IT IS the final week in the World Cup European qualifying groups as teams close in on qualification for Qatar next winter.
The winners of each group will advance to the Qatar World Cup, with the second-placed team going to the play-offs. Here are the crunch standings…
Who has qualified for the World Cup 2022?
Three teams have so far qualified for the World Cup 2022.
- Qatar (as hosts/ had taken part in UEFA Group A)
- Germany (UEFA Group J winners)
- Denmark (UEFA Group F winners)
What is the state of play?
Group A
One of Portugal or Serbia will advance as group winners, with the other consigned to the play-offs.
Remaining fixtures:
November 11: Azerbaijan vs Luxembourg (5pm GMT)
November 11: Republic of Ireland vs Portugal (7.45pm)
November 14: Luxembourg vs Republic of Ireland (7.45pm)
November 14: Portugal vs Serbia (7.45pm)
Group B
Sweden sit two points clear at the top ahead of Spain, with Greece still in with a chance of advancing too.
Remaining fixtures:
November 11: Georgia vs Sweden (5pm)
November 11: Greece vs Spain (7.45pm)
November 14: Greece vs Kosovo (7.45pm)
November 14: Spain vs Sweden (7.45pm)
Group C
Italy and Switzerland are battling it out for top spot, level on points with two fixtures to go.
And the teams meet this week.
Remaining fixtures:
November 12: Italy vs Switzerland (7.45pm)
November 12: Northern Ireland vs Lithuania (7.45pm)
November 15: Northern Ireland vs Italy (7.45pm)
November 15: Switzerland vs Bulgaria (7.45pm)
Group D
France are closing in on automatic progression to the tournament, while Ukraine, Finland and Bosnia & Herzegovina can all still qualify for the play-offs.
Remaining fixtures:
November 13: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Finland (2pm)
November 13: France vs Kazakhstan (7.45pm)
November 16: Finland vs France -(7.45pm)
November 16: Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Ukraine (7.45pm)
Group E
It’s all to play for in Group E with Wales still in with a chance of finishing ahead of Belgium who lead by five points with two games to play.
Remaining fixtures:
November 13: Wales vs Belarus (7.45pm)
November 13: Belgium vs Estonia (7.45pm)
November 16: Wales vs Belgium (7.45pm)
November 16: Czech Republic vs Estonia (7.45pm)
Group F
Denmark are already through as group winners, with Scotland on the brink of securing a play-off place with two fixtures left.
Remaining fixtures
November 12: Moldova vs Scotland (5pm)
November 12: Austria vs Israel (7.45pm)
November 12: Denmark vs Faroe Islands (7.45pm)
November 15: Israel vs Faroe Islands (7.45pm)
November 15: Scotland vs Denmark (7.45pm)
November 15: Austria vs Moldova (7.45pm)
Group G
Louis van Gaal’s Holland sit top by two points with two games to go, but can still be caught by Norway and Turkey.
Remaining fixtures:
November 13: Norway vs Latvia (5pm)
November 13: Turkey vs Gibraltar (6pm)
November 13: Montenegro vs Netherlands (7.45pm)
November 16: Gibraltar vs Latvia (7.45pm)
November 16: Montenegro vs Turkey (7.45pm)
November 16: Netherlands vs Norway (7.45pm)
Group H
Either Russia or Croatia will go through automatically, with the other through to the play-offs.
It could all come down to their crunch game in the final run of fixtures.
Remaining fixtures:
November 11: Russia vs Cyprus (5pm)
November 11: Malta vs Croatia (7.45pm)
November 11: Slovakia vs Slovenia (7.45pm)
November 14: Malta vs Slovakia (2pm)
November 14: Slovenia vs Cyprus (2pm)
November 14: Croatia vs Russia (2pm)
Group I
England need four points from their last two games to guarantee advancing, though they can do it sooner if they win their next game and Poland drop points.
Remaining fixtures:
November 12: Andorra vs Poland (7.45pm)
November 12: England vs Albania (7.45pm)
November 12: Hungary vs San Marino (7.45pm)
November 15: San Marino vs England (7.45pm)
November 15: Albania vs Andorra (7.45pm)
November 15: Poland vs Hungary (7.45pm)
Group J
Germany have already qualified as group winners.
Romania, North Macedonia, Armenia and Iceland can all still get that crucial second place spot for the play-offs.
Remaining fixtures:
November 11: Romania vs Iceland (7.45pm)
November 11: Germany vs Liechtenstein (7.45pm)
November 14: Armenia vs Germany (5pm)
November 14: Liechtenstein vs Romania (5pm)
November 14: North Macedonia vs Iceland (5pm)
How do the play-offs work?
Joining the 10 second-placed teams in the play-offs are the two highest-ranked teams from the Nations League who have not already qualified or finished in a runners-up spot (currently Wales and Austria).
The play-off stage sees the 12 teams put into three paths of four teams, with each path consisting of two semi-finals and a final.
The unprecedented Qatar World Cup takes place from November 21 to December 18, 2022.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
