World Cup Draw Pots: How Russia 2018 Field Will Be Picked
As the World Cup group stage draw on Dec. 1 in Moscow approaches, we have a final picture of just how those balls in the pots will be organized.
Due to a change in FIFA procedure, the world's governing body of soccer is using the October 2017 FIFA ranking to determine the pot split. The host, Russia, and top seven teams qualified for the World Cup will be in the top pot, followed by three groups of eight, all organized in sequential order. It's a change from the most recent past, in which FIFA used its ranking for the top pot only and then organized the remaining three based on logistical and geographical criteria.
The field is set for good following Peru's 2-0 win over New Zealand Wednesday night in the second leg of their playoff:
POT 1
Russia, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, France
POT 2
Spain, Peru, Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Croatia
POT 3
Denmark, Iceland, Costa Rica, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Iran
POT 4
Serbia, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
As usual, only UEFA teams are able to be drawn with each other, with a maximum of two European nations in the same group. Otherwise, regional foes are kept apart until the round of 16 at the earliest.
