Football World Cup 2018 / Qualification
The qualification (or preliminary round) for the final round of the 2018 World Cup was held from 2015 to 2017. For the first time, all 211 member associations of FIFA have registered their teams. However, Zimbabwe and Indonesia have been suspended by FIFA. The draw for the qualifying groups took place on July 25, 2015 in Strelna near Saint Petersburg . Two associations drew the respective first qualifying rounds on January 15 (CONCACAF) and February 10, 2015 (AFC).
The starting places for the final round were allocated as follows:
- UEFA ( Europe ): 13 slots for 54 qualifiers plus one slot for host Russia
- CAF ( Africa ): 5 starting places for 53 qualifying participants (after suspension of Zimbabwe)
- AFC ( Asia and Australia ): 4 or 5 starting places for 45 qualifiers (after Indonesia's suspension)
- CONMEBOL ( South America ): 4 or 5 starting places for 10 qualifiers
- CONCACAF ( North and Central America and the Caribbean ): 3 or 4 starting places for 35 qualifying participants
- OFC ( Oceania ): 0 or 1 starting place for 11 qualifiers
Two of the participants were determined in intercontinental playoffs. Which associations compete against each other was also drawn on July 25, 2015 in St. Petersburg. This draw resulted in games between members of CONCACAF and the AFC and between the OFC and CONMEBOL.
A total of 866 games (all associations combined) were played in the qualifying phase of the 2018 World Cup.
Regulations
According to FIFA regulations, the preliminary round matches in the form of group matches and cup matches can be played in home and return matches or, in exceptional cases, in tournament form in one of the participating countries or on neutral ground. In the group games, three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw. The following criteria are decisive:
- higher number of points
- better goal difference
- higher number of goals scored
- higher number of points from the direct encounters between teams with the same points and goals
- better goal difference from the direct encounters between the teams with the same points and goals
- higher number of goals from direct encounters between teams with equal points and goals
- higher number of away goals from direct encounters between teams with the same points and goals if only two teams are affected.
- lower number of minus points through yellow and red cards (yellow card 1 minus point, yellow-red card 3 minus points, red card 4 minus points, yellow and red card 5 minus points)
- Drawing of lots
In the cup games, if there is a tie after the two games, the higher number of away goals scored counts. If the number of away goals is the same, extra time is played. If no goal is scored in extra time, the match will be decided on penalties . If both teams score the same number of goals in extra time, the away team qualifies due to more away goals scored.
Teams qualified for the World Cup
nation | Qualified as | Qualified on | FIFA rank | Participation in the finals | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | last | ||||
Russia | UEFA; host | 12/02/2010 | 65 | 4th | 2014 |
Brazil | CONMEBOL; First | 03/28/2017 | 2 | 21st | 2014 |
Iran | AFC; 3rd round, first group 1 | 06/12/2017 | 34 | 5 | 2014 |
Japan | AFC; 3rd round, first group 2 | 08/31/2017 | 44 | 6th | 2014 |
Mexico | CONCACAF; First | 09/01/2017 | 16 | 16 | 2014 |
Belgium | UEFA; First group H | 09/03/2017 | 5 | 13 | 2014 |
South Korea | AFC; 3rd round, second group 1 | 05.09.2017 | 62 | 10 | 2014 |
Saudi Arabia | AFC; 3rd round, 2nd group 2 | 05.09.2017 | 63 | 5 | 2006 |
Germany | UEFA; First group C | 05.10.2017 | 1 | 19th | 2014 |
England | UEFA; First group F | 05.10.2017 | 12 | 15th | 2014 |
Spain | UEFA; First group G | 06.10.2017 | 8th | 15th | 2014 |
Nigeria | CAF; 3rd round, first group B | 07.10.2017 | 41 | 6th | 2014 |
Costa Rica | CONCACAF; Second | 07.10.2017 | 22nd | 5 | 2014 |
Poland | UEFA; First group E | 08/10/2017 | 6th | 8th | 2006 |
Egypt | CAF; 3rd round, first group E | 08/10/2017 | 30th | 3 | 1990 |
Serbia | UEFA; First group D | 09.10.2017 | 38 | 2 | 2010 |
Iceland | UEFA; First group I. | 09.10.2017 | 21st | 1 | - |
Portugal | UEFA; First group B | 10/10/2017 | 3 | 7th | 2014 |
France | UEFA; First group A | 10/10/2017 | 7th | 15th | 2014 |
Uruguay | CONMEBOL; Second | 10/10/2017 | 17th | 13 | 2014 |
Argentina | CONMEBOL; Third | 10/10/2017 | 4th | 17th | 2014 |
Colombia | CONMEBOL; Fourth | 10/10/2017 | 13 | 6th | 2014 |
Panama | CONCACAF; Third | 10/10/2017 | 49 | 1 | - |
Senegal | CAF; 3rd round, first group D | 11/10/2017 | 32 | 2 | 2002 |
Morocco | CAF; 3rd round, first group C | 11/11/2017 | 48 | 5 | 1998 |
Tunisia | CAF; 3rd round, first group A | 11/11/2017 | 28 | 5 | 2006 |
Switzerland | UEFA; Play-off winner | 11/12/2017 | 11 | 11 | 2014 |
Croatia | UEFA; Play-off winner | 11/12/2017 | 18th | 5 | 2014 |
Sweden | UEFA; Play-off winner | 11/13/2017 | 25th | 12 | 2006 |
Denmark | UEFA; Play-off winner | 11/14/2017 | 19th | 5 | 2010 |
Australia | AFC; Winner intercontinental play-offs ( CONCACAF ) | 11/15/2017 | 43 | 5 | 2014 |
Peru | CONMEBOL; Intercontinental play-offs ( OFC ) winners | 11/16/2017 | 10 | 5 | 1982 |
Remarks
European Zone / UEFA
With Russia automatically qualifying as hosts and Gibraltar and Kosovo joining FIFA on May 13, 2016, 54 UEFA members took part in the qualification. Before the draw, the teams were divided into six pots based on the July 2015 FIFA world rankings . On June 9, 2016, Gibraltar was placed in Group H and Kosovo in Group I because, for security reasons, no games between Kosovo and Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina should take place.
Group overview | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Group A | FIFA Rank 1 | Group B | FIFA Rank 1 | Group C | FIFA Rank 1 |
1. Netherlands | 5 | 1. Portugal | 7th | 1. Germany | 2 |
2. France | 22nd | 2. Switzerland | 18th | 2. Czech Republic | 20th |
3. Sweden | 33 | 3. Hungary | 31 | 3. Northern Ireland | 37 |
4. Bulgaria | 68 | 4. Faroe Islands | 74 | 4. Norway | 67 |
5. Belarus | 100 | 5. Latvia | 87 | 5. Azerbaijan | 108 |
6. Luxembourg | 146 | 6. Andorra | 202 | 6. San Marino | 192 |
Group D | FIFA Rank 1 | Group E | FIFA Rank 1 | Group F. | FIFA Rank 1 |
1. Wales | 10 | 1. Romania | 8th | 1. England | 9 |
2. Austria | 15th | 2. Denmark | 24 | 2. Slovakia | 15th |
3. Serbia | 43 | 3. Poland | 30th | 3. Scotland | 29 |
4. Ireland | 52 | 4. Montenegro | 81 | 4. Slovenia | 49 |
5. Moldova | 124 | 5. Armenia | 89 | 5. Lithuania | 110 |
6. Georgia | 153 | 6. Kazakhstan | 142 | 6. Malta | 158 |
Group G | FIFA Rank 1 | Group H. | FIFA Rank 1 | Group I. | FIFA Rank 1 |
1. Spain | 12 | 1. Belgium | 3 | 1. Croatia | 14th |
2. Italy | 17th | 2. Bosnia and Herzegovina | 26th | 2. Iceland | 23 |
3. Albania | 36 | 3. Greece | 44 | 3. Ukraine | 27 |
4. Israel | 51 | 4. Estonia | 82 | 4. Turkey | 48 |
5. Macedonia | 105 | 5. Cyprus | 85 | 5. Finland | 90 |
6. Liechtenstein | 147 | 6. Gibraltar | - | 6. Kosovo | - |
African Zone / CAF
Since Zimbabwe was suspended by FIFA, only 53 CAF members participated in the qualification.
First round
The teams ranked 28th to 53rd started in the first round.
* = Qualified for the second round
Second round
The teams placed 1 to 27 started in the second round.
|
** = Qualified for the third round
Third round
Group overview | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Group A | FIFA rank | Group B | FIFA rank | Group C | FIFA rank | Group D | FIFA rank | Group E | FIFA rank |
1. Tunisia | 28 | 1. Nigeria | 41 | 1. Morocco | 48 | 1. Senegal | 32 | 1. Egypt | 30th |
2. DR Congo | 35 | 2. Zambia | 77 | 2. Ivory Coast | 61 | 2. Burkina Faso | 55 | 2. Uganda | 70 |
3. Guinea | 66 | 3. Cameroon | 42 | 3. Gabon | 92 | 3. Cape Verde | 64 | 3. Ghana | 52 |
4. Libya | 87 | 4. Algeria | 67 | 4. Mali | 72 | 4. South Africa | 74 | 4. Republic of the Congo | 94 |
Remarks
- FIFA ranking as of October 16, 2017
Asian Zone and Australia / AFC
As Indonesia was suspended by FIFA and the Northern Mariana Islands are not FIFA members, only 46 AFC members took part in the qualification. The first two qualifying rounds also served as qualifications for the 2019 Asian Cup .
First round
The teams placed 35 to 46 entered the first round.
* = Qualified for the second round
Second round
The teams ranked 1st to 34th started in the second round.
** = Qualified for the third round
Third round
Group overview | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Group 1 | FIFA rank | Group 2 | FIFA rank | ||
1. Iran | 34 | 1. Japan | 44 | ||
2. South Korea | 62 | 2. Saudi Arabia | 63 | ||
3. Syria *** | 77 | 3. Australia *** | 43 | ||
4. Uzbekistan | 76 | 4th Ver. Arab. Emirates | 72 | ||
5. PRC | 57 | 5. Iraq | 80 | ||
6. Qatar | 97 | 6. Thailand | 138 |
Remarks
- FIFA ranking as of October 16, 2017
- *** = Qualified for the fourth round
Fourth round
The two group thirds in the third round qualified for the fourth round.
Syria Australia **** **** = Qualified for the intercontinental play-offs
South American Zone / CONMEBOL
All ten teams belonging to the South American football association CONMEBOL take part in the qualification.
* = Qualified for the intercontinental play-offs
North, Central American and Caribbean Zones / CONCACAF
All 35 CONCACAF teams, which are also members of the world association FIFA , took part in the qualification.
First round
The teams ranked 22nd to 35th started in the first round.
* = Qualified for the second round / ** = Qualified for the third round
Second round
The teams ranked 9th to 21st started in the second round.
|
** = Qualified for the third round / *** = Qualified for the fourth round
Third round
The teams placed 7th and 8th started in the third round.
*** = Qualified for the fourth round
Fourth round
The teams ranked 1 to 6 started in the fourth round.
|
**** = Qualified for the intercontinental play-offs
Oceanic Zone / OFC
All eleven full members of the OFC take part in the qualification. The first round also serves as qualification and the two subsequent rounds as the final round of the 2016 Oceania Championship .
First round
The teams ranked 8th to 11th started in the first round.
* = Qualified for the second round
Second round
The teams ranked 1st to 7th started in the second round.
|
|
** = Qualified for the third round
Third round
The teams in the third round were divided into two groups - the first two qualified for the final.
*** = Qualified for the final
final
total | First leg | Return leg | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
New Zealand | 8: 3 | Solomon Islands | 6: 1 (3: 0) | 2: 2 (2: 1) |
Intercontinental play-offs
In the intercontinental play-offs on 10./11. The following confederations and teams met each other:
total | First leg | Return leg | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Honduras 4th place in CONCACAF qualification |
1: 3 |
Australia 5th place in AFC qualification |
0-0 | 1: 3 (0: 0) |
New Zealand OFC qualification winner |
0: 2 |
Peru 5th place in CONMEBOL qualification |
0-0 | 0: 2 (0: 1) |
Web links
- FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: Qualification - Official FIFA website
Individual evidence
- ↑ The way to Russia: New milestone reached. In: fifa.com. FIFA , January 15, 2015, accessed January 15, 2015 .
- ↑ Zimbabwe excluded from the preliminary round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup ™. In: fifa.com. FIFA, March 12, 2015, accessed March 12, 2015 .
- ↑ Indonesia excluded from World Cup qualification and AFC Asian Cup 2019. In: fifa.com. FIFA, June 3, 2015, accessed June 4, 2015 .
- ↑ LOK Russia 2018 outlines plans for 2015. In: fifa.com. FIFA, November 21, 2014, accessed January 15, 2015 .
- ↑ FIFA World Cup ™: unchanged allocation of starting places to the confederations. In: fifa.com. FIFA, May 30, 2015, accessed July 9, 2015 .
- ↑ Draw for the intercontinental play-offs (Intercontinental Playoff Draw). In: FIFA.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017 .
- ↑ 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Preliminary Draw Results. In: FIFA.com. Retrieved November 14, 2017 .
- ^ Regulations for the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 (PDF; 431 kB) In: fifa.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association, October 14, 2016, accessed October 8, 2017 .
- ↑ Qualifying groups of Kosovo and Gibraltar intended for the 2018 FIFA World Cup ™. In: fifa.com. FIFA, June 9, 2016, accessed June 10, 2016 .