Gloves are off on the long road to Russia
Sports Staff
With only seven teams having qualified for next year’s Fifa World Cup alongside hosts Russia with less than nine months to go before kick-off, things will reach fever pitch in the various conferences over the next couple of months.
As things stand Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Belgium, Mexico and Brazil will join the Russians in next year’s showpiece, with a handful of others one step away from rubber-stamping their participation. As for the rest, the gloves will surely come off during the next round of qualifier set for early October.
While no team from Africa are assured of their places in Russia yet, Tunisia and Nigeria from Group A and B respectively are in position, needing only one point each from their last two matches, while two powerhouses Cameroon and Algeria, as well as Guinea, Libya and the DRC have been eliminated. Egypt can secure their spot as Group D winners with a win over the DRC, while Bafana Bafana’s Group D as well as Group C is set to go right down to the wire.
In Europe, Germany and England are set to follow in Belgium’s footsteps, with Serbia, Switzerland, Spain and Poland also in strong contention with two rounds to go. Italy and Portugal could lose out on qualifying as group winners, but should get a second bite at the cherry in the play-offs which will see the eight best second-place finishers battle it out for four berths. That might be the only saving grace for the 2010 runners-up the Netherlands, who are in big trouble three points adrift of second-placed Sweden in Group A.
With Brazil running away with the South American group, five other teams still in contention to reach Russia.
With Uruguay and Colombia knocking hard on the door in second and third place, a real scrap is on the cards between Peru, Argentina and Chile for the last automatic qualification spot and the fifth place, which will earn a play-off against Oceania champions New Zealand.
Syria and Australia will contest a play-off for the fifth place in Asia, with the winner taking on the fourth-placed team from Northern and Central America, yet to be decided.
With Costa Rica on the verge of joining Mexico, a catfight is on the cards between Panama, the United States and Honduras for the third and last automatic qualifying place and the sudden death encounter against the winner of the Asian play-off.