Scotland and Wales‘ hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have been boosted after both nations were seeded for the play-off semi-final draw.
The Scots were already assured of a second-place finish in Group F after beating Moldova 2-0 in their penultimate match, but a victory by the same scoreline in their final game against group winners Denmark guaranteed a place in the seeded side of the play-offs.
Wales were guaranteed a play-off spot courtesy of their results in the Uefa Nations League, but a 1-1 draw against Belgium on the final matchday meant that they pipped the Czech Republic to the runners-up spot in Group E.
As a result, Scotland will play at Hampden Park in Glasgow and Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff for their respective one-legged ties in March. It also means they have avoided playing against either Italy or Portugal in the semi-final after those two giants of European football surprisingly missed out on automatic qualification.
In total, 12 teams are competing to fill the final three slots in Uefa’s 13-strong allocation for the World Cup.
The six seeded teams are Italy, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Sweden and Wales, while the six unseeded teams are Austria, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Poland, Turkey and Ukraine.
The 12 teams will be divided into three separate pathways consisting of four teams. There will be two one-legged semi-finals per pathway, with the winners progressing to a one-off final. The winners of the three finals will then qualify for the World Cup.
When is the play-off draw?
- Date: Friday 26 November
- Time: 4pm [BST]
- Location: Zurich, Switzerland
When do the play-offs take place?
- Semi-finals: Thursday 24 March
- Finals: Tuesday 29 March
The play-off winners will join the 10 group winners in Qatar. England safely made it through after finishing six points clear of Poland in Group I and they will be joined in Qatar by Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia, Spain and Switzerland.
Brazil and Argentina are the only non-European nations to have secured their places at the finals, while Qatar will make its World Cup debut after qualifying automatically as hosts.
Which teams will be in the play-offs?
Seeded
- Italy
- Potugal
- Russia
- Scotland
- Sweden
- Wales
Unseeded
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- North Macedonia
- Poland
- Turkey
- Ukraine
The qualifying rounds in South America, North America, Africa and Asia, will conclude in March. There will also be a four-team inter-continental play-off in June, consisting of sides from South America, North America, Asia and Oceania, to fill the final two spots at the tournament.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3qPL2ka
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