2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A

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The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group A was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Netherlands, France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus, and Luxembourg.

Contents

The draw for the first round (group stage) was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia. [1] [2]

The group winners, France, qualified directly for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The group runners-up, Sweden, advanced to the play-offs as one of the best eight runners-up.

Standings

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7): [3]
  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 was 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

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualificationFlag of France (lighter variant).svgFlag of Sweden.svgFlag of the Netherlands.svgFlag of Bulgaria.svgFlag of Luxembourg.svgFlag of Belarus.svg
1Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France 10721186+1223Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup — 2–1 4–0 4–1 0–0 2–1
2Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 10613269+1719Advance to second round 2–1 — 1–1 3–0 8–0 4–0
3Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 106132112+919 0–1 2–0 — 3–1 5–0 4–1
4Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria 104151419−513 0–1 3–2 2–0 — 4–3 1–0
5Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg 10136826−186 1–3 0–1 1–3 1–1 — 1–0
6Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus 10127621−155 0–0 0–4 1–3 2–1 1–1 —
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

Matches

The fixture list was confirmed by UEFA on 26 July 2015, the day following the draw. [1] [4] Times are CET/CEST, [note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times are in parentheses). [5]

Belarus  Flag of Belarus.svg0–0Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Borisov Arena, Barysaw
Attendance: 12,920
Referee: Ovidiu Hațegan (Romania)
Bulgaria  Flag of Bulgaria.svg4–3Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia
Attendance: 4,202
Referee: Gediminas Mažeika (Lithuania)
Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg1–1Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Friends Arena, Solna
Attendance: 36,128
Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy)
France  Flag of France (lighter variant).svg4–1Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 65,475
Referee: Luca Banti (Italy)
Luxembourg  Flag of Luxembourg.svg0–1Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City
Attendance: 5,057
Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)
Netherlands  Flag of the Netherlands.svg4–1Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
De Kuip, Rotterdam
Attendance: 41,200
Referee: Craig Thomson (Scotland)
Belarus  Flag of Belarus.svg1–1Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Borisov Arena, Barysaw
Attendance: 9,011
Referee: Tobias Welz (Germany)
Netherlands  Flag of the Netherlands.svg0–1Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam
Attendance: 50,220
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)
Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg3–0Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Friends Arena, Solna
Attendance: 21,777
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
France  Flag of France (lighter variant).svg2–1Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 80,000
Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
Bulgaria  Flag of Bulgaria.svg1–0Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia
Attendance: 1,994
Referee: Stephan Klossner (Switzerland)
Luxembourg  Flag of Luxembourg.svg1–3Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)
Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg4–0Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Friends Arena, Solna
Attendance: 31,243
Referee: Harald Lechner (Austria)
Bulgaria  Flag of Bulgaria.svg2–0Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia
Attendance: 10,900
Referee: Willie Collum (Scotland)
Luxembourg  Flag of Luxembourg.svg1–3Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City
Attendance: 8,000
Referee: Andris Treimanis (Latvia)
Belarus  Flag of Belarus.svg2–1Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Borisov Arena, Barysaw
Attendance: 6,150
Referee: Matej Jug (Slovenia)
Netherlands  Flag of the Netherlands.svg5–0Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
De Kuip, Rotterdam
Attendance: 41,300
Referee: Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)
Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg2–1Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Friends Arena, Solna
Attendance: 48,783
Referee: Martin Atkinson (England)
Bulgaria  Flag of Bulgaria.svg3–2Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia
Attendance: 12,121
Referee: Paolo Tagliavento (Italy)
France  Flag of France (lighter variant).svg4–0Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 79,551
Referee: Gianluca Rocchi (Italy)
Luxembourg  Flag of Luxembourg.svg1–0Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City
Attendance: 2,752
Referee: Clayton Pisani (Malta)
Belarus  Flag of Belarus.svg0–4Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Borisov Arena, Barysaw
Attendance: 6,431
Referee: Tobias Stieler (Germany)
Netherlands  Flag of the Netherlands.svg3–1Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam
Attendance: 47,079
Referee: Anastasios Sidiropoulos (Greece)
France  Flag of France (lighter variant).svg0–0Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade Municipal, Toulouse
Attendance: 31,177
Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (Macedonia)
Sweden  Flag of Sweden.svg8–0Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Friends Arena, Solna
Attendance: 50,022
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (Turkey)
Belarus  Flag of Belarus.svg1–3Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Borisov Arena, Barysaw
Attendance: 6,850
Referee: Michael Oliver (England)
Bulgaria  Flag of Bulgaria.svg0–1Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia
Attendance: 12,921
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)
France  Flag of France (lighter variant).svg2–1Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 74,037
Referee: Halis Özkahya (Turkey)
Luxembourg  Flag of Luxembourg.svg1–1Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City
Attendance: 2,936
Referee: István Vad (Hungary)
Netherlands  Flag of the Netherlands.svg2–0Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam
Attendance: 41,244
Referee: Sergei Karasev (Russia)

Goalscorers

There were 93 goals scored in 30 matches, for an average of 3.1 goals per match.

8 goals

6 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Discipline

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences: [6]

The following suspensions were served during the qualifying matches:

PlayerTeamOffence(s)Suspended for match(es)
Kevin Malget Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Yellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svg vs Sweden (7 October 2016)vs Belarus (10 October 2016)
Dirk Carlson Yellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svg vs Belarus (10 October 2016)vs Netherlands (13 November 2016)
Kevin Strootman Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (6 September 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs France (10 October 2016)		vs Luxembourg (13 November 2016)
Paul Pogba Flag of France (lighter variant).svg  France Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (10 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (11 November 2016)		vs Luxembourg (25 March 2017)
Alexander Hleb Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Yellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svg vs Bulgaria (13 November 2016)vs Sweden (25 March 2017)
Aleksandar Aleksandrov Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (10 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Belarus (13 November 2016)		vs Netherlands (25 March 2017)
Alyaksandr Martynovich Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Yellow card.svg vs Luxembourg (10 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (25 March 2017)		vs Bulgaria (9 June 2017)
Aurélien Joachim Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Yellow card.svg vs Belarus (10 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs France (25 March 2017)		vs Netherlands (9 June 2017)
Daniel da Mota Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (7 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs France (25 March 2017)
Chris Philipps
Svetoslav Dyakov Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Yellow card.svg vs Belarus (13 November 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Belarus (9 June 2017)		vs Sweden (31 August 2017)
Kevin MalgetFlag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (7 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (9 June 2017)		vs Belarus (31 August 2017)
Christopher Martins Yellow card.svg vs Bulgaria (6 September 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (9 June 2017)
Bozhidar Chorbadzhiyski Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Yellow card.svg vs Belarus (9 June 2017)
Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (31 August 2017)		vs Netherlands (3 September 2017)
Kevin StrootmanFlag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands Yellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svg vs France (31 August 2017)vs Bulgaria (3 September 2017)
Ola Toivonen Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Yellow card.svg vs Luxembourg (7 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Bulgaria (31 August 2017)		vs Belarus (3 September 2017)
Egor Filipenko Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Yellow card.svg vs Bulgaria (9 June 2017)
Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (3 September 2017)		vs Netherlands (7 October 2017)
Nikita Korzun Yellow card.svg vs Luxembourg (10 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (3 September 2017)
Ivaylo Chochev Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (31 August 2017)
Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (3 September 2017)		vs France (7 October 2017)
Ivelin Popov Yellow card.svg vs Luxembourg (6 September 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (3 September 2017)
Christoffer Nyman Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (6 September 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Belarus (3 September 2017)		vs Luxembourg (7 October 2017)
Paul PogbaFlag of France (lighter variant).svg  France Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (9 June 2017)
Yellow card.svg vs Luxembourg (3 September 2017)		vs Bulgaria (7 October 2017)
Laurent Jans Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (9 June 2017)
Yellow card.svg vs France (3 September 2017)		vs Sweden (7 October 2017)
Syarhey Balanovich Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Yellow card.svg vs Luxembourg (31 August 2017)
Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (7 October 2017)		vs France (10 October 2017)
Alexei Rios Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (7 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (7 October 2017)
Mikalay Signevich Yellow card.svg vs Luxembourg (10 October 2016)
Yellow card.svg vs Netherlands (7 October 2017)
Georgi Kostadinov Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria Yellow card.svg vs Sweden (31 August 2017)
Yellow card.svg vs France (7 October 2017)		vs Luxembourg (10 October 2017)

Notes

  1. ↑ CET (UTC+1) for matches on 11 and 13 November 2016 and 25 March 2017, and CEST (UTC+2) for all other matches.
  2. ↑ The France v Sweden match was moved from the original scheduled date of 13 November 2016 as it fell on the anniversary of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks.

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References

  1. 1 2 "FIFA World Cup qualifying draw format". UEFA.com. 16 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016.
  2. ↑ "European teams learn World Cup qualifying fate". UEFA.com. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
  3. ↑ "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
  4. ↑ "World Cup European Qualifiers fixtures confirmed". UEFA.com. 26 July 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Fixture List – 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition" (PDF). UEFA.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2014-16" (PDF). UEFA.com.
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