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Post by White Lightning on Jul 25, 2015 20:42:28 GMT
The road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ has been laid out for 141 teams from across the globe as St Petersburg's Konstantin Palace hosted a dramatic and star-studded Preliminary Draw. A global audience of approximately 94.8 million tuned in as the spectacular show, hosted by Dmitry Shepelev and supermodel Natalia Vodianova, blended football with some of the best in Russian music and culture. The draw itself - overseen by Jérôme Valcke, FIFA's Secretary General - also produced its fair share of fireworks, with Spain-Italy and Chile-Brazil on the first South American matchday just a couple of the mouth-watering games left to tantalise the beautiful game's billions of fans. Words of welcome All of those enthusiasts had earlier been promised the warmest of welcomes by Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, who kicked off proceedings by addressing the 2,000 guests and viewers from across the world. "Our country has a long-standing football history and the World Cup will definitely enhance the game's reputation," said Putin. "This is a tournament that will be wonderful not only for Russia but for all our neighbouring countries. It is Russia's great pleasure to be hosting the World Cup, which will offer a great chance to show our country's many faces to the world." FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter also expressed his excitement about the tournament, although he sought to shift the focus - for now at least - to the eagerly awaited preliminaries. "This is an important day in the long and winding road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup," said Blatter. "The tournament is very much on track and Russia will be fantastic hosts. But first a much longer competition must take place, lasting no less than 33 months, with over 850 matches taking place. And when all's said and done, we will know the teams that will compete in Russia." The draw process was interlaced with entertaining performances, the first of which came when the Terem-Quartet and artists and football jugglers from the Leningrad Centre brought a uniquely Russian flavour to a well-known western pop song. 'Get the Party Started' proved a fitting theme, too, because the main event began to unfold immediately afterwards, with the Intercontinental Play-off draw pitting CONCACAF against AFC, leaving OFC's hopefuls to face an opponent from the CONMEBOL region. This was the only aspect of the draw which concerned teams in Asia, where qualifying is already underway. Tribute was paid, nonetheless, to two of the continent's great early success stories, with Valcke highlighting the momentous wins enjoyed by both Bhutan and Guam. Big names and big challenges Rinat Dasayev, Soviet goalkeeping legend, and Cameroon icon Samuel Eto'o, then assisted FIFA's Secretary-General in setting out the route for Africa's 2018 contenders, with Somalia having the honour of being the first team picked out in this Preliminary Draw. And while the big guns will only meet later in the process, the first and second round ties look set to include some David and Goliath-style meetings, with Nigeria set to face the winner of a tie between Swaziland and Djibouti, the continent's lowest-ranked nation. Next up, via a rendition of 'Podmoskovnye Vechera' by opera singers Hibla Gerzmava and Vasily Gerello, it was the turn of teams from North, Central America and the Caribbean to learn the first of their qualifying opponents. This part of the process, led by Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro and beach soccer icon Madjer, left USA and Mexico paired with Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras respectively in Round 4, while CONCACAF Gold Cup finalists Jamaica must first negotiate a third-round tie with Nicaragua. Oceania's teams would have been feeling nervous by this stage, although they were soothed before their section of the draw by the beauty and elegance of two dancers performing an excerpt of Boris Eifman's ballet Anna Karenina to music by Tchaikovsky. Alexey Smertin and Predrag Rajkovic, captain of Serbia's FIFA U-20 World Cup winners, then assisted Valcke in laying out the continent's groups, one of which pitted top-ranked New Zealand against Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu. Heavyweight clashes in South America, Europe The honour of conducting South America's draw fell thereafter to two of the continent's striking greats: Ronaldo and Diego Forlan. In this region, where every team does battle within the same group, the opening-day matches were the centre of attention, and O Fenômeno admitted to fearing for Brazil after they were handed a trip to Copa America champions Chile. The main draw concluded with sights turned to Europe, although only after the guests had been treated to an up-tempo Football Medley by the World Jazz Stars. The musicians were then replaced on stage by Aleksandr Kerzhakov and Oliver Bierhoff, who helped lay out the task facing the 51 teams in a continent with 13 slots up for grabs. Gasps swiftly followed, with Spain and Italy - winners in 2010 and 2006 respectively - drawn together in Group G, with other pairings including France and the Netherlands and the oldest international rivalry of all: England-Scotland. Defending champions Germany, meanwhile, will face the first challenges to their crown against the likes of Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and Norway. And, with that, it was over. Polina Gagarina provided the final musical treat for the 2000 guests, while fans from across the world - some delighted, some dismayed - were left to pore over the draw and what it means for their teams' chances of reaching Russia 2018. WL
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Post by White Lightning on Oct 4, 2016 10:12:05 GMT
Round 1 Sept 4th 2016 Group C Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle San Marino 0 - 1 Azerbaijan Group E Astana Arena, Astana Kazakhstan 2 - 2 Poland Telia Parken, Copenhagen Denmark 1 - 0 Armenia Group F Antona Malatinského, Trnava
Slovakia 0 - 1 EnglandLFF Stadium, Vilnius Lithuania 2 - 2 Slovenia Ta'Qali National Stadium, Ta'Qali
Malta 1 - 5 ScotlandGroup E Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca Romania 1 - 1 Montenegro Group C Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo
Norway 0 - 3 GermanyGenerali Arena, Prague
Czech Republic 0 - 0 Northern IrelandSept 5th 2016 Group D Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi Georgia 1 - 2 Austria City Stadium, Cardiff
Wales 4 - 0 MoldovaFK Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade
Serbia 2 - 2 Republic of IrelandGroup G Estadio Municipal Reino de León, Leon Spain 8 - 0 Liechtenstein Haifa International Stadium, Haifa Israel 1 - 3 Italy Group I Maksimir, Zagreb Croatia 1 - 1 Turkey Olympic National Sports Complex, Kyiv Ukraine 1 - 1 Iceland Veritas Stadium, Turku Finland 1 - 1 Kosovo Sept 6th 2016 Group G Loro Borici Stadium, Shkoder Albania 2 - 1 FYR Macedonia Group H Bilino Polje, Zenica Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 - 0 Estonia Neo GSP Stadium, Nicosia Cyprus 0 - 3 Belgium Group B Torsvollur, Torshavn Faroe Islands 0 - 0 Hungary Estadi Nacional, Andorra La Vella Andorra 0 - 1 Latvia St. Jakob-Park, Basel Switzerland 2 - 0 Portugal Group A Friends Arena, Solna
Sweden 1 - 1 NetherlandsVasil Levski, Sofia Bulgaria 4 - 3 Luxembourg Borisov Arena, Borisov Belarus 0 - 0 France Group H Estadio Algarve, Faro Gibraltar 1 - 4 Greece WL
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Post by White Lightning on Oct 9, 2016 11:43:18 GMT
Round 1 6th Oct 2016 Group I Loro Borici Stadium, Shkoder Kosovo 0 - 6 Croatia Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik Iceland 3 - 2 Finland Konya Büyüksehir Torku Arena, Konya Turkey 2 - 2 Ukraine Group G Philip II of Macedon National Stadium, Skopje FYR Macedonia 1 - 2 Israel Juventus Stadium, Turin Italy 1 - 1 Spain Rheinpark, Vaduz Liechtenstein 0 - 2 Albania Group D Zimbru, Chisinau Moldova 0 - 3 Serbia Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Republic of Ireland 1 - 0 Georgia Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Austria 2 - 2 Wales7th Oct 2016 Group A Josy-Barthel, Luxembourg
Luxembourg 0 - 1 SwedenDe Kuip, Rotterdam Netherlands 4 - 1 Belarus Stade de France, Saint-Denis France 4 - 1 Bulgaria Group B Estadio Municipal, Aveiro Portugal 6 - 0 Andorra Skonto Stadium, Riga Latvia 0 - 2 Faroe Islands Groupama Arena, Budapest Hungary 2 - 3 Switzerland Group H Karaiskaki Stadium, Piraeus Greece 2 - 0 Cyprus Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels Belgium 4 - 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn Estonia 4 - 0 Gibraltar 8th Oct 2016 Group F Wembley Stadium, London
England 2 - 0 MaltaGroup C National Stadium, Baku
Azerbaijan 1 - 0 NorwayGroup E Republican Stadium, Yerevan Armenia 0 - 5 Romania Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica Montenegro 5 - 0 Kazakhstan National Stadium (Narodowy), Warsaw Poland 3 - 2 Denmark Group C Windsor Park, Belfast
Northern Ireland 4 - 0 San MarinoVolksparkstadion, Hamburg Germany 3 - 0 Czech Republic Group F Hampden Park, Glasgow
Scotland 1 - 1 LithuaniaSportni Park Stozice, Ljubliana Slovenia 1 - 0 Slovakia WL
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Post by White Lightning on Oct 12, 2016 10:33:54 GMT
Round 1 9th Oct 2016 Group G Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem Israel 2 - 1 Liechtenstein Group D City Stadium, Cardiff
Wales 1 - 1 GeorgiaGroup I Ratina Stadium (Tampere Stadium), Tampere Finland 0 - 1 Croatia Marshal Józef Pilsudski Stadium, Krakow Ukraine 3 - 0 Kosovo Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik Iceland 2 - 0 Turkey Group D Zimbru, Chisinau
Moldova 1 - 3 Republic of IrelandFK Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade Serbia 3 - 2 Austria Group G Loro Borici Stadium, Shkoder Albania 0 - 2 Spain Philip II of Macedon National Stadium, Skopje FYR Macedonia 2 - 3 Italy 10th Oct 2016 Group H A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn Estonia 0 - 2 Greece Bilino Polje, Zenica Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 - 0 Cyprus Group B Skonto Stadium, Riga Latvia 0 - 2 Hungary Group A Friends Arena, Solna
Sweden 3 - 0 BulgariaAmsterdam Arena, Amsterdam Netherlands 0 - 1 France Group B Torsvollur, Torshavn Faroe Islands 0 - 6 Portugal Estadi Nacional, Andorra La Vella Andorra 1 - 2 Switzerland Group A Borisov Arena, Borisov Belarus 1 - 1 Luxembourg Group H Estadio Algarve, Faro Gibraltar 0 - 6 Belgium 11th Oct 2016 Group E Astana Arena, Astana Kazakhstan 0 - 0 Romania National Stadium (Narodowy), Warsaw Poland 2 - 1 Armenia Telia Parken, Copenhagen Denmark 0 - 1 Montenegro Group F LFF Stadium, Vilnius Lithuania 2 - 0 Malta Sportni Park Stozice, Ljubliana
Slovenia 0 - 0 EnglandAntona Malatinského, Trnava
Slovakia 3 - 0 ScotlandGroup C Vitkovice, Ostrava Czech Republic 0 - 0 Azerbaijan Stadium Hanover, Hanover
Germany 2 - 0 Northern IrelandUllevaal Stadium, Oslo
Norway 4 - 1 San MarinoWL
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Post by White Lightning on Nov 14, 2016 11:15:02 GMT
Round 1 11th Nov 2016 Group E Republican Stadium, Yerevan Armenia 3 - 2 Montenegro National Arena, Bucharest Romania 0 - 3 Poland Telia Parken, Copenhagen Denmark 4 - 1 Kazakhstan Group F Antona Malatinského, Trnava Slovakia 4 - 0 Lithuania Ta'Qali National Stadium, Ta'Qali Malta 0 - 1 Slovenia Wembley Stadium, London
England 3 - 0 Scotland Group C Windsor Park, Belfast
Northern Ireland 4 - 0 AzerbaijanEden Arena, Prague
Czech Republic 2 - 1 NorwaySan Marino Stadium, Serravalle San Marino 0 - 8 Germany Group A Stade de France, Saint-Denis France 2 - 1 Sweden 12th Nov 2016 Group I Antalya Arena, Antalya Turkey 2 - 0 Kosovo Maksimir, Zagreb Croatia 2 - 0 Iceland Group D Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna
Austria 0 - 1 Republic of IrelandBoris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi Georgia 1 - 1 Moldova City Stadium, Cardiff
Wales 1 - 1 SerbiaGroup I Chornomorets Stadium, Odessa Ukraine 1 - 0 Finland Group G Campo Los Carmenes, Granada Spain 4 - 0 FYR Macedonia Rheinpark, Vaduz Liechtenstein 0 - 4 Italy Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Albania 0 - 3 Israel 13th Nov 2016 Group H GSP Eugenia and Anthonis Theodotou, Nicosia Cyprus 3 - 1 Gibraltar Group A Josy-Barthel, Luxembourg Luxembourg 1 - 3 Netherlands Vasil Levski, Sofia Bulgaria 1 - 0 Belarus Group B Swissporarena, Lucerne Switzerland 2 - 0 Faroe Islands Groupama Arena, Budapest Hungary 4 - 0 Andorra Estadio Algarve, Faro Portugal 4 - 1 Latvia Group H Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels Belgium 8 - 1 Estonia Karaiskaki Stadium, Piraeus Greece 1 - 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina WL
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Post by White Lightning on Mar 28, 2017 17:58:31 GMT
Round 1 24th Mar 2017 Group I Antalya Arena, Antalya Turkey 2 - 0 Finland Group D Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi Georgia 1 - 3 Serbia Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Republic of Ireland 0 - 0 Wales Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna Austria 2 - 0 Moldova Group I Loro Borici Stadium, Shkoder Kosovo 1 - 2 Iceland Maksimir, Zagreb Croatia 1 - 0 Ukraine Group G Rheinpark, Vaduz Liechtenstein 0 - 3 FYR Macedonia El Molinon, Gijon Spain 4 - 1 Israel Renzo Barbera, Palermo Italy 2 - 0 Albania 25th Mar 2017 Group H Neo GSP Stadium, Nicosia Cyprus 0 - 0 Estonia Bilino Polje, Zenica Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 - 0 Gibraltar Group A Friends Arena, Solna Sweden 4 - 0 Belarus Group B Stade de Genève, Geneva Switzerland 1 - 0 Latvia Estadi Nacional, Andorra La Vella Andorra 0 - 0 Faroe Islands Estadio da Luz, Lisbon Portugal 3 - 0 Hungary Group A Vasil Levski, Sofia Bulgaria 2 - 0 Netherlands Josy-Barthel, Luxembourg Luxembourg 1 - 3 France Group H Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels Belgium 1 - 1 Greece 26th Mar 2017 Group F Wembley Stadium, London
England 2 - 0 Lithuania Group C Tofig Bahramov Stadium, Baku Azerbaijan 1 - 4 Germany San Marino Stadium, Serravalle San Marino 0 - 6 Czech Republic Group E Republican Stadium, Yerevan Armenia 2 - 0 Kazakhstan Dr. Constantin Radulescu Stadium, Cluj Romania 0 - 0 Denmark Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica Montenegro 1 - 2 Poland Group F Hampden Park, Glasgow
Scotland 1 - 0 Slovenia Ta'Qali National Stadium, Ta'Qali Malta 1-3 Slovakia Group C Windsor Park, Belfast
Northern Ireland 2 - 0 NorwayWL
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Post by White Lightning on Jun 25, 2017 12:22:16 GMT
Round 1 9th June 2017 Group H Bilino Polje, Zenica Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 - 0 Greece A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn Estonia 0 - 2 Belgium Estadio Algarve, Faro Gibraltar 1 - 2 Cyprus Group B Torsvollur, Torshavn Faroe Islands 0 - 2 Switzerland Skonto Stadium, Riga Latvia 0 - 3 Portugal Estadi Nacional, Andorra La Vella Andorra 1 - 0 Hungary Group A De Kuip, Rotterdam Netherlands 5 - 0 Luxembourg Friends Arena, Solna Sweden 2 - 1 France Borisov Arena, Borisov Belarus 2 - 1 Bulgaria 10th June 2017 Group C Tofig Bahramov Stadium, Baku
Azerbaijan 0 - 1 Northern IrelandGroup E Central Stadium, Almaty Kazakhstan 1 - 3 Denmark Group F Sportni Park Stozice, Ljubliana Slovenia 2 - 0 Malta Hampden Park, Glasgow
Scotland 2 - 2 EnglandLFF Stadium, Vilnius Lithuania 1 - 2 Slovakia Group E Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica Montenegro 4 - 1 Armenia National Stadium (Narodowy), Warsaw Poland 3 - 1 Romania Group C Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo Norway 1 - 1 Czech Republic NUREMBERG, Nuremberg Germany 7 - 0 San Marino 11th June 2017 - 19:00 Local time Group D Zimbru, Chisinau Moldova 2 - 2 Georgia Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Republic of Ireland 1 - 1 Austria Group I Ratina Stadium (Tampere Stadium), Tampere Finland 1 - 2 Ukraine Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik Iceland 1 - 0 Croatia Loro Borici Stadium, Shkoder Kosovo 1 - 4 Turkey Group G Philip II of Macedon National Stadium, Skopje FYR Macedonia 1 - 2 Spain Dacia Arena, Udine Italy 5 - 0 Liechtenstein Haifa International Stadium, Haifa Israel 0 - 3 Albania Group D FK Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade
Serbia 1 - 1 Wales WL
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Post by White Lightning on Sept 2, 2017 15:47:46 GMT
Round 1 1st Sep 2017 Group E Astana Arena, Astana Kazakhstan 0 - 3 Montenegro National Arena, Bucharest Romania 1 - 0 Armenia Telia Parken, Copenhagen Denmark 4 - 0 Poland Group C San Marino Stadium, Serravalle
San Marino 0 - 3 Northern IrelandUllevaal Stadium, Oslo Norway 2 - 0 Azerbaijan Eden Arena, Prague Czech Republic 1 - 2 Germany Group F LFF Stadium, Vilnius
Lithuania 0 - 3 ScotlandTa'Qali National Stadium, Ta'Qali
Malta 0 - 4 EnglandAntona Malatinského, Trnava Slovakia 1 - 0 Slovenia 2nd Sep 2017 Group G Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Albania 2 - 0 Liechtenstein Group I Ratina Stadium (Tampere Stadium), Tampere Finland 1 - 0 Iceland Group D Partizan Stadium, Belgrade Serbia 3 - 0 Moldova Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi
Georgia 1 - 1 Republic of IrelandCity Stadium, Cardiff
Wales 1 - 0 AustriaGroup I Metalist Stadium, Kharkov Ukraine 2 - 0 Turkey Group G Haifa International Stadium, Haifa Israel 0 - 1 FYR Macedonia Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid Spain 3 - 0 Italy 3rd Sep 2017 Group I Maksimir, Zagreb Croatia 1 - 0 Kosovo Group H A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn Estonia 1 - 0 Cyprus Group B Torsvollur, Torshavn Faroe Islands 1 - 0 Andorra Group A Borisov Arena, Borisov Belarus 0 - 4 Sweden Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam Netherlands 3 - 1 Bulgaria Stade de Toulouse, Toulouse France 0 - 0 Luxembourg Group B Groupama Arena, Budapest Hungary 0 - 1 Portugal Skonto Stadium, Riga Latvia 0 - 3 Switzerland Group H Estadio Algarve, Faro Gibraltar 0 - 4 Bosnia and Herzegovina Karaiskaki Stadium, Piraeus Greece 1 - 2 Belgium 4th Sept 2017 Group C Bakcell Arena, Baku Azerbaijan 5 - 1 San Marino Group E Republican Stadium, Yerevan Armenia 1 - 4 Denmark Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica Montenegro 1 - 0 Romania National Stadium (Narodowy), Warsaw Poland 3 - 0 Kazakhstan Group C Windsor Park, Belfast
Northern Ireland 2 - 0 Czech RepublicMercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart Germany 6 - 0 Norway Group F Wembley Stadium, London
England 2 - 1 SlovakiaSportni Park Stozice, Ljubliana Slovenia 4 - 0 Lithuania Hampden Park, Glasgow
Scotland 2 - 0 Malta5th Sept 2017 Group G Mapei Stadium, Reggio Emilia Italy 1 - 0 Israel Rheinpark, Vaduz Liechtenstein 0 - 8 Spain Mladost, Strumica FYR Macedonia 1 - 1 Albania Group I Loro Borici Stadium, Shkoder Kosovo 0 - 1 Finland New Eskisehir Stadium, Eskisehir Turkey 1 - 0 Croatia Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik Iceland 2 - 0 Ukraine Group D Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Republic of Ireland 0 - 1 SerbiaErnst Happel Stadium, Vienna Austria 1 - 1 Georgia Zimbru, Chisinau
Moldova 0 - 2 Wales WL
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Post by White Lightning on Oct 15, 2017 19:27:55 GMT
Round 1 5th Oct 2017 Group C San Marino Stadium, Serravalle San Marino 0 - 8 Norway Windsor Park, Belfast
Northern Ireland 1 - 3 GermanyGroup E Ilie Oana, Ploiesti Romania 3 - 1 Kazakhstan Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica Montenegro 0 - 1 Denmark Group F Hampden Park, Glasgow
Scotland 1 - 0 SlovakiaTa'Qali National Stadium, Ta'Qali Malta 1 - 1 Lithuania Wembley Stadium, London
England 1 - 0 SloveniaGroup E Republican Stadium, Yerevan Armenia 1 - 6 Poland Group C National Stadium, Baku Azerbaijan 1 - 2 Czech Republic 6th Oct 2017 Group G Jose Rico Perez, Alicante Spain 3 - 0 Albania Stadio Olimpico, Turin Italy 1 - 1 FYR Macedonia Rheinpark, Vaduz Liechtenstein 0 - 1 Israel Group D Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Republic of Ireland 2 - 0 MoldovaGroup I HNK Rijeka, Rijeka Croatia 1 - 1 Finland New Eskisehir Stadium, Eskisehir Turkey 0 - 3 Iceland Loro Borici Stadium, Shkoder Kosovo 0 - 2 Ukraine Group D Ernst Happel Stadium, Vienna Austria 3 - 2 Serbia Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi
Georgia 0 - 1 Wales7th Oct 2017 Group H Neo GSP Stadium, Nicosia Cyprus 1 - 2 Greece Group A Borisov Arena, Borisov Belarus 1 - 3 Netherlands Group B St. Jakob-Park, Basel Switzerland 5 - 2 Hungary Estadi Nacional, Andorra La Vella Andorra 0 - 2 Portugal Group A Vasil Levski, Sofia Bulgaria 0 - 1 France Friends Arena, Solna Sweden 8 - 0 Luxembourg Group B Torsvollur, Torshavn Faroe Islands 0 - 0 Latvia Group H Grbavica, Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 - 4 Belgium Estadio Algarve, Faro Gibraltar 0 - 6 Estonia 8th Oct 2017 Group C Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern Germany 5 - 1 Azerbaijan Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo
Norway 1 - 0 Northern IrelandDoosan Arena, Plzen Czech Republic 5 - 0 San Marino Group E Telia Parken, Copenhagen Denmark 1 - 1 Romania Astana Arena, Astana Kazakhstan 1 - 1 Armenia National Stadium (Narodowy), Warsaw Poland 4 - 2 Montenegro Group F City Arena, Trnava Slovakia 3 - 0 Malta LFF Stadium, Vilnius
Lithuania 0 - 1 England Sportni Park Stozice, Ljubliana
Slovenia 2 - 2 Scotland9th Oct 2017 Group G Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem Israel 0 - 1 Spain Loro Borici Stadium, Shkoder Albania 0 - 1 Italy Mladost, Strumica FYR Macedonia 4 - 0 Liechtenstein Group D FK Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade Serbia 1 - 0 Georgia City Stadium, Cardiff
Wales 0 - 1 Republic of IrelandZimbru, Chisinau Moldova 0 - 1 Austria Group I Laugardalsvollur, Reykjavik Iceland 2 - 0 Kosovo Olympic National Sports Complex, Kyiv Ukraine 0 - 2 Croatia Veritas Stadium, Turku Finland 2 - 2 Turkey 10th Oct 2017 Group A Josy-Barthel, Luxembourg Luxembourg 1 - 1 Bulgaria Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam Netherlands 2 - 0 Sweden Group B Estadio da Luz, Lisbon Portugal 2 - 0 Switzerland Skonto Stadium, Riga Latvia 4 - 0 Andorra Groupama Arena, Budapest Hungary 1 - 0 Faroe Islands Group A Stade de France, Paris/Saint-Denis France 2 - 1 Belarus Group H A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn Estonia 1 - 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina Stade Roi Baudouin, Brussels Belgium 4 - 0 Cyprus Karaiskaki Stadium, Piraeus Greece 4 - 0 Gibraltar WL
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Post by White Lightning on Nov 16, 2017 16:50:39 GMT
Round 2 9th Nov 2017 Windsor Park, Belfast
Northern Ireland 0 - 1 Switzerland
Maksimir, Zagreb Croatia 4 - 1 Greece 10th Nov 2017 Friends Arena, Solna Sweden 1 - 0 Italy 11th Nov 2017 Telia Parken, Copenhagen
Denmark 0 - 0 Republic of Ireland12th Nov 2017 Karaiskaki Stadium, Piraeus Greece 0 - 0 Croatia Croatia win on aggregate after regular time (1 - 4) St. Jakob-Park, Basel
Switzerland 0 - 0 Northern Ireland
Switzerland win on aggregate after regular time (1 - 0) 13th Nov 2017 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan Italy 0 - 0 Sweden Sweden win on aggregate after regular time (0 - 1) 14th Nov 2017 Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Republic of Ireland 1 - 5 Denmark
Denmark win on aggregate after regular time (1 - 5) WL
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Post by White Lightning on Nov 16, 2017 16:57:23 GMT
Qualified teams - Africa Egypt Morocco Nigeria Senegal Tunisia Qualified teams - Asia Australia Iran Japan Korea Republic Saudi Arabia Qualified teams - Europe Belgium Croatia Denmark EnglandFrance Germany Iceland Poland Portugal Russia Serbia Spain Sweden Switzerland Qualified teams - North, Central America and Caribbean Costa Rica Mexico Panama Qualified teams - South America Argentina Brazil Colombia Peru Uruguay WL
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Post by White Lightning on Dec 3, 2017 22:52:39 GMT
The draw for the groups from those countries that have qualified for the World Cup held in Russia 2018 has been completed with the following outcome... Group A RUSSIA | SAUDI ARABIA | EGYPT | URUGUAY After learning they would host the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ in December 2010, Russia finally learned their long-awaited opponents on 1st December 2017. Stanislav Cherchesov's side will take on Asia's Saudi Arabia, Africa's Egypt and South American nation Uruguay. The World Cup Opening Match is an event that football fans the world over eagerly tune-in to, marking the beginning of another exciting global finals. At Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, hosts Russia will take on Saudi Arabia in the eagerly-awaited curtain-raiser on 14th June 2018. The Saudis will be the first Asian team to take part in an Opening Match at the global finals. • Russia 2018 will mark Egypt’s first World Cup since Italy 1990. Star man Mohamed Salah bagged the goal which sealed qualification to the global finals in dramatic fashion, as he converted a 94th-minute penalty against Congo to get the party started in Alexandria. • Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Al-Sahlawi netted 16 goals on the road to Russia. The 30-year-old frontman finished 2018 World Cup qualifying as joint-top scorer, along with Poland’s Robert Lewandowski and UAE’s Ahmed Khalil. • Uruguay are two-time champions of the World Cup. La Celeste were inaugural winners of the tournament in 1930, before winning it a second time, at Brazil 1950. 45 – The age that Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary will be when the Pharaohs take to the pitch at Russia 2018. Should he feature, El-Hadary would surpass Faryd Mondragon’s record as the World Cup’s oldest player. The Colombian goalkeeper set the current record when he appeared at Brazil 2014 at 43 years and three days. Group B PORTUGAL | SPAIN | MOROCCO | IR IRAN After beating Italy to top spot in Europe’s Group G on the road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup™, Spain now face another stern test after being pitted against European heavyweights Portugal, as well as Africa's Morocco and Asia's IR Iran. A mouth-watering tie in Sochi lies in store. You could hear the gasps at Moscow's State Kremlin Palace when these two European heavyweights – and neighbours – were drawn alongside each other in Group B. This is a game not to be missed. • Russia presents familiar territory for Portugal. As UEFA EURO 2016 winners, Portugal secured their berth to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Fernando Santos’s side defeated Mexico in the play-off for third place. • IR Iran will be looking to Sardar Azmoun for goals. The 22-year-old striker, who plys his trade in Russia with Rubin Kazan, notched 11 goals in qualifying, the same number as Tim Cahill (Australia), Christian Eriksen (Denmark) and Romelu Lukaku (Belgium). • Morocco topped a tightly-contested African zone Group C to secure qualification to Russia 2018, pipping Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon and Mali. 3 – Iran were the third team to book their place at the 2018 World Cup after hosts Russia and 2014 hosts Brazil. Group C FRANCE | AUSTRALIA | PERU | DENMARK Just like in 2014, France were placed in what appears, on paper at least, to be a favourable group during the Final Draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. Les Bleus will kick off their campaign against Australia and Peru, two teams they have never faced before at the World Cup finals, and finish off by locking horns with Denmark. Denmark-France, this duel between two highly fancied European sides will likely be given top billing during the third round of games in Group C. The countries know each other well, having gone head-to-head on the World Cup stage on two previous occasions, both times in the final match of the group. On the road to their sole triumph in 1998, France secured a 2 - 1 victory, but in 2002 it was the Danes who emerged victorious, 2 - 0, when the reigning world champions flattered to deceive. France and Peru have only ever faced each other once before, on 28 April 1982 at the Parc des Princes. In what served as a preparatory match for the forthcoming World Cup in Spain, Michel Platini and Co lost 1-0, with Juan Carlos Oblitas scoring for the South Americans in the 82nd minute. “Last time around, everyone said that it was a fantastic draw, even some of our players, but we’re not going to get through it just by clicking our fingers,” said Didier Deschamps after the Draw. The wily coach, who has a reputation for enjoying a little bit of luck during draws, was clearly keen to keep feet in the French camp firmly on the ground. He may have reason to do so, as according to the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking in November, Group C is in fact the most challenging pool of Russia 2018, featuring France (ninth), Australia (39th), Peru (11th) and Denmark (12th). 3 – The number of World Cups in which Tim Cahill has found the back of the net. If he succeeds in scoring in Russia, the attack-minded Australian will enter an elite club, as only Uwe Seeler, Pele and Miroslav Klose have previously notched a goal in four different editions of the prestigious tournament. Group D ARGENTINA | ICELAND | CROATIA | NIGERIA Group D looks likely to be one of the most fiercely-contested groups at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. It pits historic giants Argentina against two blossoming European sides in Croatia and Iceland, plus the ever-unpredictable Nigeria, who are sure to be a tough nut to crack. Argentina-Croatia, the group's two strongest teams on paper will lock horns at a World Cup for the first time since 1998, when Argentina edged to a 1 - 0 win. The showdown between Barcelona team-mates Lionel Messi and Ivan Rakitic is one of the many intriguing subplots to what will be just the second meeting between the two nations on the global stage, one which could prove pivotal in deciding who qualifies and claims top spot. With France potentially lurking in the Round of 16 for the group runners-up, there will be plenty on the line. • Iceland and Croatia have met on six occasions in World Cup qualifying in the last eight years. The Croatians have the better of the head-to-head, with four wins from those games, but the Icelanders have the fonder memories of the most recent encounter, which they won 1-0 in June 2017. • Nigeria and Iceland have only faced one another once before, with the Europeans easing to a 3-0 victory in a friendly in 1981. • History will be made in two Group D fixtures: Argentina have never taken on Iceland before, while Croatia and Nigeria will also do battle for the first time. 4 - The number of times that Argentina and Nigeria have met in World Cup group action. La Albiceleste have triumphed in all four matches: 2 - 1 in 1994, 1 - 0 in 2002, 1 - 0 in 2010 and 3 - 2 in 2014. Group E BRAZIL | SWITZERLAND | COSTA RICA | SERBIA After qualifying first from the always-difficult South American qualifying competition, five-time FIFA World Cup™ winners Brazil will now have designs on topping Group E at Russia 2018. To do so, however, they will need to get the better of Switzerland, Serbia and Costa Rica, one of the sensations of Brazil 2014. Brazil-Switzerland, this meeting will be crucial to both sides' hopes of winning the section and, if history is anything to go by, avoiding reigning world champions Germany in the last 16. It promises to be an attractive encounter too, as Brazil pitch their enterprising, attack-minded brand of football against a Switzerland side that might lack the same offensive firepower but nevertheless boasts plenty of pace and a fondness for possession. Though the Swiss had to take the play-off route to reach Russia, they amassed an impressive 27 points in Group B of the European qualifiers and only missed out on top spot to Portugal after losing 2 - 0 in Lisbon in their final match. The arrival of Tite as coach in June 2016 saw A Seleção rediscover their devastating form of old. By Matchday 8 Brazil had already jumped from fifth to second. Two games later they were on top of the group, where they stayed till the end. Brazil, Switzerland and Serbia (competing as the former Yugoslavia) were all drawn in the same first-round group at Brazil 1950. 1 - After Russia, who qualified automatically as tournament hosts, Brazil were the first side to seal their place at Russia 2018, courtesy of their 3 - 0 defeat of Paraguay on 28 March 2017. Group F GERMANY | MEXICO | SWEDEN | KOREA REPUBLIC This group features the most head-to-head history. You can call the Germans the ‘party spoilers’. Germany ended then-hosts Korea Republic’s Cinderella story in 2002 when Michael Ballack scored a late winner in Seoul in the semi-finals. Back in 1986, they knocked out hosts Mexico 4 - 1 in a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals. Peculiarly in both editions, Germany finished as runners-up. The Germans also ended Mexico’s campaign in 1998 when two late goals from Jurgen Klinsmann and Oliver Bierhoff sealed a 2 - 1 comeback win in Montpellier. Sweden’s history against teams in this group goes all the way back to 1934, when they were defeated by Germany 2 - 1 in Italy. When they hosted in 1958, they beat Mexico 3 - 0 in the opening match and then Germany 3 - 1 in the semi-finals before losing to Brazil in the final. Group G BELGUIM | PANAMA | TUNISIA | ENGLAND Any football fan will hope that Belgium and England serve up the kind of thriller they did all the way back in Basel in 1954. Their opening match in Group 4 ended 4 - 4 with three different players scoring braces. Their only other fixture at a World Cup came in 1990 when England edged Belgium 1 - 0 thanks to a 119th-minute winner from David Platt. If history is any indicator, we’ll have a thriller in Kaliningrad on 28th June 2018. Just like they did in 1998, England and Tunisia will play their opening match of the tournament against one another. Last time out in France, it was England who got the better of the Eagles of Carthage 2 - 0. Starting that afternoon in Marseille? Current England coach Gareth Southgate. Group H POLAND | SENEGAL | COLOMBIA | JAPAN Japan and Colombia do not have to think back too far to their last meeting at a World Cup. The two sides played out an entertaining match in Cuiaba at Brazil 2014, with Los Cafeteros putting in a stylish display to win 4 - 1, as they marched on to the knockout round and sent Japan home. The Japanese get an immediate shot at revenge, though, as these two open Group H play in Russia. WL
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Post by White Lightning on Jun 15, 2018 21:08:02 GMT
Group Phase Thursday 14th June Group A Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Russia 5 - 0 Saudi Arabia Friday 15th June Group A Ekaterinburg Arena, Ekaterinburg Egypt 0 - 1 Uruguay Group B Saint Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg Morocco 0 - 1 IR Iran Group B Fisht Stadium, Sochi Portugal 3 - 3 Spain WL
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Post by White Lightning on Jun 17, 2018 10:10:30 GMT
Group Phase Saturday 16th June Group C Kazan Arena, Kazan France 2 - 1 Australia Group D Spartak Stadium, Moscow Argentina 1 - 1 Iceland Group C Mordovia Arena, Saransk Peru 0 - 1 Denmark Group D Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad Croatia 2 - 0 Nigeria WL
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Post by White Lightning on Jun 17, 2018 21:03:39 GMT
Group Phase Sunday 17th June Group E Samara Arena, Samara Costa Rica 0 - 1 Serbia Group F Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow Germany 0 - 1 Mexico Group E Rostov Arena, Rostov-On-Don Brazil 1 - 1 Switzerland WL
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