Despite a 2-0 defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wales reached its first international tournament since the 1958 World Cup on Saturday thanks to Cyprus beating Israel 2-1.
Seconds after the match in Bosnia ended, Wales learned that the result in Jerusalem had booked it a place at next year's European Championship in France
"It's probably the best loss of my life," Wales and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale said.
Bosnia kept its hopes alive of reaching a playoff with the win. Milan Djuric sent a looping header over Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey in the 71st and the host doubled its lead in the last minute through Vedad Ibisevic.
In Group H Italy qualified after Eder's opener and an equalizer from Dmitri Nazarov, El Shaarawy finished off a counterattack in the 43rd for his first national team goal since November 2012. Matteo Darmian added another for Italy in the second half.
Also, Belgium qualified by beating Andorra 4-1, the country's first Euros since co-hosting the tournament in 2000.
The Netherlands kept alive its hopes of qualifying by beating Kazakhstan 2-1.