over Liechtenstein on the final matchday. Brazil 2014 The qualifying process for the 2014 FIFA World Cup again saw 53 UEFA nations compete for 13 places at the finals in Brazil. The teams were seeded into six pots and drawn into nine groups (eight of six teams, one of five), with the winners of each group qualifying automatically and the eight best runners-up going into a play-off for the last four spots. Wales and the Faroe Islands were equal in the FIFA World Ranking used to seed the teams, but the Faroe Islands were successful in their appeal to increase the decimal accuracy of the rankings, which saw them overtake Wales and escape the bottom seeding pot at Wales' expense. Wales were drawn into Group A along with Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland and Macedonia. They suffered back-to-back defeats in their first two games at home to Belgium (2–0) and away to Serbia (6–1), before coming from behind with two late goals from Gareth Bale to beat Scotland 2–1 in October 2012. Wales finished the year with a defeat to Croatia, before claiming their second win over Scotland in their first competitive game of 2013. A second loss to Croatia came four days later, followed by a 2–1 away defeat to Macedonia and a 3–0 home loss to Serbia that saw them drop to the bottom of the group. Wales moved ahead of Macedonia and Scotland with a 1–0 win over the former in October 2013, only to slip back to fifth place behind the latter following a 1–1 draw with already-qualified Belgium in their final game. Russia 2018 Wales' successful qualification for UEFA Euro 2016 and subsequent rise up the FIFA World Ranking saw them seeded in the first of six pots in qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, along with Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, England, Spain and Croatia. The 52 nations were drawn into nine groups (seven of six teams, two of five), though with the later addition of Gibraltar and Kosovo, every group ended up with six teams each. The winners of each group would qualify for the finals, while the eight best runners-up would go into a play-off for the four remaining UEFA spots. Wales were drawn into Group D with Austria, Serbia, the Republic of Ireland, Moldova and Georgia. Wales' qualification campaign began well, with a 4–0 home win over Moldova; however, five consecutive