Hosts Russia are lowest-ranked team for World Cup

ZURICH: Russia will be the lowest-ranked team in the draw for the World Cup they are hosting after Peru sealed the last qualifying spot.

FIFA use their October rankings for the Dec 1 draw in Moscow, which means No. 65 Russia are two places below Saudi Arabia, who will be lowest-ranked nation in the pot of fourth-seeded teams.

Despite the rankings, Russia will be the top seeds in Group A — the status FIFA give all World Cup host nations.

The No. 10-ranked Peru clinched the last place in the 32-team Finals when they beat No. 122 New Zealand in an intercontinental playoff on Wednesday in Lima.

Peru’s win pushed No. 38 Serbia down into the fourth-seeded pot as a dangerous outlier.

Serbia are likely to be drawn in a tough group with Brazil or Argentina, the only top-seeded teams from outside Europe.

FIFA limit each of the four-team groups to a maximum of two European teams. No two teams from any other continental confederation can be drawn together.

Potentially tough draws could group Brazil, Spain, Egypt and Serbia, and Germany with England, Costa Rica and Nigeria.

FIFA have changed how they allocate teams in the draw and now use rankings alone for all four pots. At previous World Cups, only Pot 1 was for seeded teams, and the other three pots were decided by a geographical spread.

Russia will play the tournament opener on June 14.

The 2018 World Cup final will be held on July 15. Both showpiece games are at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. — AP