Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Denmark seeded for World Cup play-offs
The latest FIFA world rankings have been published, revealing which teams will be seeded for the upcoming World Cup play-offs.
Published : Oct 16, 2017 18:46 IST
Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and Denmark will be seeded for November's World Cup qualification play-offs after the latest FIFA world rankings were published on Monday.
Eleventh placed Switzerland is the highest ranked nation in the European play-offs, with Italy (15), Croatia (18) and Denmark (19) closely behind.
The draw for the final qualifiers takes place on Tuesday and will determine the pairings of the four matches, with those ranked highest avoiding each other.
Northern Ireland (23rd), Sweden (25th), Republic of Ireland (26th) and Greece (47th) go into the draw unseeded, with the latter looking to become the first UEFA nation to reach three successive World Cups via the play-offs.
The first legs will take place between November 9 and 11, with the return matches scheduled from November 12 to 14.
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Peru's securing of the play-off spot in CONMEBOL qualification has helped it move up to a record 10th in the rankings, and it will be expected to reach next year's finals when they face New Zealand in their crucial two-legged clash.
Germany remains top of the rankings, while Spain joins Peru in moving into the top 10 as it climbs three places to eighth.