If it has been several months since the Red Devils are guaranteed to go to Qatar next November, several nations have waited for this break in March to validate their ticket. This was particularly the case for the United States and Mexico last night in the CONCACAF zone.
Here is the summary of the qualified teams:
- Europe (UEFA): Denmark, Germany, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland, Netherlands, Portugal, Poland
- Africa (CAF): Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia
- North and Central America (CONCACAF): Canada, USA and Mexico
- South America (CONMEBOL): Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay
- Asia (AFC): Qatar (host country), Iran, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia
Whose last three tickets?
In Europe, a play-off must always be disputed: Ukraine and Scotland should face each other in June (the match was postponed because of the war), in Glasgow. The winner of this duel will challenge Wales (Austria scorer) in Cardiff for a place in the World Cup.
The last two tickets will be distributed at the end of intercontinental play-offs, which will be played in Doha, Qatar. Peru (5th in the South America zone) will start as favorites against the winner of Australia-United Arab Emirates, the two nations that took 3rd place in pools A and B in the Asia zone. The other intercontinental play-off will oppose Costa Rica, fourth in the North and Central America zone, to the winner of the playoffs in the Oceania zone: New Zealand.
What opponents for the Devils?
The draw for the World Cup will take place this Friday, April 1 at 6 p.m. (Belgian time), in Doha. Good news for the Devils: the seeds are defined by the FIFA rankings. Brazil, Belgium, France, England, Spain, Argentina and Portugal will therefore be in pot 1, just like… Qatar, the host country, which is guaranteed to be placed in pot 1. group A to play the opening match.
The Devils’ toughest opponent will likely come from Pot 2, made up of these eight nations: Germany, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland, Croatia, Uruguay, the United States and Mexico.
In pot 3, we will find: Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea and Canada. Will then remain in pot 4: Tunisia, Cameroon, Ghana, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia and the last three qualifiers from the play-offs to be played in June.
Remember that the regulations impose a maximum of two European nations in the same group.
In addition to the direct adversaries of the Devils, it will be a question of being attentive to the nations which make up the group “neighboring” that of Belgium. We will thus know the potential opponents of the Devils in the round of 16 (AB, CD, EF, GH). Since all the Qatari stadiums are geographically close to each other, the trips of the Devils will necessarily be very short, unlike the World Cups in Brazil and Russia.