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Full List: France Drawn Against Ukraine, England To Face Poland In 2022 W/Cup Qualifiers

  Holders France were handed an awkward draw in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup on Monday, with Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina standing in … Continue reading Full List: France Drawn Against Ukraine, England To Face Poland In 2022 W/Cup Qualifiers


In this file photo taken on July 15, 2018 France’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris holds the trophy as he celebrates with teammates during the trophy ceremony at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup final football match between France and Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on July 15, 2018. France’s football players are awarded Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (Legion d’honneur) on January 1, 2019. Alexander NEMENOV / AFP
In this file photo taken on July 15, 2018 France’s goalkeeper Hugo Lloris holds the trophy as he celebrates with teammates during the trophy ceremony at the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup final football match between France and Croatia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on July 15, 2018. Alexander NEMENOV / AFP

 

Holders France were handed an awkward draw in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup on Monday, with Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina standing in their way on the road to the finals in Qatar, while England will face Poland in their group.

Gareth Southgate’s England, semi-finalists at the 2018 tournament in Russia, will also take on Hungary and Albania as well as two of the minnows of international football, Andorra and San Marino, in Group I.

France will also face Finland — who recently beat Les Bleus in a friendly in Paris — in Group D, with Kazakhstan completing the group that was drawn in a virtual ceremony at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They are in a group of just five teams because they will be involved in the finals of the UEFA Nations League in Italy in October next year.

The European qualifying competition to reach the finals begins next March, with a total of 13 countries from the continent going through.

Only the winners of each of the 10 groups will qualify automatically for the finals, which are to take place in November and December of 2022.

The 10 runners-up will go into play-offs alongside the two best Nations League group winners who miss out on qualifying via the traditional path.

Those play-offs will produce three more qualifiers in total, with Europe having 13 spots out of the 32 at the finals.

Germany, whose coach Joachim Loew has been under severe pressure after a run of poor recent results for the 2014 World Cup winners, will be expected to come through a group in which Romania and Iceland appear their main threats.

UEFA World Cup 2022 Qualifying Groups 

Group A

Portugal

Serbia

Republic of Ireland

Luxembourg

Azerbaijan

Group B

Spain

Sweden

Greece

Georgia

Kosovo

Group C

Italy

Switzerland

Northern Ireland

Bulgaria

Lithuania

Group D

France

Ukraine

Finland

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Kazakhstan

Group E

Belgium

Wales

Czech Republic

Belarus

Estonia

Group F

Denmark

Austria

Scotland

Israel

Faroe Islands

Moldova

Group G

Netherlands

Turkey

Norway

Montenegro

Latvia

Gibraltar

Group H

Croatia

Slovakia

Russia

Slovenia

Cyprus

Malta

Group I

England

Poland

Hungary

Albania

Andorra

San Marino

Group J

Germany

Romania

Iceland

North Macedonia

Armenia

Liechtenstein

AFP