Spain and England at risk as World Cup draw pots confirmed

Spain and England could be pitted against any of Germany, Brazil, Argentina or France after FIFA confirmed the pots for the World Cup draw.

Published : Nov 16, 2017 15:42 IST

Action from the recent international friendly between England and Germany.
Action from the recent international friendly between England and Germany.
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Action from the recent international friendly between England and Germany.

FIFA has confirmed the pots for next month's World Cup draw after Peru defeated New Zealand to complete the 32-team line-up for the finals in Russia. 

The South American nation won the second leg of its inter-continental play-off 2-0 in Lima and will be in Pot 2 when the draw is made in the Kremlin Palace in Moscow on December 1.

READ: Peru qualifies for World Cup after 36 years

Host Russia is joined by reigning champion Germany, five-time winner Brazil and fellow heavyweight Argentina, France and European champion Portugal, as well as talented Belgium and Poland sides, in Pot 1.

Together with Peru, Pot 2 includes 2010 winner Spain, 1966 champion England, along with Switzerland, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Croatia.

Pot 3 contains debutant Iceland, surprise 2014 quarterfinalist Costa Rica and Denmark, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal and Iran.

 

Finally, a resurgent Serbia and Nigeria share Pot 4 with Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. 

An even spread of talent in Pot 3 and 4 arguably reduces the prospects of a 'group of death' being drawn, although the presence of Spain and England in Pot 2 raises the prospect of mouth-watering early encounters among some of football's traditional powerhouse nations.

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As well as an early showdown with one of the favourites, England could also find itself up against recent nemesis Iceland, which stunningly eliminated the Three Lions from Euro 2016 in the round of 16.

Croatia could be placed in a group with neighbour and fierce rival Serbia, while Uruguay may be drawn in a group with familiar CONMEBOL foes in the form of Brazil or Argentina.

 

World Cup draw pots:

 

 

 

 

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