The qualifying stage for next summer’s World Cup is almost complete, and 23 of the 32 spots have already been confirmed ahead of the event to be staged in Russia.
The European phase has already been completed, with the play-offs set to take place next month, while the South American group went right down to the wire before it culminated on Tuesday evening.
Here is a look at the 23 teams who’ve qualified so far.
Russia
How did they qualify? Host nation
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Fourth place 1966
With the defending champions no longer an automatic qualifier for the following World Cup, Russia as the host nation were the only team to bypass the qualifying stages. They’ve been playing friendlies to keep themselves in shape and we already know that they’ll play in the first match of the tournament and be in Group A.
Odds to win the World Cup: 32/1
Belgium
How did they qualify? Winners of Group H
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Fourth place 1986
Belgium had one of the easiest qualifying groups going and they easily navigated their way through it to qualify for next summer’s World Cup. They scored 43 goals as they won nine and drew one of their ten games. They’re ranked among the favourites to win the entire competition and they’re now much more than just a dark horse.
Odds to win the World Cup: 14/1
England
How did they qualify? Winners of Group F
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Winners 1966
Apathy has swept through England as Gareth Southgate’s side qualified for another World Cup following a 1-0 victory over Slovenia. They’ve qualified for the finals, but just one knockout victory since the 1990 World Cup hardly inspires confidence.
Odds to win the World Cup: 20/1
France
How did they qualify? Winners of Group A
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Winners 1998
France topped their qualifying group, but there’s been much criticism levelled at manager Didier Deschamps, who’s failed to inspire a side oozing with talent. They finished as runners-up in Euro 2016 and will again be in the latter stages of Russia 2018.
Odds to win the World Cup: 5/1
Germany
How did they qualify? Winners of Group C
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Winners 1954, 1974, 1990, 2014
It was ten wins from ten games and a perfect qualifying campaign for the defending champions. They scored 43 goals to top their group and finished by a massive total of 11 points ahead of Northern Ireland in second place. They’re joint-favourites with France to win the competition and like their geographical neighbours, they’ve also got plenty of strength in depth.
Odds to win the World Cup: 5/1
Iceland
How did they qualify? Winners of Group I
Last appearance: Never qualified
Best performance: N/A
Iceland continued their form in Euro 2016 by topping what was a tough qualifying group, which also featured Croatia, Ukraine and Turkey. They’re set to have a crack at the World Cup and who can back against their tournament prowess after beating England in Nice last summer?
Odds to win the World Cup: 250/1
Poland
How did they qualify? Winners of Group E
Last appearance: 2006
Best performance: Third place 1974, 1982
Robert Lewandowski’s 16 goals fired Poland to their first World Cup since 2006. The Poles finished five points ahead of Denmark in second place and they could be considered dark horses of the tournament if they get a good group draw.
Odds to win the World Cup: 66/1
Portugal
How did they qualify? Winners of Group B
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Third place 1966
Portugal left it late, needing to beat Switzerland in their final group game to qualify, but they did it and Ronaldo will be aiming for another shot at international glory. However, the format of the World Cup is different to that of Euro 2016 and they will have to win a group game if they want to progress to the knockout stages.
Odds to win the World Cup: 22/1
Serbia
How did they qualify? Winners of Group D
Last appearance: 2010
Best performance: Third place 1930, 1962
Serbia topped the group which also featured the Republic of Ireland and Wales. Like Portugal, Serbia also had to wait until the final round of games to qualify as Aleksandar Prijovic scored the winner against Georgia which secured their automatic qualification spot.
Odds to win the World Cup: 100/1
Spain
How did they qualify? Winners of Group G
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Winners 2010
Despite having the presence of Italy in their group, Spain qualified in simple fashion as they topped it by five points. Julen Lopetegui’s side beat the Italians 3-0 in Madrid during the campaign and they also went through the qualifying stage unbeaten.
Odds to win the World Cup: 7/1
Who else in Europe?
The eight best runners-up in the groups advance to a play-off stage with a further four teams qualifying for Russia 2018. The draw will be made next Tuesday and the teams featured include Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland.
Brazil
How did they qualify? Winners of South American group
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Winners 1950, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
Brazil made light work of the qualifying campaign as they continue their run of participating in every single World Cup finals. They’ve got some superstar players and will be among the favourites come next summer. They’ve also got the highest percentage of players who’ve played in Eastern Europe, so conditions won’t be a problem for them.
Odds to win the World Cup: 6/1
Uruguay
How did they qualify? Runners-up in the South American group
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Winners 1930, 1950
Luis Suarez scored twice against Bolivia to ensure Uruguay made a third successive World Cup. England lost to them in 2014, in the same tournament which also saw Suarez bite Giorgio Chiellini. The Barcelona striker plays alongside Edinson Cavani for his national team and they’re ones to avoid in the group draw.
Odds to win the World Cup: 33/1
Argentina
How did they qualify? Third place in South American group
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Winners 1978, 1986
Argentina came so close to missing out on their first World Cup since 1970, but they scraped through thanks to a hat-trick from Lionel Messi. Their victory over Ecuador at altitude saw them jump from sixth to third in the qualification group. Their absence from the tournament would have been a major blow to FIFA as one of the global stars of the sport wouldn’t have been at the top global event.
Odds to win the World Cup: 8/1
Colombia
How did they qualify? Fourth place in South American group
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Quarter finals 2014
James Rodriguez returns to the tournament where he made his name four years ago after scoring a crucial goal in a 1-1 draw with Peru, which saw Colombia finish in fourth after the scramble in the South American group. They won just seven of 18 qualifying games, but shouldn’t be underestimated come next summer.
Odds to win the World Cup: 30/1
Who else in South America?
Peru finished fifth in the group and advance to a two-legged play-off against New Zealand, who won the Oceania qualifying section. The games will be played in November.
Costa Rica
How did they qualify? Runners-up in the North American group
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Quarter finals 2014
Costa Rica equalised in the fifth minute of injury time against Honduras last week to earn their spot in the World Cup. They finished second in the North American group, some way behind Mexico, but they did beat USA 4-0 in qualifying.
Odds to win the World Cup: 400/1
Mexico
How did they qualify? Winners in the North American group
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Quarter finals, 1970, 1986
Mexico beat USA 2-1 in their first match and never really looked back. This will be their seventh consecutive World Cup and they’ll be tricky opposition who shouldn’t be underestimated when it comes to the group draw.
Odds to win the World Cup: 66/1
Panama
How did they qualify? Third place in North American group
Last appearance: Never qualified
Best performance: N/A
Panama qualified for their first World Cup in dramatic fashion after beating Costa Rica 2-1, while USA were losing away to Trinidad and Tobago. They finished with the same points as Honduras, but qualified by having a superior goal difference.
Odds to win the World Cup: 2000/1
What next in North America?
Honduras play in a two-legged play-off against Australia with both games being played next month.
Iran
How did they qualify? Winners of Qualifying Group A
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Group Stage 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014
Iran were one of the least spectacular sides in the Asian qualifying stage, but they went unbeaten through a series of narrow wins and goalless draws. Their aim for the World Cup will be to progress past the group stage for the first time.
Odds to win the World Cup: 275/1
Saudi Arabia
How did they qualify? Runners-up in Qualifying Group B
Last appearance: 2006
Best performance: Round of 16 1994
Saudi Arabia pipped Australia to second place in Group B by a superior goal difference of 2. Despite losing three of their games, this will be their first finals since Germany 2006 and they’ll want to put in an impressive showing ahead of the next tournament in Qatar.
Odds to win the World Cup: 750/1
Japan
How did they qualify? Winners of Qualifying Group B
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Round of 16 2002 and 2010
The 2002 co-hosts secured qualification for the tournament thanks to a 2-0 victory over Australia to mark their seventh successive tournament appearance. Their form and team selection suggests that they’ll be the most competitive of the Asian countries at the tournament.
Odds to win the World Cup: 150/1
South Korea
How did they qualify? Runners-up in Qualifying Group A
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Fourth place 2002
South Korea were strong at home in qualifying, winning four of their five home games as they finished second in the group. Their away form was disappointing though, which saw Syria run them very close. This will be their ninth consecutive appearance at the World Cup.
Odds to win the World Cup: 250/1
Who else in Asia?
Australia will play Honduras in a two-legged play-off next month. The Socceroos beat Syria 3-2 on aggregate in the Asian play-off to reach that stage.
Egypt
How did they qualify? Winners of Qualifying Group E
Last appearance: 1990
Best performance: First round 1934, 1990
Egypt make their first appearance at a World Cup since Italia ’90 thanks to a 95th minute penalty from Mohamed Salah that saw them beat Congo. The Liverpool player scored five goals in the qualifying phase to ensure that his country topped a group which also contained Uganda, Ghana and Congo.
Odds to win the World Cup: 250/1
Nigeria
How did they qualify? Winners of Qualifying Group B
Last appearance: 2014
Best performance: Round of 16 1994, 1998, 2014
Nigeria finished ahead of Zambia, Cameroon and Algeria to win Group B and qualify for the World Cup. There’s a number of Premier League stars in the Super Eagles side, including Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi and Kelechi Iheanacho, while former Chelsea player John Obi Mikel also still plays international football.
Odds to win the World Cup: 150/1
Who else in Africa?
There are still three qualification spots up for grabs ahead of the final round of fixtures next month.
In Group A, Tunisia are currently top, ahead of DR Congo by three points and their final game is against already-eliminated Libya.
The match between Ivory Coast and Morocco will determine who wins Group C. This will be played on 11th November.
Senegal hold a two-point lead over Burkina Faso and Cape Verde in Group D, but still have to play South Africa twice after a replay of their first meeting was ordered.
Words by @dominictrant
