World Cup qualifiers

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      Switzerland manager sends Northern Ireland team NINE KILOS of chocolate as a thank you for helping them reach World Cup

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      SWITZERLAND boss Murat Yakin has sent the Northern Ireland national team 20lbs of chocolate as a thank-you for helping them to reach the World Cup.Ian Baraclough’s men held Italy to a heroic 0-0 draw in Belfast last week.
      Murat Yakin was eager to show his gratitude after Northern Ireland helped to send Switzerland to the World CupCredit: EPA
      The result enabled the Swiss to finish top of their qualifying group after thumping Bulgaria 4-0.
      Afterwards the grateful Alpine nation vowed to reward Northern Ireland with some of their world-famous confectionery.
      And coach Yakin has now made good on the promise – packing 9.3 kilos of chocolate bars in a box addressed to the Irish FA.
      The Swiss FA posted a film on Twitter, captioned: “We kept our word, Northern Ireland!  A sweet Thank You is on its way!”

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      In the video Yakin sings Northern Ireland’s anthem Sweet Caroline as he parcels up the assorted bars in the SFA’s offices.
      He says: “93 minutes without conceding a goal against the European champions Italy equals 9.3kg of Swiss chocolate being sent to Northern Ireland.”
      Yakin puts a handwritten note reading: “Sweet thanks, Murat” into the box before sealing it, carrying it out and beaming: “So good, so good.”
      Italy, who beat England on penalties to win this summer’s Euro 2020 final, must now win a play-off to reach next winter’s World Cup finals in Qatar. More

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      When is World Cup 2022 play-off draw? Date, UK start time, stream, TV channel for Scotland, Portugal, Italy & all teams

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      AFTER a streamlined qualifying campaign this year, a number of countries have already booked their place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.Gareth Southgate’s England can already look forward to being at the first ever winter edition of the tournament, which gets underway on November 21 next year.

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      Ronaldo and Portugal head into the play-offs after Serbia stunned them in LisbonCredit: AFP
      For teams who finished second in European qualifying groups though, they now face the tough task of going through the play-offs to guarantee their place in the Finals.
      When is World Cup play-off draw?

      The draw for the play-off stage will be held at Fifa HQ in Zurich, Switzerland.
      It will take place on Friday, November 26.
      Things get underway at 4pm GMT.
      To follow all the ties as they are drawn, join us here on SunSport where we will be running a live blog.

      Which TV channel and live stream can I watch it on?
      As yet, a TV channel for the draw has not been confirmed in the UK.
      But you will be able to live stream it on Fifa’s official website.
      Coverage will begin at 4pm.

      Which teams are involved?
      The draw will include ten nations who finished as runners up in qualifying, as well as two Nations League group winners who missed out on a spot in their respective group.
      Just three sides will make it through the play-offs and play at the 2022 World Cup from the twelve who enter the play-off stage.
      The teams in the hat are:
      Seeded:

      Portugal
      Italy
      Scotland
      Russia
      Sweden
      Wales

      Unseeded

      Austria
      North Macedonia
      Turkey
      Poland
      Ukraine
      Czech Republic

      Who can Scotland and Wales play?
      Scotland and Wales can be drawn at home to any of the six unseeded teams in the semi-final, who they will play at home.
      In the final, they can be drawn home or away to the winner of any of the other five ties.
      The only teams who cannot meet each other in either the semi-final or final are Russia and Ukraine, who asked to be kept apart due to the conflict in Ukraine’s Donbass region. More

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      Which teams have qualified for World Cup 2022? Lionel Messi and Argentina join England in Qatar after Chile defeat

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      ENGLAND have qualified for the World Cup after hammering San Marino 10-0 to finish top of Group I.The winners of each group advance to the Qatar World Cup, with the second-placed teams heading to the play-offs before fans can think about booking their tickets.
      Gareth Southgate’s England are on the brink of advancing to Qatar
      And that means Italy and Portugal are not yet certain of their spot in the Gulf next November after failing to win their groups.
      But Lionel Messi will be there after Argentina’s 0-0 draw with Brazil proved enough for a World Cup place as Chile were beaten by Ecuador.
      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)
      Brazil (CONMEBOL top four)
      Serbia (UEFA Group A winners)
      Spain (UEFA Group B winners)
      France (UEFA Group D winners)
      Belgium (UEFA Group E winners)
      Netherlands (UEFA Group G winners
      Croatia (UEFA Group H winners)
      Switzerland (UEFA Group C winners)
      England (UEFA Group I winners)
      Argentina (CONMEBOL top four)

      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).
      And the play-offs for this World Cup are tougher than ever before.
      Rather than the traditional two-legged format, the 2022 World Cup campaign sees the 12 teams put into three paths of four teams, with each path consisting of two one-legged semi-finals and a final.
      The unprecedented Qatar World Cup takes place from November 21 to December 18, 2022. More

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      When is World Cup 2022 play-off draw? Date, TV channel, live stream and teams including Scotland, Portugal and Italy

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      AFTER a streamlined qualifying campaign this year, a number of nations have already booked their place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.Gareth Southgate’s England can already look forward to being at the first ever winter edition of the tournament, which gets underway on November 21 next year.

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      Ronaldo and Portugal head into the play-offs after Serbia stunned them in LisbonCredit: AFP
      For teams who finished second in European qualifying groups though, they now face the tough task of going through the play-offs to guarantee their place in the Finals.
      When is World Cup play-off draw?

      The draw for the play-off stage will be held at Fifa HQ in Zurich, Switzerland.
      It will take place on Friday, November 26.
      Things get underway at 4pm GMT.
      To follow all the ties as they are drawn, join us here on SunSport where we will be running a live blog.

      Which TV channel and live stream can I watch it on?
      As yet, a TV channel for the draw has not been confirmed in the UK.
      But you will be able to live stream it on Fifa’s official website.
      Coverage will begin at 4pm.

      Which teams are involved?
      The draw will include ten nations who finished as runners up in qualifying, as well as two Nations League group winners who missed out on a spot in their respective group.
      Just three sides will make it through the play-offs and play at the 2022 World Cup from the twelve who enter the play-off stage.
      So far, the teams in the hat are:

      Scotland
      Portugal
      Italy
      Russia
      Sweden
      Poland
      Wales
      North Macedonia

      The remaining two sides from the World Cup qualifying groups will be decided on Tuesday, November 16. More

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      Gareth Bale OUT of Wales’ crunch World Cup qualifier against Belgium after picking up calf injury against Belarus

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      GARETH BALE has been ruled out of Wales’ crunch World Cup qualifier with Belgium.The Real Madrid superstar played 45 mins against Belarus on Saturday to win his 100th cap following a two-month hamstring layoff.
      Bale will miss tonight’s World Cup clash against BelgiumCredit: Rex
      But Uefa released Wales’ 23-man squad for tonight’s Cardiff showdown on their website on Tuesday morning and Bale – as well as Mark Harris and the suspended Ethan Ampadu – were not included.
      Wales boss Robert Page claimed captain Bale was never going to be fit to start both qualifiers.
      But the fact he has not even been included in the squad is a blow for the Dragons.
      Wales need a point to finish second in Group E and win a home play-off semi-final above Poland.
      An away tie could see Bale and co face the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Euro 2020 champions Italy.
      Without Bale, Cardiff striker Kieffer Moore is expected to lead the line after a one-match ban.

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      Page reckons Wales can cope without talisman Bale after the 2-2 away draw to the Czech Republic last month.
      And despite reaching the 100 caps milestone, Bale’s banking on his country’s qualification for the World Cup as his reward.
      After the achievement, Bale beamed: “No one is prouder than us to play for Wales and to get to 100 caps is a special moment for me.
      “Hopefully now we can celebrate even more by trying to qualify for the World Cup.”
      However, not everyone was in the mood to celebrate Bale’s centurion accolade.
      Spanish media weren’t happy about his inclusion for the Belarus game as the winger has missed Real’s last 13 matches.
      One reporter claimed Bale shouldn’t be Los Blancos’ highest-paid star and went as far as to suggest he wasn’t worthy to don the club’s badge.
      Wales boss Rob Page confirms Gareth Bale is ruled out of squad with ‘significant hamstring tear’ More

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      Cristiano Ronaldo consoled by the ‘Serbian Cristiano’ who helped inflict World Cup qualifying loss on Man Utd star

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO was consoled by his Serbian replica Nemanja Radonjic after the underdog’s shock victory over Portugal on Sunday.Ronaldo, 36, held back tears following Serbia’s last-gasp 2-1 win in the World Cup qualifier which saw Portugal crash into the play-offs.
      Cristiano was comforted by his Serbian duplicate after Portugal’s shock loss to the European minnows in the World Cup qualifier
      Radonjic earned the nickname ‘SR7’ after smashing in five goals for Marseille last seasonCredit: Rex
      But as the Manchester United star sat in a heap, Serbian winger Radonjic, dubbed ‘SR7’ for his similarities on the pitch to Ronaldo, ran over to give him a helping hand.
      The heart-warming moment was captured on camera and posted to Radonjic’s Instagram account with the caption: “Hand to the greatest, ” accompanied by the goat emoji.
      Radonjic, 25, earned the ‘SR7’ moniker while playing for Marseille last season where he scored five goals and provided one assist.
      Speaking on his comparison to the five-time Ballon d’Or, Radonjic previously said: “I saw that my team-mates compared me to Ronaldo on Instagram.
      “It may be because we have a similar game during games and training.”
      But when it comes to scoring goals, the pair are worlds apart.

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      This season alone Cristiano’s hit the net nine times in just 13 games, keeping under-fire United boss Ole Gunnar Solskaer in a job on several occasions.
      In comparison, Radonjic has only scored once in five games while on loan at Benfica from Marseille.
      And all in all, Cristiano’s racked up a phenomenal 683 career goals in 907 matches, in contrast to Radonjic’s tally of 26 – albeit in 161 games.
      However, not all of Radonjic’s teammates were sympathetic to Cristiano’s tears as Portugal’s World Cup spot in Qatar next year hangs in the balance.
      It may be the last time the Red Devils winger features in the competition but Serbian’s match-winner Aleksandar Mitrović was in no mood for niceties as he allegedly trolled Cristiano after the game.
      The striker ran over to the small section of Serbia fans holding a can of Coke aloft after firing his team to victory.
      And some are convinced it’s a cheeky reference to Ronaldo’s coke snub at Euro 2020.
      But Cristiano can always count on his mum, Dolores Aveiro, to be there for him and she posted a picture with him after Portugal’s shocking loss on her Instagram account in a bid to cheer him up.
      His No.1 fan wrote a rousing caption alongside the snap that read: “Force to believe always son.”
      Watch Cristiano Ronaldo’s strop after Serbia winner as Man Utd ace moans to Portugal boss about his own disallowed goal More

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      International women’s keeper accused of being a man as Jordan demand gender test for Iran’s penalty shootout hero

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      The president of the Jordan Football Association (JFA) has called for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to carry out a gender test on Iranian women’s goalkeeper Zohreh Koudaei.Iran beat Jordan 4-2 on penalties in September, with Koudaei saving TWO spot kicks.
      Koudaei has been accused of being a man posing as a woman
      The JFA’s letter insisting on a gender testCredit: @AliBinAlHussein
      The heroics helped Iran to qualify for the 2022 Women’s Asia Cup for the first time in their history.
      But the JFA have doubts over the ‘eligibility of a participating player,’ and have demanded a gender test on the shot-stopper.
      They believe Koudaei was in fact a man impersonating as a woman.
      In response Iran’s team selector Maryam Irandoost strongly denied the allegations.
      Irandoost told sports news site Varzesh3: “The medical staff have carefully examined each player on the national team in terms of hormones to avoid any problems in this regard, and so I tell all fans not to worry.
      “We will provide any documentation that the Asian Confederation of Football wishes without wasting time.”
      It comes after president of the Jordan Football Association, Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, tweeted a letter calling for a gender test.
      He has slammed the AFC over the ‘very serious issue,’ and fumed at the confederation to ‘wake up’.

      The JFA have demanded an ‘independent panel of medical experts’ take a look at the issue.
      Part of the letter reads that the JFA: “Understand that gender verification is not mandatory for participating players, however the article reserves the right for AFC to investigate and take appropriate measures if there is a doubt on the eligibility of a participating player.
      “Considering the evidence submitted by JFA and given the importance of the competition,
      “We request the AFC to initiate a transparent and clear investigation by a panel of independent medical experts to investigate the eligibility of the player in question and others on the team,
      “Particularly that the Iranian Women Football team has a history with gender and doping issues.”
      Gareth Southgate reacts to England’s 10-0 victory against San Marino More

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      Which teams have qualified for World Cup 2022? England cruise to Qatar as Italy edged out by Switzerland

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      ENGLAND have qualified for the World Cup after hammering San Marino to finish top of Group I.The winners of each group advance to the Qatar World Cup, with the second-placed teams heading to the play-offs before fans can think about booking their tickets.
      Gareth Southgate’s England are on the brink of advancing to Qatar
      And that means Italy and Portugal are not yet certain of their spot in the Gulf next November after failing to win their groups.
      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)
      Brazil (CONMEBOL top four)
      Serbia (UEFA Group A winners)
      Spain (UEFA Group B winners)
      France (UEFA Group D winners)
      Belgium (UEFA Group E winners)
      Croatia (UEFA Group H winners)
      Switzerland (UEFA Group C winners)
      England (UEFA Group I winners)

      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).
      And the play-offs for this World Cup are tougher than ever before.
      Rather than the traditional two-legged format, the 2022 World Cup campaign sees the 12 teams put into three paths of four teams, with each path consisting of two one-legged semi-finals and a final.
      The unprecedented Qatar World Cup takes place from November 21 to December 18, 2022. More