World Cup
The four capacity groups in Friday’s draw
The four capacity groups that will be used to make the World Cup draw on Friday. Which groups can coincide and how is the death group formed?
Most of the qualifying phase of the World Cup has been completed and therefore FIFA is preparing for the institution’s group stage draw.
The trial is scheduled for Friday at 19:00 GMT and will take place in Doha, Qatar, which will be the focus of the tournament at the end of the year.
As usual in such cases, the 32 teams that are in the final stages of the tournament will be divided into four capacity groups. The main criterion for dividing the teams into four groups is their position in the FIFA rankings, but it is not the only one.
For example, as a host country, Qatar is classified in the 1st capacity group (and automatically in the 1st group) regardless of its position in the FIFA rankings. Likewise, the winners of the two intercontinental playoffs and the winner of the remaining draw in Europe will be placed in the 4th capacity group, regardless of whether their odds could ultimately push them to a higher level.
The strong and the weak
The ranking that the organizers will use in the draw will be announced by FIFA on March 31, but the calculations have already been made and the four groups formed.
The group of strong includes those who will lead the eight groups of the World Cup. This group includes Qatar, along with Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain and Portugal, which make up the top seven countries in the world rankings. Before Portugal defeated North Macedonia, the last place in the group was open, but now the situation cannot change.
Mexico’s victory and the United States’ narrow defeat in Costa Rica sealed their presence in the 2nd capacity group. In addition to the two North American giants, these include the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Uruguay and Croatia, teams with very high potential, some of which could very well be (or have been in the recent past) higher.
The traps in the 3rd and 4th groups
In the 3rd capacity group, a real question arises about its composition. Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland and South Korea had secured their spot, and after Canada lost to Panama, Tunisia completed the puzzle with 1,500 points.
However, the 4th capacity group may otherwise have equal teams Canada, Cameroon, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, the team that will emerge from the European draw in which Wales, Ukraine and Scotland participate and the two winners of the intercontinental playoffs.
Netherlands and Germany for death groups
Understandably, the presence of the Netherlands and Germany in the 2nd capacity group automatically makes the existence of a “death group” very likely. At least one of the two is drawn against opponents of the same strength, and when you add Robert Lewandowski’s Poland, African champions Senegal or enthusiastic Canada, qualifying becomes difficult straight away.
Similarly, Group 1 is led by Qatar and when drawn with teams such as USA, Tunisia and Scotland (as each group must have a UEFA team) a much weaker quartet is formed.
capacity groups
FIRST GROUP
- Qatar (AFC, host country) 1,441
- Brazil (CONMEBOL) 1,833
- Belgium (UEFA) 1,827
- France (UEFA) 1,790
- Argentina (CONMEBOL) 1,765
- England (UEFA) 1,762
- Spain (UEFA) 1,709
- Portugal (UEFA) 1,675
SECOND GROUP
- Netherlands (UEFA) 1,659
- Mexico (CONCACAF) 1,659
- Denmark (UEFA) 1,654
- Germany (UEFA) 1,651
- Uruguay (CONMEBOL) 1,636
- Switzerland (UEFA) 1,635
- US (CONCACAF) 1,634
- Croatia (UEFA) 1,621
THIRD GROUP
- Senegal (CAF) 1,584
- Iran (AFC) 1,564
- Japan (AFC) 1,553
- Morocco (CAF) 1,552
- Serbia (UEFA) 1,548
- Poland (UEFA) 1,544
- South Korea (AFC) 1,520
- Tunisia (CAF) 1,500
FOURTH GROUP
- Cameroon (CAF) 1,480
- Canada (CONCACAF) 1,479
- Ecuador (CONMEBOL) 1,453
- Saudi Arabia (AFC) 1,445
- Ghana (CAF) 1,387
- UEFA draw winners: Wales (UEFA) 1,588 or Ukraine (UEFA) 1,535 / Scotland (UEFA) 1,473
- Intercontinental AFC Winner – CONMEBOL: Peru 1,562 or Australia 1,462 / UAE 1,357
- Intercontinental CONCACAF – OFC winners: Costa Rica (CONCACAF) 1,503 or New Zealand (OFC) 1,206
Source: sport 24
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.
World Cup
Shevchenko made statements about the Ukraine-Sweden match in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers
UAF President Andrey Shevchenko He talked about the match against the Swedish national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
“When we were drawn against Sweden we probably faced our toughest opponent. I have great respect for Swedish football, you have always had good national teams and great players.”
“It’s always difficult to face Scandinavian teams, even though you don’t qualify for the World Cup, because you have so much quality, character and identity. This is similar to us to some extent. I don’t think there are favourites. In the end it all depends on the details, the injury situation and the preparations,” said Shevchenko.
In case of victory, Ukraine will play with the winner of the Poland-Albania doubles for a ticket to the World Cup. Ukraine will play the final match at home on March 31, again conditionally.
In addition to the 12 teams that finished second in their groups, the 4 winners of the Nations League quartet will also participate in the play-offs. All 16 participants are divided into 4 paths. Each route will include a semi-final and a final. The semi-finals will be held on March 26, and the finals will be held on March 31, 2026.
Source: Sport UA
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
UAF President Andrey Shevchenko He pointed out the significant financial costs of organizing the Ukrainian national team’s “home” matches outside the country.
“Hosting such meetings costs us an enormous amount of money and we are deprived of the opportunity to assemble a full stadium. In fact, the cost of a so-called home match at a neutral venue costs around five times more than a regular match.”
Our sponsors are located in a country where the struggle continues, so their financial resources are seriously limited.
I cannot approach the government with requests for additional funding.
We are forced to work tightly within the available budget and rely on the support of private donors, especially when it comes to social initiatives,” the UAF president told Dagens Nyheter.
During the current year, the Ukrainian national team played its official home matches in stadiums in Spain and Poland.
Source: Sport UA
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Head coach of the Portuguese national team Roberto Martinez He explained why Cristiano Ronaldo continues to play an important role in the national team.
– There is always a lot of talk around Cristiano Ronaldo. Why does he remain the undisputed starter for the Portuguese national team, even though he will soon be 41?
“It’s all about his attitude towards the profession.” We constantly evaluate three key factors: talent level, accumulated experience and the contribution a player can make to the national team.
Making the highest demands on himself for the benefit of the team allows the captain to maintain his place in the squad. His desire to be the best is passed on to his partners. “The 25 goals he scored in 30 matches as a striker confirms that his play brings tangible benefits to the national team,” he said.
Source: Sport UA
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
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