The World Cup draw - how it works

The draw for the 2018 World Cup qualification campaign takes place in St Petersburg today at 5pm.

25 July 2015, 12:02pm
by Staff Reporter

1 min read

The World Cup 2018 preliminary draw will be held Saturday at a former Russian imperial palace on the outskirts of President Vladimir Putin's home city of St. Petersburg

TWEET SHARE

The 52 European countries will be split into seven groups of six teams and two groups of five teams.

England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Holland, will be in a group of six teams at the request of UEFA in order to maximise television income.

Malta are in Pot 6 along with Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Georgia, San Marino and Andorra

Hosts Russia will qualify automatically.

The winners of each group will qualify for Russia 2018, while the eight best group runners-up will take part in a play-off in November 2017.

Pot 1: Germany, Belgium, Holland, Portugal, Romania, England, Wales, Spain, Croatia

Pot 2: Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, Iceland, Denmark, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Pot 3: Ukraine, Scotland, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Albania, Northern Ireland, Serbia, Greece

Pot 4: Turkey, Slovenia, Israel, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Estonia

Pot 5: Cyprus, Latvia, Armenia, Finland, Belarus, Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova

Pot 6: Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Georgia, Malta, San Marino, Andorra