Russia 2018

[rowan]

Brazil & Iran have already qualified, apparently. So the former maintains its record as the only nation to have played at every World Cup until at least 2022. No major surprises expected from European qualification, though Iceland could be set for a debut, while Holland, Turkey and Wales are all in more precarious positions right now, by the looks of things, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Nigeria all look set to return from Africa, possibly along with Congo and Burkina Faso (the latter would be a debutante; Congo played in 74 as Zaire).Japan and probably South Korea and either Saudi Arabia or Australia should qualify from Asia and NZ from Oceania (at least as far as the inter-continental playoffs), Mexico, Costa Rica and the US are on top in CONCACAF as usual, and Colombia, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina ought to follow Brazil in from South America, although the latter's customary berth is far from secure at this stage, with Ecuador just two further points back.


http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/index.html

[rowan]

Mexico & Japan have joined hosts Russia, Brazil and Iran as officially qualified teams, while a rampant Nigeria appears on the brink after a crushing 4-0 win over Cameroon. Will the Super Eagles be the team to finally realise Africa's potential and break into the semis? Every other confederation but Oceania has achieved this at least once.

[rowan]

No more teams confirmed after last night's play, but perennial giants Germany, Spain & France look certain now to qualify from Europe, while Belgium and Poland should follow, despite the latter's heavy defeat to Denmark. Italy & Portugal are likely to end up in the playoffs among second placed teams, from which they will no doubt emerge. Turkey suffered a body blow with defeat to Ukraine, though Croatia & Iceland are just a point behind the Eastern Europeans. Nigera almost certain to qualify from Africa, while Uganda currently top a tough group including Egypt and Ghana, surprisingly. Costa Rica look fairly secure in second spot in North America and should follow Mexico into the tournament. The Aussies are in a dogfight with Saudi for second place in their Asian group, which will earn a place in the inter-continental play-offs. & Bad news for the Kiwis as they are likely to meet Argentina in the inter-continental playoffs, with the double champs currently fifth in South America.

[rowan]

This seems quite harmless until you consider the fact that Nigeria is actually about 50% Muslim. A little more circumspection would be advisable:

Nigeria could face additional sanctions from FIFA for Odion Ighalo's yellow card after his goal celebration. Ighalo lifted his shirt to reveal a message that and was instantly booked by Egyptian referee Ghead Grisha after netting the opening goal in the Super Eagles' 4-0 victory over Cameroon in Uyo on Friday. "He told me that the message on my shirt was about religion because it's 'thank you Jesus'," Ighalo told KweséESPN

http://www.espnfc.com/nigeria/story/319 ... alo-yellow

[rowan]

I think Nigeria just qualified after a draw with Cameroon, who were subsequently eliminated. Cameroon are the reigning African champions and have appeared in five of the last 6 World Cups, and 7 of the last 9, most famously taking England into extra time in the 1990s quarter-finals, after leading for a good portion of the game. Nigeria have played at five of the last six World Cups and reached the second round on 3 occasions, but got no further.

No, in fact, the reports coming through say Nigeria hasn't quite clinched it yet, with Zambia still on their tails. Cameroon definitely out though, which is quite a shock. How did they and Nigeria end up in the same qualifying group, is the question?

[rowan]

Belgium are through, however, becoming Europe's first actual qualifiers.

Qualified:

Russia
Belgium
Brazil
Mexico
Iran
Japan

[rowan]

South Korea & Saudi Arabia confirmed.

[rowan]

Vast majority of them haven't actually qualified yet, but this is interesting:

Two-and-a-half months before the draw for the 2018 World Cup takes place in Moscow on Dec. 1, FIFA announced a fairly significant change to the event’s format.

Whereas in past years World Cup draws have been partially seeded, with the top eight teams in one pot and the remaining 24 separated by confederation, the 2018 World Cup draw will be fully seeded.

That means Russia and the top seven qualifiers in the October FIFA Rankings will go into Pot 1. The next eight highest-rated nations will go into Pot 2, the next eight into Pot 3, and the final eight into Pot 4. Geographic restrictions still apply – teams from the same region cannot be drawn alongside each other, except for European countries, which can go two-to-a-group – but the pots will be decided differently.

[rowan]

Australia play a crucial match with Syria today. Pretty amazing that the Qasioun Eagles remain very much in the hunt at this stage, having been forced to play their home qualifiers in Malaysia, but a win or even a draw with the Socceroos could put them in poll position. Good luck to them!

[rowan]

Huge week for World Cup qualifiers coming up, in fact, with a number of new confirmed qualifiers likely to emerge:

05.10 Baku Azerbaijan - Czech Republic World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group C
05.10 Belfast Northern Ireland - Germany World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group C
05.10 Serravalle San Marino - Norway World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group C
05.10 Yerevan Armenia - Poland World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group E
05.10 Podgorica Montenegro - Denmark World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group E
05.10 Ploiești Romania - Kazakhstan World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group E
05.10 London England - Slovenia World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group F
05.10 Ta' Qali Malta - Lithuania World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group F
05.10 Glasgow Scotland - Slovakia World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group F
05.10 Buenos Aires Argentina - Peru World Cup Qualifier South America
05.10 La Paz Bolivia - Brazil World Cup Qualifier South America
05.10 Macul Chile - Ecuador World Cup Qualifier South America
05.10 Barranquilla Colombia - Paraguay World Cup Qualifier South America
05.10 San Cristóbal Venezuela - Brazil World Cup Qualifier South America
05.10 Krubong Syria - Australia World Cup Qualifier Asia, 4th Round, 1st Leg

06.10 Vienna Austria - Serbia World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group D
06.10 Tbillisi Georgia - Wales World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group D
06.10 Dublin Ireland - Moldova World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group D
06.10 Turin Italy - Macedonia World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group G
06.10 Vaduz Liechtenstein - Israel World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group G
06.10 Alicante Spain - Albania World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group G
06.10 Osijek Croatia - Finland World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group I
06.10 Shkodër (Albania) Kosovo - Ukraine World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group I
06.10 Eskişehir Turkey - Iceland World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group I
06.10 Bamako Mali - Ivory Coast World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group C
06.10 San José Costa Rica - Honduras World Cup Qualifier CONCACAF, 5th Round
06.10 San Luis Potosí Mexico - Trinidad & Tobago World Cup Qualifier CONCACAF, 5th Round
06.10 Orlando USA - Panama World Cup Qualifier CONCACAF, 5th Round

07.10 Borisov Belarus - Netherlands World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group A
07.10 Sofia Bulgaria - France World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group A
07.10 Solna Sweden - Luxembourg World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group A
07.10 Andorra la Vella Andorra - Portugal World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group B
07.10 Tórshavn Faroe Islands - Latvia World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group B
07.10 Basel Switzerland - Hungary World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group B
07.10 Sarajevo Bosnia & Herzegovina - Belgium World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group H
07.10 Nicosia Cyprus - Greece World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group H
07.10 Faro/Loulé (Portugal) Gibraltar - Estonia World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group H
07.10 Conakry Guinea - Tunisia World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group A
07.10 Monastir (Tunisia) Libya - DR Congo World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group A
07.10 Yaoundé Cameroon - Algeria World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group B
07.10 Uyo Nigeria - Zambia World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group B
07.10 Casablanca Morocco - Gabon World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group C
07.10 Praia Cape Verde - Senegal World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group D
07.10 Johannesburg South Africa - Burkina Faso World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group D
07.10 Kampala Uganda - Ghana World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group E

08.10 Plzeň Czech Republic - San Marino World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group C
08.10 Kaiserslautern Germany - Azerbaijan World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group C
08.10 Oslo Norway - Northern Ireland World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group C
08.10 Copenhagen Denmark - Romania World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group E
08.10 Astana Kazakhstan - Armenia World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group E
08.10 Warsaw Poland - Montenegro World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group E
08.10 Vilnius Lithuania - England World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group F
08.10 Trnava Slovakia - Malta World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group F
08.10 Ljubljana Slovenia - Scotland World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group F
08.10 Borg El Arab Egypt - Congo World Cup Qualifier Africa, 3rd Round, Group E

09.10 Chișinău Moldova - Austria World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group D
09.10 Belgrade Serbia - Georgia World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group D
09.10 Cardiff Wales - Ireland World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group D
09.10 Shkodër Albania - Italy World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group G
09.10 Jerusalem Israel - Spain World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group G
09.10 Strumica Macedonia - Liechtenstein World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group G
09.10 Turku Finland - Turkey World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group I
09.10 Reykjavík Iceland - Kosovo World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group I
09.10 Kiev Ukraine - Croatia World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group I

10.10 Saint-Denis France - Belarus World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group A
10.10 Luxembourg Luxembourg - Bulgaria World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group A
10.10 Amsterdam Netherlands - Sweden World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group A
10.10 Budapest Hungary - Faroe Islands World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group B
10.10 Rīga Latvia - Andorra World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group B
10.10 Lisbon Portugal - Switzerland World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group B
10.10 Brussels Belgium - Cyprus World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group H
10.10 Tallinn Estonia - Bosnia & Herzegovina World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group H
10.10 Piraeus Greece - Gibraltar World Cup Qualifier Europe, Group H
10.10 São Paulo Brazil - Chile World Cup Qualifier South America
10.10 Quito Ecuador - Argentina World Cup Qualifier South America
10.10 Asunción Paraguay - Venezuela World Cup Qualifier South America
10.10 Lima Peru - Colombia World Cup Qualifier South America
10.10 Montevideo Uruguay - Bolivia World Cup Qualifier South America
10.10 San Pedro Sula Honduras - Mexico World Cup Qualifier CONCACAF, 5th Round
10.10 Couva Trinidad & Tobago - USA World Cup Qualifier CONCACAF, 5th Round
10.10 Panama City Panama - Costa Rica World Cup Qualifier CONCACAF, 5th Round
10.10 Sydney Australia - Syria World Cup Qualifier Asia, 4th Round, 2nd Leg

http://www.theroonba.com/football/men/fixtures.html

[rowan]

Australia play a crucial match with Syria today. Pretty amazing that the Qasioun Eagles remain very much in the hunt at this stage, having been forced to play their home qualifiers in Malaysia, but a win or even a draw with the Socceroos could put them in poll position. Good luck to them!

Australia lead 0-1 heading into the last half hour...

Late equaliser for Syria

[WaspInWales]

Zzzzzz

England are bloody clueless. All the talk of world class attacking players and we just haven't got a clue how to fashion a goal scoring pass.

There's was a period of about 10 minutes in the second half when we had the ball the entire time, but didn't come close to mounting an attack. Spent the majority of the time passing between the back 4 and midfield.

Still too many unforced mistakes too. Better teams would've punished them.

Rashford though...best player on the pitch by some distance.

[WaspInWales]

Sterling has been shockingly poor.

[WaspInWales]

£44m City paid for Sterling.

[WaspInWales]

Slovenia on the other hand have put in a number of decent crosses and through balls, but just haven't had the quality to finish it or a player to connect to it.

Paper planes getting the biggest cheers again.

[WaspInWales]

Commentators making a point that Southgate won't be happy that England haven't been anywhere near their best.

What a load of bollocks.

This is how England play in most matches, against most opposition.

This is England '17. Could make a good sequel that. Is Combo alive? Does Woody find happiness with Lol? Who will knock England out at Russia? Will they even get there?

[WaspInWales]

Pitch invader looked lively.

Is he eligible?

[WaspInWales]

Nice by Kane. Made by Walker though...made up for an otherwise poor night. Nicked the keeper's throw and then puts in the best cross of the match.

[WaspInWales]

England have qualified.

Now, the talk will turn to 'not playing their best', 'made hard work of it' etc, etc, but this is how England play.

I think commentators are surprised every time England don't play like Spurs or Chelsea, conveniently forgetting every single other game where England play this way.

It's always like this.

[rowan]

Yes, Germany & England become the 9th & 10th nations to officially qualify:

Russia
Brazil
Iran
Japan
Mexico
Belgium
Korea Republic
Saudi Arabia
Germany
England

[rowan]

I see here http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/argent ... bid-120403 that a combined US-Mexico-Canada bid is favourite for the 2026 World Cup, which will be expanded to 48 teams, and that Argentina-Uruguay-Paraguay intend to make a combined bid for 2030. As if Qatar 2022 wasn't bizarre enough! As of 2026 it's a 48-team format, apparently with 16 groups of 3 leading directly to the octavos; Canada likely to be involved in co-hosting; then North America followed by South America

[rowan]

Argentina in real peril now after a home draw with Peru - which could mean no Messi in Russia But I have a sneaky suspicion they'll end up in the inter-continental playoff with NZ which shouldn't trouble them to much...

[rowan]

Turkey won't be in Russia after suffering a humiliating 0-3 loss at home to Iceland tonight.

[WaspInWales]

Turkey won't be in Russia after suffering a humiliating 0-3 loss at home to Iceland tonight.

No shame in losing to Iceland.

They're topping their group and considering it contains Croatia, Ukraine as well as Turkey, that ain't too shabby.

One match left against Kosovo, it's looking pretty good for them to secure automatic qualification.

Pretty sure they knocked a team out of the Euros too....it's a bit hazy so I can't recall exact details.

Wales still very much in the mix too. Serbia had a chance to qualify tonight but lost away to Austria who are already out of the mix. If Serbia manage to lose their final game at home to Georgia, then Wales or the Republic of Ireland have the chance to leapfrog them to top spot.

Monday night, 7:45 in Cardiff. It's gonna be epic.

Could well see England, Wales/RoI, Scotland and NI at the finals in Russia. Would take a few results and play off draws going a certain way, but that would be pretty good...lots of ifs and buts though.

[rowan]

No disrespect intended to Iceland, but Turkey shouldn't really be losing 0-3 at home to anybody. It's a soocer-mad nation of 80 million and has three genuinely world class clubs here in Istanbul with relatively few foreign players in them. But the country is divided by politics at the moment, and it seems these issues have also succeeded in undermining morale within the national team.

I wonder if Spain can avoid the same scenario . . .