2018 World Cup qualification (UEFA)

Starts next Sunday, 4 September!

Group A:

Team	First match
Netherlands	@ Sweden
France	@ Belarus
Sweden	vs Netherlands
Bulgaria	vs Luxembourg
Belarus	vs France
Luxembourg	@ Bulgaria

Group B and Group C:

Team	First match	...	Group C Team	First match
Portugal	@ Switzerland		Germany	@ Norway
Switzerland	vs Portugal		Czech Republic	vs Northern Ireland
Hungary	@ Faroe Islands		Northern Ireland	@ Czech Republic
Faroe Islands	vs Hungary		Norway	vs Germany
Latvia	@ Andorra		Azerbaijan	@ San Marino
Andorra	vs Latvia		San Marino	vs Azerbaijan

Group D and Group E:

Team	First match	...	Group E Team	First match
Georgia	vs Austria		Romania	vs Montenegro
Wales	vs Moldova		Denmark	vs Armenia
Austria	@ Georgia		Poland	@ Kazakhstan
Serbia	vs Rep. of Ireland		Montenegro	@ Romania
Rep. of Ireland	@ Serbia		Armenia	@ Denmark
Moldova	@ Wales		Kazakhstan	vs Poland

Group F and Group G:

Team	First match		...		Group G Team	First match
England	@ Slovakia				Spain	vs Liechtenstein
Slovakia	vs England				Italy	@ Israel
Scotland	@ Malta				Albania	vs Macedonia
Slovenia	@ Lithuania				Israel	vs Italy
Lithuania	vs Slovenia				Macedonia	@ Albania
Malta	vs Scotland				Liechtenstein	@ Spain

Group H and Group I:

Team	First match	...	Group I Team	First match
Belgium	@ Cyprus		Croatia	vs Turkey
Bosnia &H	vs Estonia		Iceland	@ Ukraine
Greece	@ Gibraltar		Ukraine	vs Iceland
Estonia	@ Bosnia &H		Turkey	@ Croatia
Cyprus	vs Belgium		Finland	vs Kosovo
Gibraltar	vs Greece		Kosovo	@ Finland

Group G looks interesting, who will place first between Spain and Italy? Probably Italy as Spain are on the downturn.

Group E is a joke with Romania being placed in the first pot for the draws. Easy qualification there for Poland.

Kosovo make their international debut and Gibraltar make their debut in a FIFA competition. How will Kosovo go in their maiden competition? Will Januzaj declare for Kosovo?

And I can see England dropping points in an away match in Scotland. That should be fun to watch.

Danny Blind sacked as Dutch coach: Netherlands are fourth in group with only seven points from five games; an abysmal situation, especially in a tough group with opponents like France & Sweden...

Andorra pick up their first WCQ win in 13 years whilst only completing 44 passes!

Well that was a rather dramatic finish to the Scotland vs England game. Northern Ireland also pick up an injury time winner to help their chances of qualifying.

Average game at best until the last 5 crazy minutes! Why countries schedule world cup qualifiers in June is beyond me: after a long hard season the players are flat(as Platini once said "British players are lions in October but lambs in May"...or something like that). Anyway, the jocks scored two cracking free kicks, after barely mustering a chance in the preceding 80 minutes and Harry Kane scored with a neat finish at the death. Biggest talking point for me is Joe Hart(again!): he doesn't inspire much confidence in supporters; always seems like a mistake is imminent: not a good sign. Time for Butland IMO. Ludicrously, England now play a friendly v France before toddling off to the beach...

Didn't manage to catch the game, but what do you suggest Hart could have done about those free kicks? Or were there other dodgy moments in the game that didn't prove costly?

I do agree it's time for a change though. How many times did he weakly palm one in at the Euros?

Apart from the free kicks Hart was adequate: they were two excellent strikes by Griffiths, but I thought Hart might have at least got a hand on either of them. As it was,he was easily beaten, despite both goals(I think, but defo the first one) not being pinged into the far corner.Interestingly, the guy on the BBC football page marked Hart 4/10, which I thought was a little harsh, but obviously he has the same kind of reservations.My problem with Hart is that he's just never kicked on; he still seems only one moment away from making a clanger, and I believe his defenders are aware of his fallibility and this lack of control transmits itself across the backline. If you hark back to guys like Banks, Shilton & Seaman(except his last couple of games!), they always exuded a calm authority: Hart doesn't IMO...I would be happy for Butland or Forster to be given a go: What kind of signal does it send to them otherwise, if Hart gets picked irrespective of his actual performance...

This coming Friday September 1 on TV:

Morning 6.35 am: France vs. Netherlands World Cup qualifier ESPN 2

Mid-day: South American qualifying beIN 2

Afternoon: South American qualifying beIN 2

Evening 7 pm: All Whites vs. Solomons 1st leg qualifier Sky Sport 3

(2nd leg: Tuesday 5th 7.30 pm Sky Sport 4)

Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: live European and South American qualifying beIN 2 and ESPN 2

Belgium became the first European team to qualify yesterday. No-one else has managed to qualify with two games to go, but Germany and England are very close.

Three more groups play tomorrow. The October window will be absolute carnage, with most groups still having 3-4 teams who are alive either for direct qualification or the play-offs. Will be good watching.

Despite their win over Belarus this morning, the Dutch are virtually eliminated from qualifying. Even if they beat Sweden in their final game, their GD is markedly inferior to the Swedes. Whole qualifying competition has been disastrous for them...

Scotland eliminated. 

Germany, Poland and England through. Croatia and Serbia threw away big chances. 

Wales v Eire should be good. Iceland could qualify direct and Nth Ireland maybe playoffs. Well done small countries. 

Northern Ireland have already qualified for the play offs.

Wrong.

Northern Ireland have already qualified for the playoffs

nah they have along with Italy and Denmark

I thought he was saying they had qualified for the World Cup tbf.

Iceland becomes the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup after a 2-0 win over Kosovo. Serbia joined them after a 1-0 win over Georgia.

Brilliant work from Iceland. Following up on their successful Euro campaign last year too. Well deserved.

I was sort of hoping for Serbia v Croatia playoff

Greece will win so Slovakia will miss out on playoffs.

Eire can't be drawn against NI as apparently UEFA are seeding the draw

We have other playoffs than our own, right now.  Hard to believe, I know.

At 10am this morning, Switzerland is unexpectedly leading Northern Ireland in Belfast 0:1 after 58 minutes through a penalty for a handball in the area.  I expected a goalless draw but football is a fickle mistress.  

In Zagreb looks like Croatia has it all sewn up after 60 minutes leading 4:1 in the first leg. It would be hard for the Greeks to overcome it in the second leg.

Italy with a bit to do

Tense game

crikey dick

I can't actually remember a WC withou Italy. 

Far out

They'll be recriminations for this. 

No Italy, crazy! Buffon''s last game too.

Iceland in Italy out 

Makes no sense at all

1958 was last time they weren't there - ironically that was held in Sweden

Heartbroken for Gigi.

Hard to imagine a World Cup without Italy. Also no Holland or Chile. Or USA, Cameroon or Ghana who while not powerhouses are traditionally usually in it. Guess it shows how global the game is and how much closer the level between most teams is compared to something like rugby. Imagine a rugby World Cup with NZ, England and SA not qualifying.

Berlusconi will buy the Bundesliga

We all have respect for the Italian glorious WC history but let's face it. By missing out once they will finally pull out their collective finger next time. A bit like when France were dumped at the first round in 2010 despite being defending champs.

Denmark thrashed Ireland this morning. That ends the European playoffs.

Australia just about to kick off at home against Honduras.

After 135 minutes of utter rubbish, Australia finally scores (Jedinak from a lucky deflection off a free kick).

Australia : Honduras 1 - 0

Twenty minutes to go and Australia is 2:0 up through a Jedinak penalty for a handball.

Final ten minutes and Honduras slowly running out of ideas, even if their fitness is holding up quite well despite long travel.

Incredible, I know, but another penalty for Australia.

And it's 3:0  - Jedinak gets a hatrick - Australia is Russia bound.

Last gasp goal from Honduras and it's all over red rover. 

Fireworks are going off over the Sydney Bridge, amazingly that's a fourth straight WC finals for the Socceroos.  .

Nearly 80 thousands at the stadium.

Saw an interesting piece on the BBC about youth drug and alcohol use in Iceland.Maybe another reason for their improvement in football.

In 1998, 42% of Iceland’s 15 and 16 year-olds reported that they had got drunk in the past 30 days. By 2016, though, this figure had fallen to just 5% and drug use and smoking had also sharply declined.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05mw7rd