We’re there... but next question is, can the Bluebirds stay in the Prem?
The parade is over, a city has celebrated... the next challenge for Cardiff City is to make sure the Premier League campaign is more successful than last time around.
Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock has already thrown down the gauntlet by declaring any side can feel confident of beating any other, once you take out the top six.
That was amply demonstrated by the final 2017-18 table which saw little Burnley finish in seventh.
Warnock and Vincent Tan are each using the Clarets as the model for Cardiff to follow, a side who lack real stardust, but who punch above their weight because of the collective sum of the parts.
The bookies, predictably, have Cardiff installed as red-hot favourites to be relegated.
But are there three teams, or more, Warnock’s Championship aces can finish above in the top flight?
We will have a clearer picture come August 11 when the new season kicks off and we know who has strengthened best in the summer transfer window... and, indeed, if there are significant managerial changes.
However, don’t just assume – as many inside and outside of the Welsh capital do – that Cardiff will head straight back down.
PAUL ABBANDONATO offers a team-by-team guide to how we see the challenge ahead and who could be below the Bluebirds...
Arsenal
THERE is uncertainty surrounding the Gunners because Arsene Wenger’s 21-year reign as manager has come to an end and we await to see whether the new manager can improve fortunes.
But whoever takes over, the Gunners will be expecting to challenge for the top four at the very least and improve upon their sixth-placed finish this time around.
Can Cardiff finish above them? No Bournemouth
EDDIE Howe’s aces are a bit like Swansea. They have excelled in punching above their weight in the big league, but you know the dream will come to an end at some point. They only get 10,000 average home gates. Really struggled at the start of this campaign before recovering to finish 12th, it could be a similar scenario next time around.
Nathan Ake has provided solidity at the back, but Howe lacks a prolific marksman.
Can Cardiff finish above them? The Cherries are the kind of club Cardiff have to target, but Howe’s men are probably a little too established at this level to dip into the relegation spots just yet.
Brighton
TIPPED to go straight back down in the Championship this season, if they can flourish in the Premier League then why can’t Cardiff? Were never really in a proper relegation scrap and a few hidings by Liverpool and Chelsea apart, they were competitive in almost every game.
Their impressive home form, where they lost just four games down on the south coast, was the key for Brighton and in German Pascall Gross, they possess the kind of playmaker Cardiff lack and need to find in the transfer window.
Can Cardiff finish above them? Yes. They are exactly the kind of team the Bluebirds must be seeking to usurp.
Burnley
THE benchmark for the Bluebirds. They actually went down in their first season, stuck by Sean Dyche, came back up, finished 16th and then seventh this time around.
Like Cardiff their success is built upon an incredible team ethic, more than individual flair. European football will stretch Dyche’s squad to the limit next time around.
Can Cardiff finish above them? Probably not, although Burnley won’t be finishing as high as seventh again.
Chelsea
LIKE Arsenal there is an air of uncertainty at Stamford Bridge because of speculation surrounding Antonio Conte and who might replace him.
But they are littered with top class players, may well strengthen after the World Cup and anything the Bluebirds get from two games against them will be a bonus.
Can Cardiff finish above them? Same answer as for Arsenal. No.
Crystal Palace
FOR a while they seemed certain to be relegated this season, only for the Board to take decisive action by getting rid of Frank de Boer.
Wilfired Zaha is a different animal in a Palace shirt compared to what we saw from him with Cardiff. Indeed, Palace lost every game he failed to start.
Another club Cardiff owner Tan holds up as an example to follow because they succeed without spending what he dubs ‘silly money’.
Can Cardiff finish above them? Possibly. Palace’s fortunes will hinge on whether Roy Hodgson
carries on, if they can keep hold of Zaha and sign Ruben Loftus-Cheek full-time. Not a side to frighten.
Everton
RECRUITED questionably last summer, spending too much for Gylfi Sigurdsson and investing too much in Wayne Rooney. It left them with a lop-sided team, devoid of pace and with an ageing defence.
With doubts persisting over the future of Sam Allardyce, question marks will remain for next season.
Can Cardiff finish above them? Everton still finished eighth and, whatever happens, will look to improve on that next season. So the answer is no.