2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
Tournament details
Dates 12 March 2015 – 14 November 2017
Teams 208 (from 6 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played 282
Goals scored 828 (2.94 per match)
Top scorer(s) Saudi Arabia Mohammad Al-Sahlawi (13 goals)

The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process will decide 31 of the 32 teams which will play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with the hosts Russia qualifying automatically. All 208 remaining FIFA member associations are eligible to enter the qualifying process. For the first time in World Cup history, all national teams registered for the preliminary competition.[1] Bhutan and South Sudan made their FIFA World Cup qualification debuts.[2][3]

While the main qualifying draw took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg on 25 July 2015,[4][5] a number of qualification matches were played before that.[6] The first began in Dili, Timor-Leste on 12 March as part of the AFC's qualification,[7] with East Timorese player Chiquito do Carmo scoring the first goal of qualification. Matches were also played in CONCACAF prior to the main draw.

Qualified teams

  Country qualified for World Cup
  Country may qualify
  Country failed to qualify with games still to play
  Country failed to qualify
  Country expelled from the tournament by FIFA prior to playing a match
  Country not a FIFA member
Team Method of
qualification		 Date of
qualification		 Finals
appearance		 Last
appearance		 Consecutive
finals
appearances		 Previous best
performance
 Russia Host 2 December 2010 11th[USSR 1] 2014 2 Fourth place (1966)[USSR 2]
Notes
  1. ↑ This is the 4th appearance of Russia at the FIFA World Cup. However FIFA considers Russia as the successor team of the Soviet Union who themselves qualified on 7 occasions.
  2. ↑ Russia's best result is group stage in 1994, 2002 and 2014. However FIFA considers Russia as the successor team of the Soviet Union who achieved this result.

Qualification process

The number of teams participating in the final tournament is 32. Even though the qualification process began in March 2015, the allocation of slots for each confederation was discussed by the FIFA Executive Committee on 30 May 2015 in Zürich after the FIFA Congress.[8] It was decided that the same allocation as 2014 would be kept for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.[9]

Summary of qualification

Not all competed, as Zimbabwe were expelled from the competition on 12 March 2015 due to their failure to pay former coach José Claudinei a severance fee,[10] a decision that the Zimbabwe Football Association said they would appeal,[11] while Indonesia were excluded from the qualifying competition following the suspension of their football association by FIFA on 30 May 2015.[12]

Updated as of all matches on 17 November 2015
Confederation Teams started Teams that have qualified Teams that can still qualify Teams that have been eliminated Remaining places in finals Total places in finals Next matchday Qualifying end date Inter-Confederation Play-offs
AFC46021254 or 54 or 524 March 201610 October 201714 November 2017
CAF5402034553 October 201614 November 2017 -
CONCACAF35012233 or 43 or 425 March 201610 October 201714 November 2017
CONMEBOL1001004 or 54 or 524 March 201610 October 201714 November 2017
OFC110830 or 10 or 128 May 201610 October 201714 November 2017
UEFA52+10+15201313+14 September 201614 November 2017 -
Total208+10+1123853131+124 March 201614 November 201714 November 2017

Note: One team each from AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC will play in the inter-confederation play-offs, scheduled for 6–14 November 2017.

Format

The formats of the qualifying competitions depend on each confederation (see below). Each round may be played in either of the following formats:[13]

Tiebreakers

In home-and-away league format, the ranking of teams in each group is based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7):[13]

  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Goal difference
  3. Goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie is only between two teams)
  8. Play-off match(es) on neutral ground (if approved by FIFA Organizing Committee), with extra time and penalty shoot-out if necessary

If the group is played as a single round-robin hosted by one of the participating teams or on neutral territory, only the first three criteria above are applied. Afterwards, drawing of lots is used to determine the ranking (regulations Article 20.8).[13]

In cases where teams finishing in the same position across different groups are compared for determining which teams advance to the next stage, the criteria is decided by the confederation and require the approval of FIFA (regulations Article 20.9).[13]

In knockout format, the team that has the higher aggregate score over the two legs progresses to the next round. In the event that aggregate scores finish level, the away goals rule is applied, i.e. the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs progresses. If away goals are also equal, then thirty minutes of extra time are played, divided into two fifteen-minutes halves. The away goals rule is again applied after extra time, i.e. if there are goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still level, the visiting team qualifies by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals are scored during extra time, the tie is decided by penalty shoot-out (regulations Article 20.10).[13]

Confederation qualification

AFC

The AFC Executive Committee meeting on 16 April 2014 approved the proposal to merge the preliminary qualification rounds of the FIFA World Cup and the AFC Asian Cup, which will be expanded to 24 teams starting in 2019:[14]

A total of 24 teams eliminated from World Cup qualification in the second round will compete in the third round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification (which will be separate from the third round of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification), where they will be divided into six groups of four teams and compete for the remaining slots of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. The 24 teams will consist of the 16 highest ranked teams eliminated in the second round, and the eight teams that advance from the play-off round of 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification which are contested by the remaining 12 teams eliminated in the second round.[15]

Current stage (second round)

The draw for the second round was held on 14 April 2015, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[16]

Indonesia (PSSI) was suspended on 30 May 2015 for governmental interference.[17] Subsequently, the AFC confirmed that Indonesia have been excluded from the qualifying competition, and all matches involving them have been cancelled.[18]

 Advance to Third round and qualification to Asian Cup
 Advance to Third round and qualification to Asian Cup OR qualification to Asian Cup qualifying third round. The four best runners-up across all groups advance to the third round and Asian Cup. The remaining four runners-up qualify to the Asian Cup qualifying third round
 Qualification to Asian Cup qualifying third round
 Qualification to Asian Cup qualifying third round OR qualification to Asian Cup qualifying play-off round. The four best fourth-placed teams across all groups advance to the Asian Cup qualifying third round. The remaining four fourth-placed teams qualify to the Asian Cup qualifying play-off round.
 Qualification to Asian Cup qualifying play-off round
 Disqualified due to FIFA suspension
Group A Group B Group C
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Saudi Arabia (X) 6 16
2  United Arab Emirates (X) 6 13
3  Palestine (X) 6 9
4  Malaysia (Y) 7 4
5  Timor-Leste (Y) 7 2
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015.
Source: FIFA
(X) Assured of at least Asian Cup qualifying third round;
(Y) Eliminated from World Cup.
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Australia (X) 6 15
2  Jordan (X) 6 13
3  Kyrgyzstan (X) 7 11
4  Tajikistan (Y) 6 5
5  Bangladesh (Q) 7 1
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015.
Source: FIFA
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated;
(X) Assured of at least Asian Cup qualifying third round;
(Y) Eliminated from World Cup.
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Qatar (Q) 6 18
2  Hong Kong (X) 7 14
3  China PR (X) 6 11
4  Maldives (Y) 6 3
5  Bhutan (Q) 7 0
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015.
Source: FIFA
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated;
(X) Assured of at least Asian Cup qualifying third round;
(Y) Eliminated from World Cup.
Group D Group E Group F
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Iran (X) 6 14
2  Oman (X) 6 11
3  Turkmenistan (Q) 7 10
4  Guam (Y) 7 7
5  India (Y) 6 3
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015.
Source: FIFA
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated;
(X) Assured of at least Asian Cup qualifying third round;
(Y) Eliminated from World Cup.
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Japan (X) 6 16
2  Syria (X) 6 15
3  Singapore (Y) 7 10
4  Afghanistan (Y) 6 6
5  Cambodia (Q) 7 0
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015.
Source: FIFA
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated;
(X) Assured of at least Asian Cup qualifying third round;
(Y) Eliminated from World Cup.
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Thailand (X) 5 13
2  Iraq (X) 4 8
3  Vietnam (X) 4 4
4  Chinese Taipei (Y) 5 0
5  Indonesia (D) 0 0
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015.
Source: FIFA
(D) Disqualified;
(X) Assured of at least Asian Cup qualifying third round;
(Y) Eliminated from World Cup.
Group G Group H
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  South Korea (Q) 6 18
2  Kuwait (X) 6 10
3  Lebanon 6 10
4  Myanmar (Y) 7 7
5  Laos (Q) 7 1
Updated to match(es) played on 13 January 2016.
Source: FIFA
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated;
(X) Assured of at least Asian Cup qualifying third round;
(Y) Eliminated from World Cup.
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  North Korea (X) 7 16
2  Uzbekistan (X) 6 15
3  Philippines (Y) 6 7
4  Bahrain (Y) 6 6
5  Yemen (Y) 7 3
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015.
Source: FIFA
(X) Assured of at least Asian Cup qualifying third round;
(Y) Eliminated from World Cup.
Ranking of runners-up
Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 E  Syria 5 4 0 1 14 6 +8 12 Third round and Asian Cup
2 B  Jordan 5 3 1 1 8 2 +6 10
3 H  Uzbekistan 4 3 0 1 14 6 +8 9
4 F  Iraq 4 2 2 0 10 4 +6 8
5 C  Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5 3 +2 8 Asian Cup qualifying third round
6 A  United Arab Emirates 4 2 1 1 13 3 +10 7
7 G  Kuwait 5 2 1 2 10 4 +6 7
8 D  Oman 4 1 2 1 5 4 +1 5
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points from matches against teams ranked first to fourth in the group; 2) Superior goal difference from these matches; 3) Higher number of goals scored in these matches; 4) Play-off

CAF

The CAF Executive Committee approved the format for the qualifiers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 14 January 2015.[19] However, on 9 July 2015 FIFA officially announced that only three rounds will be played instead of four.[20]

Zimbabwe, even though they entered the competition, were expelled on 12 March 2015 due to their failure to pay former coach José Claudinei a severance fee.[10] Therefore, only 53 African teams were involved in the draw.

Most recent stage (second round)

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Niger  0–3  Cameroon 0–3 0–0
Mauritania  2–4  Tunisia 1–2 1–2
Namibia  0–3  Guinea 0–1 0–2
Ethiopia  4–6  Congo 3–4 1–2
Chad  1–4  Egypt 1–0 0–4
Comoros  0–2  Ghana 0–0 0–2
Swaziland  0–2  Nigeria 0–0 0–2
Botswana  2–3  Mali 2–1 0–2
Burundi  2–6  DR Congo 2–3 0–3[note 1]
Liberia  0–4  Ivory Coast 0–1 0–3
Madagascar  2–5  Senegal 2–2 0–3
Kenya  1–2  Cape Verde 1–0 0–2
Tanzania  2–9  Algeria 2–2 0–7
Sudan  0–3  Zambia 0–1 0–2
Libya  4–1  Rwanda 1–0 3–1
Morocco  2–1  Equatorial Guinea 2–0 0–1
Mozambique  1–1 (3–4 p)  Gabon 1–0 0–1 (a.e.t.)
Benin  2–3  Burkina Faso 2–1 0–2
Togo  0–4  Uganda 0–1 0–3
Angola  1–4  South Africa 1–3 0–1
  1. ↑ FIFA awarded Congo DR a 3–0 win as a result of Burundi fielding the ineligible player Gaël Bigirimana.[21] The match originally ended 2–2.

Next stage (third round)

Qualified teams

CONCACAF

An amendment to the qualification process for this tournament had been suggested,[22] which would see the first three rounds played as knockout rounds, with both the fourth round and the final round (referred to as 'The Hex') played as group stages. The first round would be played during the FIFA international dates of 23–31 March 2015.[23] CONCACAF announced the full details on 12 January 2015:[24][25]

Current stage (fourth round)

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mexico 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 6 Advance to fifth round — 29 Mar 3–0 6 Sep
2  Canada 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 4 25 Mar — 6 Sep 1–0
3  El Salvador 2 0 1 1 0 3 −3 1 2 Sep 0–0 — 25 Mar
4  Honduras 2 0 0 2 0 3 −3 0 0–2 2 Sep 29 Mar —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Costa Rica 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 6 Advance to fifth round — 6 Sep 29 Mar 1–0
2  Panama 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 3 1–2 — 2 Sep 29 Mar
3  Jamaica 2 1 0 1 1 2 −1 3 25 Mar 0–2 — 6 Sep
4  Haiti 2 0 0 2 0 2 −2 0 2 Sep 25 Mar 0–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  United States 2 1 1 0 6 1 +5 4 Advance to fifth round — 6 Sep 29 Mar 6–1
2  Trinidad and Tobago 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4 0–0 — 2 Sep 29 Mar
3  Guatemala 2 1 0 1 5 2 +3 3 25 Mar 1–2 — 6 Sep
4  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 0 0 2 1 10 −9 0 2 Sep 25 Mar 0–4 —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

CONMEBOL

The qualification structure is the same as the previous five editions. The ten teams will play in a league of home-and-away round-robin matches. The top four teams will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the fifth-placed team will advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Unlike previous qualifying tournaments where the fixtures were pre-determined, the fixtures were decided by a draw held on 25 July 2015, at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia.[26]

Current stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ecuador 4 4 0 0 9 2 +7 12 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup — 2–1 MD7 MD5 MD9 MD18 MD14 2–0 MD16 MD12
2  Uruguay 4 3 0 1 9 2 +7 9 MD11 — MD13 MD8 3–0 MD15 3–0 MD18 MD6 MD9
3  Brazil 4 2 1 1 7 4 +3 7 MD15 MD5 — MD14 MD18 MD11 MD8 MD9 3–0 3–1
4  Paraguay 4 2 1 1 3 2 +1 7 MD13 MD16 MD6 — MD7 0–0 MD9 2–1 MD11 MD18
5  Chile 4 2 1 1 7 7 0 7 Advance to inter-confederation play-offs MD17 MD12 2–0 MD15 — MD5 1–1 MD8 MD10 MD14
6  Argentina 4 1 2 1 2 3 −1 5 0–2 MD7 1–1 MD10 MD13 — MD12 MD6 MD17 MD16
7  Colombia 4 1 1 2 3 5 −2 4 MD6 MD10 MD16 MD17 MD11 0–1 — MD13 2–0 MD7
8  Bolivia 4 1 0 3 5 8 −3 3 MD10 0–2 MD17 MD12 MD16 MD14 MD5 — MD7 4–2
9  Peru 4 1 0 3 4 9 −5 3 MD8 MD14 MD12 1–0 3–4 MD9 MD18 MD15 — MD5
10  Venezuela 4 0 0 4 4 11 −7 0 1–3 MD17 MD10 0–1 MD6 MD8 MD15 MD11 MD13 —
Updated to match(es) played on 17 November 2015. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

OFC

The qualification structure is as follows:[27][20]

The OFC have considered different proposals of the qualifying tournament.[28] A previous proposal adopted by the OFC in October 2014 have the eight teams divided into two groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches in the second round, followed by the top two teams of each group advancing to the third round to play in a single group of home-and-away round-robin matches to decide the winner of the 2016 OFC Nations Cup which will both qualify to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and advance to the inter-confederation play-offs.[29] However, it was later reported in April 2015 that the OFC had reversed its decision, and the 2016 OFC Nations Cup will be played as a one-off tournament similar to the 2012 OFC Nations Cup.[30]

Most recent stage (first round)

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Samoa 3 2 0 1 6 3 +3 6 Advance to 2016 OFC Nations Cup/second round — 3–2 — —
2  American Samoa 3 2 0 1 6 4 +2 6 — — 2–0 —
3  Cook Islands 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6 1–0 — — —
4  Tonga (H) 3 0 0 3 1 8 −7 0 0–3 1–2 0–3 —
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Host.

Next stage (second round)

Main article: 2016 OFC Nations Cup

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Tahiti 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification to Nations Cup knockout stage
and World Cup qualifying third round		 — 4 Jun 28 May —
1  New Caledonia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 31 May —
1  Samoa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification to World Cup qualifying third round — — — 4 Jun
1  Papua New Guinea (H) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 May 28 May — —
First match(es) will be played on 28 May 2016. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
(H) Host.

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  New Zealand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification to Nations Cup knockout stage
and World Cup qualifying third round		 — 5 Jun 29 May —
1  Solomon Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — 1 Jun —
1  Fiji 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification to World Cup qualifying third round — — — 5 Jun
1  Vanuatu 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Jun 29 May — —
First match(es) will be played on 29 May 2016. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

UEFA

Russia have qualified automatically as hosts. The qualifying format for the remaining 52 FIFA-affiliated UEFA teams was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 22–23 March 2015 in Vienna.[31][32] The draw for the UEFA zone took place on 25 July 2015 in St. Petersburg.[33][20]

Next stage (first round)

The draw for the first round was held on 25 July 2015, at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia.[20]

 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup
 Possible advancement to Second round (play-offs). The eight best runners-up across all groups will advance to the Second round (play-offs).
Group A Group B Group C
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Netherlands 0 0
1  France 0 0
1  Sweden 0 0
1  Bulgaria 0 0
1  Belarus 0 0
1  Luxembourg 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 6 September 2016.
Source: FIFA
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Portugal 0 0
1   Switzerland 0 0
1  Hungary 0 0
1  Faroe Islands 0 0
1  Latvia 0 0
1  Andorra 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 6 September 2016.
Source: FIFA
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Germany 0 0
1  Czech Republic 0 0
1  Northern Ireland 0 0
1  Norway 0 0
1  Azerbaijan 0 0
1  San Marino 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 4 September 2016.
Source: FIFA
Group D Group E Group F
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Wales 0 0
1  Austria 0 0
1  Serbia 0 0
1  Republic of Ireland 0 0
1  Moldova 0 0
1  Georgia 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 5 September 2016.
Source: FIFA
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Romania 0 0
1  Denmark 0 0
1  Poland 0 0
1  Montenegro 0 0
1  Armenia 0 0
1  Kazakhstan 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 4 September 2016.
Source: FIFA
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  England 0 0
1  Slovakia 0 0
1  Scotland 0 0
1  Slovenia 0 0
1  Lithuania 0 0
1  Malta 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 4 September 2016.
Source: FIFA
Group G Group H Group I
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Spain 0 0
1  Italy 0 0
1  Albania 0 0
1  Israel 0 0
1  Macedonia 0 0
1  Liechtenstein 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 5 September 2016.
Source: FIFA
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Belgium 0 0
1  Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 0
1  Greece 0 0
1  Estonia 0 0
1  Cyprus 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 6 September 2016.
Source: FIFA
Pos Team Pld Pts
1  Croatia 0 0
1  Iceland 0 0
1  Ukraine 0 0
1  Turkey 0 0
1  Finland 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 5 September 2016.
Source: FIFA
Ranking of runners-up
Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 A Runners-up Group A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to second round (play-offs)
1 B Runners-up Group B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 C Runners-up Group C 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 D Runners-up Group D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 E Runners-up Group E 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 F Runners-up Group F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 G Runners-up Group G 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 H Runners-up Group H 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 I Runners-up Group I 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 4 September 2016. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points from matches against teams ranked first to fifth in the group; 2) Superior goal difference from these matches; 3) Higher number of goals scored in these matches.

Inter-confederation play-offs

The inter-confederation play-offs are scheduled to be played between 6–14 November 2017.[34]

The matchups were decided at the preliminary draw which was held on 25 July 2015, at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia.[20]

CONCACAF v AFC

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
CONCACAF 4th place Play-off 1 AFC 5th place 6 Nov '17 14 Nov '17

OFC v CONMEBOL

Team 1 Agg. Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
OFC 1st place Play-off 2 CONMEBOL 5th place 6 Nov '17 14 Nov '17

Top goalscorers

Updated as of all matches 17 November 2015

Note: Players in bold are still active in the competition.

13 goals
10 goals
7 goals
6 goals
5 goals

References

  1. ↑ "Road to Russia with new milestone". FIFA.com. 15 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Modest Bhutan begin World Cup adventure". FIFA.com. 11 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "South Sudan's World Cup debut ended early by rain". bbc.co.uk. 7 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup extends its responsibilities to cover 2018 and 2022". FIFA.com. 19 March 2013.
  5. ↑ "Konstantinovsky Palace to stage Preliminary Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup". FIFA.com. 10 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Ethics: Executive Committee unanimously supports recommendation to publish report on 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™ bidding process". FIFA.com. 19 December 2014.
  7. ↑ "Long road to Russia begins in Dili". FIFA.com. 11 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "2022 FIFA World Cup to be played in November/December". FIFA.com. 20 March 2015.
  9. ↑ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup™ confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Zimbabwe expelled from the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia". FIFA.com. 12 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Zimbabwe expelled from 2018 World Cup". BBC Sport. 12 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Impact of Football Association of Indonesia suspension". AFC. 3 June 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com.
  14. ↑ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "World Cup draw looms large in Asia". FIFA.com. 13 April 2015. Completing the tournament's qualifying contenders will be the next 16 highest ranked teams, with the remaining 12 sides battling it out in play-off matches to claim the last eight spots.
  16. ↑ "Draw: 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Preliminary Qualification Round 2". AFC. 15 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup™ confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "Impact of Football Association of Indonesia suspension". AFC. 3 June 2015.
  19. ↑ "FORMAT OF 2017 AFCON QUALIFIERS AND 2018 WORLD CUP". CAFonline.com. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 "Preliminary Draw procedures outlined". fifa.com. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  21. ↑ "DISCIPLINARY OVERVIEW – 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA™ QUALIFIERS" (PDF). FIFA. 1 February 2016.
  22. ↑ "Concacaf estrenará formato de eliminatoria; sigue el Hexagonal" [New format for Concacaf qualification - Hexagonal retained] (in Spanish). ESPN Mexico. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  23. ↑ "Canada begins 2018 World Cup qualification in June". Sportsnet. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  24. ↑ "CONCACAF to Hold Preliminary FIFA World Cup Qualifying Draw in Miami on January 15". CONCACAF. 12 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "USMNT to start 2018 World Cup qualifying in November of 2015". Sports Illustrated. 12 January 2015.
  26. ↑ "A unanimous decision: A draw will determine the classifications for the World Cup and CONMEBOL Tournaments". CONMEBOL.com. 23 January 2015.
  27. ↑ "Preliminary competition format outlined". Oceania Football Confederation. 10 July 2015.
  28. ↑ "OFC Executive Committee decisions". OFC. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  29. ↑ "OFC Executive Committee outcomes". Oceania Football Confederation. 20 October 2014.
  30. ↑ "Football: Heat goes on NZ after switch". New Zealand Herald. 12 April 2015.
  31. ↑ "Executive Committee date in Vienna". UEFA.org. 21 March 2015.
  32. ↑ "New distribution concept for club competitions approved". UEFA.org. 23 March 2015.
  33. ↑ "UEFA 2018 Qualifying Format". ESPN.co.uk. 23 March 2015.
  34. ↑ "FIFA Calendar". FIFA.com.

External links

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