Ireland and Belgium, second in the FIFA world rankings, in the knock-out stages before losing to Portugal in the semi-final.
"It's been a privilege," Coleman had said at his final press conference before leaving France.
"When we first arrived here, we had a friendly game with Sweden that didn't go so well, so for us to achieve what we have speaks volumes for the players.
"It's not just about talent. You have to have heart and desire and that carried us through a lot of games."
Wales will become the top-ranked home nation on the back of their success at the Euros.
They are seemingly set to climb into the top six less than five years after being down in 117th position.
But Coleman, ahead of the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign which starts in two months' time, warned: "It changes quickly. We mustn't get carried away.
"We have had some dark times when we dropped outside the top 100.
"So when you start playing around with the top 10, that's a good feeling."
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