What’s at stake as World Cup qualifying resumes

The eight stadiums are prepared in Qatar and World Cup tickets have been on sale for per week. Now the mission to snap up remaining match slots resumes.
With qualifying disrupted by the pandemic, fixtures have been squeezed in over the following week or so for groups within the Americas and Asia.
It means Europe’s high leagues having to take a mid-season break regardless that the continent’s nationwide groups aren’t taking part in subsequent till March, when the World Cup playoffs are staged as scheduled.
Then consideration will flip to the ultimate match attract Doha on April 1, which can happen forward of the intercontinental playoffs in June finishing the 32-team discipline for the Middle East’s first World Cup.

So far, 13 groups have certified: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland and Qatar as host.
Here’s a have a look at the ultimate levels of qualifying for the Nov. 21-Dec. 18 match:
NORTH & CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
A chill shall be within the air in CONCACAF for an uncommon January worldwide window that includes triple-headers.
The United States hosts El Salvador on Thursday evening in Columbus, Ohio, the place the anticipated temperature for kickoff was 25 levels (minus-4 Celsius). The U.S. then travels to Hamilton, Ontario, to play Canada on Sunday, and strikes on to finish the window in opposition to Honduras in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Seeking its first World Cup look since 1986, Canada has 4 of six remaining matches on the highway — with video games at Honduras and El Salvador on this window between the house assembly with the Americans.
The U.S., in search of to return to the World Cup after lacking out on 2018, is second within the North and Central American and Caribbean area with 15 factors after eight of 14 video games, one level behind Canada.
Mexico and Panama have 14 factors every, adopted by Costa Rica (9), Jamaica (seven), El Salvador (six) and Honduras (three). The high three groups qualify and fourth staff advances to a playoff in opposition to the Oceania champion, possible in opposition to New Zealand.
The Americans are lacking midfielder Gio Reyna, nonetheless sidelined by a hamstring harm sustained within the opening qualifier at El Salvador on Sept. 2.
The Canadians, who educated Monday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are lacking Bayern Munich star fullback Alphonso Davies. He has been sidelined by myocarditis, an irritation of the center muscle, after testing constructive for COVID-19.
SOUTH AMERICA
Apart from last-place Venezuela, seven different CONMEBOL international locations are nonetheless in competition to affix Brazil and Argentina in Qatar, with 4 qualifiers remaining.
Third-place Ecuador will edge nearer to one of many 4 direct-qualification spots Thursday by beating Brazil, which gained’t be taking part in Neymar. Peru and Colombia are each six factors behind Ecuador going into their conflict on Friday of fourth and fifth.
Sitting an additional level down is Chile, which hosts Lionel Messi-rested Argentina on Thursday, and Uruguay, which performs at ninth-place Paraguay in Diego Alonso’s first match as coach following Óscar Tabárez’s firing. Bolivia performs at Venezuela on Friday with two factors separating the eighth-place staff from the qualification locations.
The fifth-place staff after CONMEBOL qualifying concludes in March can nonetheless make the match by beating an Asian staff within the intercontinental playoffs in June.
ASIA
Iran will qualify for a 3rd World Cup in a row by beating Iraq on Thursday. South Korea, which is with out the injured Son Heung-min, might additionally seal a spot from Group A from its doubleheader over the following week — in opposition to Lebanon and Syria — earlier than the 2 remaining qualifiers in March.
But after that includes at 4 consecutive World Cups, Australia’s qualification from the opposite group is within the stability after three matches with no win. If the Socceroos miss out on the 2 automated qualification locations by ending third in Group B, they must contest a playoff in opposition to the third-place staff from Group A — at present the United Arab Emirates — to advance to intercontinental playoffs in opposition to South American opposition in June.
Looking down, Australia has a four-point edge on Oman. But second place is in attain with Australia solely a degree behind Japan, which takes on China and Saudi Arabia over the following week. Before closing Group B in March in opposition to present frontrunners Saudi Arabia and Japan, Australia on Thursday performs Vietnam, which is on zero factors, and Oman on Tuesday.
The UAE, which certified for its solely World Cup in 1990, performs last-place Syria and Iran over the following week, attempting to keep away from being overtaken by Lebanon, which is a degree behind, and Iraq, which is an additional level again.
AFRICA
With the continent at present staging the African Cup of Nations, Africa’s 5 World Cup representatives gained’t be settled till the playoffs in March that includes the ten group winners.
There shall be a conflict of Liverpool teammates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane as Egypt and Senegal had been drawn collectively, which means one of many international locations gained’t contest a second consecutive World Cup. There’s a gathering of Ghana and Nigeria, who’ve each failed to achieve the African Cup quarterfinals.
Standing in the best way of a World Cup spot for African Cup quarterfinalist and host Cameroon is Algeria, which exited the continental showpiece within the group stage final week with one level from three video games.
Morocco, whose focus now’s on the African Cup final eight, will play Congo residence and away in March. Tunisia can even hope to be African champion earlier than playoffs in opposition to Mali.
EUROPE
It’s a few weeks off now for European groups, with their playoffs not till March to find out the final three of the continent’s entry of 13 nations for Qatar.
The European playoffs characteristic the ten groups that completed second of their qualifying teams together with two groups — Austria and the Czech Republic — who gained Nations League teams final 12 months.
Italy and Portugal, the present and former European champions, are in the identical qualifying playoff bracket, which means a minimum of one will fail to qualify for subsequent 12 months’s match. Four-time world champion Italy, which didn’t qualify for Russia in 2018, will first face North Macedonia at residence in a playoff semifinal in March. The bracket winner will play away at both Portugal or Turkey for a spot on the World Cup.
Looking to finish a 24-year hole on the World Cup, Scotland will face Ukraine at residence, and the winner will play at Wales or Austria within the closing of their bracket. Wales’ solely World Cup look was in 1958.
Russia will host Poland for the precise to face Sweden or the Czech Republic of their bracket closing. Russia or Poland will host the ultimate.

OCEANIA
Qualifying for Oceania will happen in a mini-tournament in Qatar in March with New Zealand the favourite to advance to a playoff in June in opposition to a staff from CONCACAF.
TICKETS
Supporters have been capable of register for the poll for World Cup tickets since final week. But there are nonetheless no accommodations out there to e-book in Qatar till the official lodging portal opens for enterprise later within the 12 months.