WHICH EUROPEAN TEAMS HAVE QUALIFIED FOR WORLD CUP 2018 IN RUSSIA?
Poland followed the likes of Spain, England, Germany and Belgium in booking their place at next summer's World Cup in Russia on Friday as European qualification reaches its final week.
Robert Lewandowski was among the scorers, bringing his overall tally in qualifying to 16 goals, as Adam Nawalkas' men defeated Montenegro 4-2 to secure their place at the top of Group E.
There could be a trickier path to the finals, however, for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal, who may have to navigate through the play-offs, while the Netherlands face an uphill struggle to reach even that stage.
Goal has your complete guide to the current qualification picture as we edge nearer to the return of the biggest sporting event on the planet.
QUALIFIED TEAMS
| Team | Method |
|---|---|
| Russia | Hosts |
| TBC | Group A winner |
| TBC | Group B winner |
| Germany | Group C winner |
| Serbia | Group D winner |
| Poland | Group E winner |
| England | Group F winner |
| Spain | Group G winner |
| Belgium | Group H winner |
| Iceland | Group I winner |
| TBC | Play-off winner |
| TBC | Play-off winner |
| TBC | Play-off winner |
| TBC | Play-off winner |
GROUP TABLES
The 54 countries participating are split into nine groups of six.
The teams in each group play each other twice - once at home and once away. The nine first-place teams qualify directly for the World Cup finals.
The nine second-place teams are then ranked by points, but with the results of their games against the last-placed team in their group discarded (leaving eight games each).
The best eight teams on that basis are drawn at random into four two-legged play-off ties, with the ninth team eliminated. The winners of those ties also qualify for the World Cup finals.
Group A:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France (PO) | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 5 | +11 | 20 |
| 2 | Sweden | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 7 | +19 | 19 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 12 | +7 | 16 |
| 4 | Bulgaria (E) | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 18 | -5 | 12 |
| 5 | Belarus (E) | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 19 | -14 | 5 |
| 6 | Luxembourg (E) | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 25 | -18 | 5 |
Group B:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland (PO) | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 | +18 | 27 |
| 2 | Portugal (PO) | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 4 | +26 | 24 |
| 3 | Hungary (E) | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 14 | -1 | 10 |
| 4 | Faroe Islands (E) | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 15 | -11 | 9 |
| 5 | Latvia (E) | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 18 | -15 | 4 |
| 6 | Andorra (E) | 9 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 19 | -17 | 4 |
Group C:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany (Q) | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 4 | +39 | 30 |
| 2 | Northern Ireland (PO) | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 19 |
| 3 | Czech Republic (E) | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 10 | +7 | 15 |
| 4 | Norway (E) | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 13 |
| 5 | Azerbaijan (E) | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 19 | -9 | 10 |
| 6 | San Marino (E) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 51 | -49 | 0 |
Group D:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbia (Q) | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 10 | +10 | 21 |
| 3 | Republic of Ireland (PO) | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 6 | +6 | 19 |
| 3 | Wales (E) | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 17 |
| 4 | Austria (E) | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 15 |
| 5 | Georgia (E) | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 14 | -6 | 5 |
| 6 | Moldova (E) | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 23 | -19 | 2 |
Group E:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland (Q) | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 14 | +14 | 25 |
| 2 | Denmark (PO) | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 8 | +12 | 20 |
| 3 | Montenegro (E) | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 16 |
| 4 | Romania (E) | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 13 |
| 5 | Armenia (E) | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 10 | 26 | -16 | 7 |
| 6 | Kazakhstan (E) | 10 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 26 | -20 | 3 |
Group F:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England (Q) | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 3 | +15 | 26 |
| 2 | Slovakia | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 18 |
| 3 | Scotland (E) | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 18 |
| 4 | Slovenia (E) | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 15 |
| 5 | Lithuania (E) | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 20 | -13 | 7 |
| 6 | Malta (E) | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 25 | -22 | 1 |
Group G:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain (Q) | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 3 | +33 | 28 |
| 2 | Italy (PO) | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 8 | +13 | 23 |
| 3 | Albania (E) | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 13 | -3 | 13 |
| 4 | Israel (E) | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 15 | -5 | 12 |
| 5 | Macedonia (E) | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 11 |
| 6 | Liechtenstein (E) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 39 | -38 | 0 |
Group H:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium (Q) | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 6 | +33 | 25 |
| 2 | Greece | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 16 |
| 3 | Bosnia & Herzegovina (E) | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 14 |
| 4 | Estonia (E) | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 17 | -5 | 11 |
| 5 | Cyprus (E) | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 10 |
| 6 | Gibraltar (E) | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 43 | -40 | 0 |
Group I:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland (Q) | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 22 |
| 2 | Croatia (PO) | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 20 |
| 3 | Ukraine (E) | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 17 |
| 4 | Turkey (E) | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 15 |
| 5 | Finland (E) | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 9 |
| 6 | Kosovo (E) | 10 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 24 | -21 | 1 |
(Q) = qualified
(PO) = qualified at least for play-off
(E) = eliminated
Bold = final position confirmed
(PO) = qualified at least for play-off
(E) = eliminated
Bold = final position confirmed
SECOND-PLACE RANKING
The nine second-place teams from each group are ranked by points, but with the results of their games against the sixth-placed team in their group discarded.
Those points don't count because there were initially two groups of five teams until Kosovo and Gibraltar were admitted to UEFA. UEFA subsequently decided not to change the rules despite the fact that the groups are now balanced.
The best eight teams on that basis will be drawn - based on seeding - into four two-legged, home-and-away play-off ties, with the ninth team eliminated.
The winners of those ties will qualify for the World Cup finals.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal (PO*) | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 4 | +18 | 18 |
| 3 | Italy (PO) | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 8 | +4 | 17 |
| 2 | Denmark (PO) | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 6 | +7 | 14 |
| 9 | Croatia (PO) | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 14 |
| 4 | Sweden (PO*) | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 7 | +10 | 13 |
| 5 | Northern Ireland (PO) | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 13 |
| 6 | Greece | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 13 |
| 8 | Republic of Ireland (PO) | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 13 |
| 7 | Slovakia | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 12 |
(PO) = qualified for play-off
(PO*) = play-off guaranteed but could still win group
(PO*) = play-off guaranteed but could still win group
WHEN ARE THE PLAY-OFFS?
FIFA has confirmed that the European qualifiers play-off draw will take place on Tuesday, October 17.
The draw will be held in Zurich and things kick off at 14:00 CET (13:00 GMT), with the event being streamed live on FIFA's website as well as their YouTube channel.
The eight teams involved in the draw will be split into two pots, with the four highest-ranked teams in one pot and the four lowest-ranked teams in another.
For the purposes of the seeding, the FIFA Ranking for October, which will be published the day before the draw, will be used to decide which team goes into what pot.
When will the play-off matches be played?
The dates have not yet been confirmed, but FIFA says that the play-offs are expected to take place between November 9 and 14.
