2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Last updated

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
Tournament details
Dates12 March 2015 – 15 November 2017
Teams210 (from 6 confederations)
Tournament statistics
Matches played869
Goals scored2,454 (2.82 per match)
Attendance18,720,691 (21,543 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Poland.svg Robert Lewandowski
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Mohammad Al-Sahlawi [n 1]
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg Ahmed Khalil
(16 goals each)
← 2014
2022 →

The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 remaining FIFA member associations were eligible to enter the qualifying process, and for the first time in World Cup history, all eligible national teams registered for the preliminary competition, [1] but Zimbabwe and Indonesia were disqualified before playing their first matches. [2] [3] Bhutan, South Sudan, Gibraltar and Kosovo made their FIFA World Cup qualification debuts, [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] while Myanmar participated after successfully appealing against a ban from the competition, although the team was obliged to play its home matches outside the country. [9] [10]

Contents

While the main qualifying draw took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, on 25 July 2015, [11] [12] qualification matches were played before that. [13] The first, between Timor-Leste and Mongolia, began in Dili on 12 March 2015 as part of the AFC's qualification, [14] with East Timorese player Chiquito do Carmo scoring the first goal in qualification. [n 2] Matches were also played in CONCACAF prior to the main draw.

Qualified teams

.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Teams qualified for World Cup Teams failed to qualify for World Cup Teams expelled from the tournament by FIFA prior to playing a match Countries were not FIFA members 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification map.png
  Teams qualified for World Cup
  Teams failed to qualify for World Cup
  Teams expelled from the tournament by FIFA prior to playing a match
  Countries were not FIFA members
TeamMethod of
qualification		Date of
qualification		Total
times
qualified		Last
time
qualified		Current
consecutive
appearances		Previous best
performance
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Hosts2 December 201011 [a] 2014 2Fourth place (1966)
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil CONMEBOL winners28 March 201721 2014 21Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran AFC third round group A winners12 June 20175 2014 2Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014)
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan AFC third round group B winners31 August 20176 2014 6Round of 16 (2002, 2010)
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico CONCACAF fifth round winners1 September 201716 2014 7Quarter-finals (1970, 1986)
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium UEFA Group H winners3 September 201713 2014 2Fourth place (1986)
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea AFC third round group A runners-up5 September 201710 2014 9Fourth place (2002)
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia AFC third round group B runners-up5 September 20175 2006 1Round of 16 (1994)
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany UEFA Group C winners5 October 201719 [b] 2014 17Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
Flag of England.svg  England UEFA Group F winners5 October 201715 2014 6Winners (1966)
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain UEFA Group G winners6 October 201715 2014 11Winners (2010)
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria CAF third round group B winners7 October 20176 2014 3Round of 16 (1994, 1998, 2014)
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica CONCACAF fifth round runners-up7 October 20175 2014 2Quarter-finals (2014)
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland UEFA Group E winners8 October 20178 2006 1Third place (1974, 1982)
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt CAF third round group E winners8 October 20173 1990 1First round (1934), group stage (1990)
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland UEFA Group I winners9 October 20171—1—
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia UEFA Group D winners9 October 201712 [c] 2010 1Fourth place (1930, 1962)
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal UEFA Group B winners10 October 20177 2014 5Third place (1966)
Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France UEFA Group A winners10 October 201715 2014 6Winners (1998)
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay CONMEBOL runners-up10 October 201713 2014 3Winners (1930, 1950)
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina CONMEBOL third place10 October 201717 2014 12Winners (1978, 1986)
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia CONMEBOL fourth place10 October 20176 2014 2Quarter-finals (2014)
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama CONCACAF fifth round third place10 October 20171—1—
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal CAF third round group D winners10 November 20172 2002 1Quarter-finals (2002)
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco CAF third round group C winners11 November 20175 1998 1Round of 16 (1986)
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia CAF third round group A winners11 November 20175 2006 1Group stage (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland UEFA second round winners12 November 201711 2014 4Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954)
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia UEFA second round winners12 November 20175 2014 2Third place (1998)
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden UEFA second round winners13 November 201712 2006 1Runners-up (1958)
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark UEFA second round winners14 November 20175 2010 1Quarter-finals (1998)
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia CONCACAF v AFC play-off winners15 November 20175 2014 4Round of 16 (2006)
Flag of Peru (state).svg  Peru OFC v CONMEBOL play-off winners15 November 20175 1982 1Quarter-finals (1970), second round (1978) [d]
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. ↑ Germany between 1950 and 1990 competed as "West Germany", as a separate East German team existed then.
  3. ↑ This is the 2nd appearance of Serbia at the FIFA World Cup. However, FIFA considers Serbia as the successor team of the Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro, who between them qualified on 10 occasions.
  4. ↑ In 1978, the second round was another group stage which involved 8 teams qualified from the first round.

Qualification process

The number of teams participating in the final tournament was 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. [15] It was decided that the same allocation as 2014 would be kept for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. [16]

Proposal for expansion

In October 2013, UEFA President Michel Platini proposed that the World Cup finals should be expanded from 32 to 40 teams starting from 2018. The format would have been the same, but in groups of five instead of four. [17] This was in response to FIFA President Sepp Blatter's comments that Africa and Asia deserved more spots in the World Cup finals at the expense of European and South American teams. [18] However, FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke said that expansion in 2018 would be "unlikely", while Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said that the country was "preparing on the basis that 32 teams will be taking part." [19] [20] Expansion was ultimately delayed until 10 January 2017, when the FIFA Council voted unanimously to expand to 48 teams starting in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. [21]

Summary of qualification

While all FIFA members entered the tournament, not all competed. Zimbabwe were expelled from the competition on 12 March 2015 for their failure to pay former coach José Claudinei a severance fee and Indonesia were excluded from the qualifying competition following the suspension of their football association by FIFA on 30 May 2015. [3] Kuwait had a number of their qualifiers cancelled for a similar suspension that began while their campaign was underway, [22] which eventually resulted in their elimination. Brazil were the first team to achieve qualification for the tournament following their 3–0 victory over Paraguay and Uruguay's loss to Peru on 28 March 2017. [23] Peru became the 32nd and final team to qualify when, 233 days after Brazil secured their place, they beat New Zealand 2–0 on aggregate in the OFC-CONMEBOL play-off. [24]

World Map FIFA2.svg
ConfederationAvailable slots in finalsTeams startedTeams eliminatedTeams qualifiedQualifying start dateQualifying end date
AFC 4 or 54641512 March 201515 November 2017
CAF 5544957 October 201514 November 2017
CONCACAF 3 or 43532322 March 201515 November 2017
CONMEBOL 4 or 510558 October 201515 November 2017
OFC 0 or 11111031 August 201515 November 2017
UEFA 13+154+14113+14 September 201614 November 2017
Total31+1210+117931+112 March 201515 November 2017

Note: One team each from AFC, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC played in the inter-confederation play-offs, between 10–15 November 2017 (CONCACAF v AFC and OFC v CONMEBOL).

Note: UEFA total includes +1 for Russia as hosts.

Format

The formats of the qualifying competitions depended on each confederation (see below). Each round might be played in either of the following formats: [25]

Tiebreakers

In league format, the ranking of teams in each group is based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7): [25]

  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall 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 in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

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 are decided by the confederation and require the approval of FIFA (regulations Article 20.8). [25]

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 20.9). [25]

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 was expanded to 24 teams starting in 2019: [26]

Final positions (third round)

The draw for the third round was held on 12 April 2016 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [27]

Group A
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 1022
2Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 1015
3Flag of Syria.svg  Syria 1013
4Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan 1013
5Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 1012
6Flag of Qatar.svg  Qatar 107
Source: FIFA

Group B
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 1020
2Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia 1019
3Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1019
4Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates 1013
5Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq 1011
6Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 102
Source: FIFA

Fourth round

The third-placed teams from each group in the third round played against each other home-and-away over two legs to determine which team advanced to the inter-confederation play-offs.

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Syria  Flag of Syria.svg2–3Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 1–1 1–2 (a.e.t.)

CAF

The CAF Executive Committee approved the format for the qualifiers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on 14 January 2015. [28] However, on 9 July 2015 FIFA officially announced that only three rounds would be played instead of four. [29]

Zimbabwe, even though they entered the competition, were expelled on 12 March 2015 for their failure to pay former coach José Claudinei a severance fee. [2] Therefore, only 53 African teams were involved in the draw.

Final positions (third round)

The draw for the third round was held on 24 June 2016 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. [30]

Group A
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia 614
2Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo 613
3Flag of Libya.svg  Libya 64
4Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea 63
Source: FIFA

Group B
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 613
2Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 68
3Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon 67
4Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria 64
Source: FIFA

Group C
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 612
2Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast 68
3Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon 66
4Flag of Mali.svg  Mali 64
Source: FIFA

Group D
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal 614
2Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso 69
3Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde 66
4Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 64
Source: FIFA

Group E
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 613
2Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda 69
3Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana 67
4Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo 62
Source: FIFA

CONCACAF

An amendment to the qualification process for this tournament had been suggested, [31] 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. [32] CONCACAF announced the full details on 12 January 2015: [33] [34]

Final positions (fifth round)

The draw for the fifth round (to decide the fixtures) was held on 8 July 2016 at the CONCACAF headquarters in Miami Beach, United States. [35]

PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico 1021
2Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica 1016
3Flag of Panama.svg  Panama 1013
4Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg  Honduras 1013
5Flag of the United States.svg  United States 1012
6Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 106
Source: FIFA

CONMEBOL

The qualification structure was the same as the previous five editions. The ten teams played in a league of home-and-away round-robin matches. The top four teams qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and the fifth-placed team advanced 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. [36]

Final positions

PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 1841
2Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay 1831
3Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 1828
4Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia 1827
5Flag of Peru (state).svg  Peru 1826
6Flag of Chile.svg  Chile 1826
7Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay 1824
8Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador 1820
9Flag of Bolivia.svg  Bolivia 1814
10Flag of Venezuela (state).svg  Venezuela 1812
Source: FIFA

OFC

The qualification structure was as follows: [37] [29]

The OFC had considered different proposals of the qualifying tournament. [38] A previous proposal adopted by the OFC in October 2014 would 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 winners of the 2016 OFC Nations Cup which would qualify to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and advance to the inter-confederation play-offs. [39] However, it was later reported in April 2015 that the OFC had reversed its decision, and the 2016 OFC Nations Cup was played as a one-off tournament similar to the 2012 OFC Nations Cup. [40]

Final positions (third round)

The draw for the third round was held on 8 July 2016 at the OFC headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. [41]

Group A Group B

PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 410
2New Caledonia flags merged (2017).svg  New Caledonia 45
3Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji 41
Source: FIFA

PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands 49
2Flag of French Polynesia.svg  Tahiti 46
3Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea 43
Source: FIFA

Final
The draw for the final (which decided the order of legs) was held on 15 June 2017 at the OFC headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. [42] The winners of the final advanced to inter-confederation play-offs.

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
New Zealand  Flag of New Zealand.svg8–3Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands 6–1 2–2

UEFA

Russia qualified automatically as hosts. The qualifying format for the remaining FIFA-affiliated UEFA teams was confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 22–23 March 2015 in Vienna. [43] [44]

Final positions (first round)

The draw for the first round was held on 25 July 2015, at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. [29]

Group A
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France 1023
2Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 1019
3Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 1019
4Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 1013
5Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg 106
6Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 105
Source: FIFA

Group B
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal 1027
2Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 1027
3Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 1013
4Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg  Faroe Islands 109
5Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia 107
6Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra 104
Source: FIFA

Group C
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 1030
2Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 1019
3Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic 1015
4Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 1013
5Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan 1010
6Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino 100
Source: FIFA

Group D
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia 1021
2Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland 1019
3Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales 1017
4Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 1015
5Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia 105
6Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova 102
Source: FIFA

Group E
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Poland.svg  Poland 1025
2Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 1020
3Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 1016
4Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 1013
5Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia 107
6Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 103
Source: FIFA

Group F
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of England.svg  England 1026
2Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 1018
3Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland 1018
4Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia 1015
5Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania 106
6Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 101
Source: FIFA

Group G
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 1028
2Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 1023
3Flag of Albania.svg  Albania 1013
4Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 1012
5Flag of North Macedonia.svg  Macedonia 1011
6Flag of Liechtenstein.svg  Liechtenstein 100
Source: FIFA

Group H
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium 1028
2Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 1019
3Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1017
4Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia 1011
5Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus 1010
6Flag of Gibraltar.svg  Gibraltar 100
Source: FIFA

Group I
PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland 1022
2Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia 1020
3Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 1017
4Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 1015
5Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 109
6Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo 101
Source: FIFA
Ranking of runners-up

PosGrpTeam
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 B Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland 8701186+1221Advance to second round (play-offs)
2 G Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 8521128+417
3 E Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark 8422136+714
4 I Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia 842284+414
5 A Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 8413189+913
6 C Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 8413106+413
7 H Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 834195+413
8 D Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland 834175+213
9 F Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia 8404116+512
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Counting only matches against teams ranked first to fifth in the group, 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Fair play points; 5) Drawing of lots. [46] [47]

Second round

The draw for the second round (play-offs) was held on 17 October 2017 at the FIFA headquarters in Zürich, Switzerland. [48] The winners of each tie qualified for the World Cup.

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Switzerland  Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg1–0Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland 1–0 0–0
Croatia  Flag of Croatia.svg4–1Flag of Greece.svg  Greece 4–1 0–0
Denmark  Flag of Denmark.svg5–1Flag of Ireland.svg  Republic of Ireland 0–0 5–1
Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg1–0Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 1–0 0–0

Inter-confederation play-offs

There were two inter-confederation playoffs to determine the final two qualification spots for the finals. The first legs were played on 10 and 11 November 2017, and the second legs were played on 15 November 2017. [49] [50]

The matchups were decided at the preliminary draw which was held on 25 July 2015, at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. [29]

CONCACAF v AFC

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
Honduras  Flag of Honduras (1949-2022).svg1–3Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 0–0 1–3

OFC v CONMEBOL

Team 1 Agg. Tooltip Aggregate scoreTeam 21st leg2nd leg
New Zealand  Flag of New Zealand.svg0–2Flag of Peru (state).svg  Peru 0–0 0–2

Top goalscorers

There were 2,454 goals scored in 869 matches, for an average of 2.82 goals per match.

16 goals

15 goals

11 goals

10 goals

9 goals

8 goals

Below are goalscorer lists for all confederations and the inter-confederation play-offs:

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 This player's goal tally included one or more goals that were scored in subsequently forfeited matches, but were counted in FIFA's statistics nevertheless.
  2. ↑ The match originally ended 4–1 to Timor-Leste, but FIFA later awarded it as 3–0 to Mongolia due to Timor-Leste having fielded ineligible players. Nevertheless, FIFA continues to count the original goalscorers in its statistics. If they were excluded, the first scorer in qualification would be Chan Vathanaka of Cambodia, who scored against Macau later the same day.

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The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification process decided all 24 teams which played in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, with the hosts France qualifying automatically. It is the eighth FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's football world championship tournament. The tournament is the third to be hosted in Europe, after the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden and the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)</span> International football competition

The North, Central American and Caribbean section of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification acted as the qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, for national teams which are members of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF). Three direct slots and one inter-confederation play-off slot in the final tournament were available for CONCACAF teams.

The 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification process determined 30 of the 32 teams which will play in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, with the co-hosts Australia and New Zealand qualifying automatically. It is the ninth FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's football world championship tournament. The tournament is the first Women's World Cup to be hosted in multiple countries, the third by an AFC member association after the 1991 and 2007 Women's World Cups in China, the first to be held in the Southern Hemisphere, the first senior FIFA tournament in Oceania, and also the first FIFA tournament to be hosted across multiple confederations.

References

  1. ↑ "Road to Russia with new milestone". FIFA.com. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Zimbabwe expelled from the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia". FIFA.com. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Indonesia disqualified from 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualifiers". FIFA.com. 3 June 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "Modest Bhutan begin World Cup adventure". FIFA.com. 11 March 2015. Archived from the original on 13 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "South Sudan's World Cup debut ended early by rain". bbc.co.uk. 7 October 2015.
  6. 1 2 "FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed". FIFA.com. 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Kosovo to play in Group I in European Qualifiers". uefa.org. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). 9 June 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Kosovo and Gibraltar assigned to 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying groups". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Myanmar appeal partially upheld". FIFA.com. 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 11 December 2011.
  10. ↑ "FIFA lift Myanmar World Cup ban on appeal". Reuters . 7 November 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  11. ↑ "Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup extends its responsibilities to cover 2018 and 2022". FIFA.com. 19 March 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013.
  12. ↑ "Konstantinovsky Palace to stage Preliminary Draw of the 2018 FIFA World Cup". FIFA.com. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Ethics: Executive Committee unanimously supports recommendation to publish report on 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process". FIFA.com. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014.
  14. ↑ "Long road to Russia begins in Dili". FIFA.com. 11 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015.
  15. ↑ "2022 FIFA World Cup to be played in November/December". FIFA.com. 20 March 2015. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "Current allocation of FIFA World Cup confederation slots maintained". FIFA.com. 30 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.
  17. ↑ "UEFA chief Platini calls for 40 team World Cup". Reuters. 28 October 2013. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "Blatter wants more Africa slots for World Cup". Confederation of African Football. 26 October 2013.
  19. ↑ "Michel Platini's World Cup expansion plan unlikely – Fifa". BBC Sport. 29 October 2013.
  20. ↑ "2018 World Cup expansion 'unlikely', says Valcke". Soccerway. 29 October 2013.
  21. ↑ "Unanimous decision expands FIFA World Cup to 48 teams from 2026". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 10 January 2017. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  22. ↑ "Suspension of the Kuwait Football Association". FIFA.com. 16 October 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Brazil qualify for 2018 World Cup after Coutinho and Neymar down Paraguay". The Guardian. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  24. ↑ "Peru beat New Zealand 2-0 to secure final place". BBC Sport. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  25. 1 2 3 4 "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
  26. ↑ "ExCo approves expanded AFC Asian Cup finals". AFC. 16 April 2014.
  27. ↑ "2018 FIFA World Cup: Asian Qualifying Round 3 line up complete". Asian Football Confederation. 30 March 2016.
  28. ↑ "FORMAT OF 2017 AFCON QUALIFIERS AND 2018 WORLD CUP". CAFonline.com. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  29. 1 2 3 4 "Preliminary Draw procedures outlined". fifa.com. 9 July 2015. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  30. ↑ "June draw for third round of African Zone qualifiers". FIFA.com. 20 November 2015. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015.
  31. ↑ "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.
  32. ↑ "Canada begins 2018 World Cup qualification in June". Sportsnet. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  33. ↑ "CONCACAF to Hold Preliminary FIFA World Cup Qualifying Draw in Miami on January 15". CONCACAF. 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  34. ↑ "USMNT to start 2018 World Cup qualifying in November of 2015". Sports Illustrated. 12 January 2015.
  35. ↑ "Official Draw Scheduled for the final round of CONCACAF Qualifying for FIFA World Cup Russia 2018". CONCACAF.com. 1 July 2016. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  36. ↑ "A unanimous decision: A draw will determine the classifications for the World Cup and CONMEBOL Tournaments". CONMEBOL.com. 23 January 2015.
  37. ↑ "Preliminary competition format outlined". Oceania Football Confederation. 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  38. ↑ "OFC Executive Committee decisions". OFC. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  39. ↑ "OFC Executive Committee outcomes". Oceania Football Confederation. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015.
  40. ↑ "Football: Heat goes on NZ after switch". New Zealand Herald. 12 April 2015.
  41. ↑ "Stage 3 draw complete". Oceania Football Confederation. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016.
  42. ↑ "New Zealand at home first in OFC play-off". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  43. ↑ "Executive Committee date in Vienna". UEFA.org. 21 March 2015.
  44. ↑ "New distribution concept for club competitions approved". UEFA.org. 23 March 2015.
  45. ↑ "Focus switches to World Cup qualifying". UEFA.com. 22 August 2016.
  46. ↑ "Competition format - FIFA World Cup - News - UEFA.com". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  47. ↑ "As it stands: ranking of second-placed teams". UEFA.com. 3 October 2017.
  48. ↑ "FIFA World Cup European play-off draw to take place on 17 October". FIFA.com. 6 September 2017. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017.
  49. ↑ "Dates set for Socceroos-Honduras World Cup qualifier". SBS the World Game. 15 October 2017.
  50. ↑ "All Whites to play first leg against Peru on Saturday afternoon". nzherald.co.nz. The New Zealand Herald. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
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