World Cup draw 2018 - live updates: Reaction after England land Belgium, Panama and Tunisia in Group G
Latest reaction from the draw in Moscow after the Three Lions learned their fate
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The 2018 World Cup draw has taken place, with the 32 nations that have qualified for next summer’s tournament in Russia now knowing who they must beat if they are to become world champions.
We have all the latest reaction from Moscow, where our Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney is in place inside the Kremlin State Place.
England were in pot two for the draw because of their middling Fifa world ranking – but Gareth Southgate’s side avoided any of the tournament favourites and instead will face Belgium, Panama and Tunisia in Group G.
Follow all of the latest below.
All you need to know:
When is it?
The draw for the group stages of the 2018 World Cup will be held at 3pm GMT on Friday 1st December, in Moscow. It will take place at the Kremlin.
Where can I watch it?
The draw will be shown live on Sky Sports or alternatively you can follow The Independent’s live blog to find out which group your country will be allocated into.
Who is in it?
The teams qualified are:
Uefa (Europe): Russia (hosts) France, Portugal, Germany, Serbia, Poland, England, Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Switzerland, Croatia, Sweden, Denmark
Conmebol (South America): Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Peru.
Concacaf (North/Central America and Caribbean): Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama
AFC (Asia): Iran Football, South Korea Football, Japan Football, Saudi Arabia
CAF (Africa): Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal, Egypt
England's World Cup Group H opponents in numbers:
Belgium:
- England have never lost to the Red Devils at a major tournament, with a 1-0 win at Italia '90 thanks to David Platt's late goal and three draws, including a 4-4 thriller at the 1954 World Cup.
- Belgium have won just one of the two teams' 21 all-time meetings.
- Their best performance at a World Cup came in 1986, when a team featuring the talents of Enzo Scifo and Nico Claesen reached the semi-finals before losing to Argentina. They reached the quarter-finals in 2014.
- Of Belgium's 11 most-used players in their qualifying campaign, seven play in the Premier League.
Panama:
- This will be Panama's first World Cup finals.
- They are the only team in the draw who England have never faced before.
- Panama were 49th in the FIFA rankings at the cut-off for the draw, the fourth-lowest of the 32 teams. Only South Korea (62), Saudi Arabia (63) and hosts Russia (65) were ranked lower.
- Hernan Dario Gomez's side played 16 games in the CONCACAF qualifying section, finishing second to Costa Rica in their fourth-round group and third in the fifth round with 13 points, edging out Honduras on goal difference.
Tunisia:
- England won 2-0 when the teams met at the 1998 World Cup in France, with goals from Alan Shearer and Paul Scholes.
- That is the teams' only previous competitive meeting. They also played out a 1-1 draw in a friendly in 1990, with Steve Bull scoring England's goal.
- This will be Tunisia's fifth World Cup. They have never previously made it out of their group.
- The Eagles of Carthage qualified as winners of African qualifying Group A, a closing goalless draw with Libya keeping them a point ahead of DR Congo.
Some more odds for you...
England 11/10 to win Group G and 1/10 to qualify for the 2nd round
Group G
Belgium 8/11
England 11/10
Tunisia 18/1
Panama 25/1
Group E
Brazil 3/10
Switzerland 9/2
Serbia 13/2
Costa Rica 16/1
Group F
Germany 3/10
Mexico 5/1
Sweden 11/2
South Korea 25/1
The highly anticipated draw for the World Cup in Russia took place in a snowy Moscow on Friday and produced some fascinating showdowns. Here is a breakdown of the eight groups for the tournament, which begins with Russia vs Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in the capital on June 14.
Brazil legend Rivaldo has his say:
“Spain and Portugal – as well as England and Belgium – are naturally favorites to qualify in their groups and I don’t expect problems for them," he said after Friday's draw.
“Uruguay was lucky and should get qualified with Russia – the hosts want to make a nice campaign in their own country."
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez knows all about the English game after spells in charge of Swansea, Wigan and Everton and can call upon the likes of Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku and Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne.
"It's a very special draw but it's about preparation now," Martinez said. "I think it's a challenging group in terms of the travelling, probably the most demanding in terms of travelling arrangements.
"Our players are in a very good moment of their careers. Twenty five players are now in the British game so are very well known, players with important roles in important teams who really enjoy coming together and representing their country."
Five World Cup clashes not to be missed:
Russia v Saudi Arabia - Thursday, June 14
The host team feature in the opening game and, while it is not the most appealing fixture on paper, the first match is always one to watch. Saudi Arabia are the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament - and Russia are the lowest. They both lie behind the likes of Haiti, China and Albania in FIFA's rankings, but whoever wins this game will fancy their chances of making the knockout rounds. That should guarantee a good atmosphere at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and, hopefully, an entertaining contest.
Portugal v Spain - Friday, June 15
If the opening game does not whet the appetite, this match up on day two will. European champions Portugal take on Iberian neighbours Spain for just the second time at the finals. The first meeting happened in 2010, when a David Villa goal secured a 1-0 win for Spain in the second round. Spain went on to lift the trophy that year, something Portugal have never managed. And if Cristiano Ronaldo and company taking on David Silva, Andres Iniesta and Marco Asensio does not excite, then maybe the World Cup is not for you.
Argentina v Iceland - Saturday, June 16
Iceland became the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament and they could barely have been given a more glamorous opening. Two-time winners Argentina boast Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala in their ranks and will give Iceland an early test of their capabilities on the world stage. They surprised many at Euro 2016, knocking out England before falling to hosts France in the quarter-finals, and could land an early blow on Argentina, who needed some Messi magic in their final group stage qualifier to scrape qualification.
Denmark v France - Tuesday, June 26
European heavyweights France are expected to go far in the tournament. But that could depend on the outcome of their final group game. France should see off Australia and Peru comfortably enough, but if Denmark do as well it would create a play-off to top the group. With the runners-up in Group C taking on the Group D winners - likely to be Argentina - this would be a must-win game. France may have to beat the likes of Argentina to lift the trophy, but if they slip up to Christian Eriksen's dangerous Danes, they might be meeting them much earlier than anticipated.
England v Belgium - Thursday, June 28
Both teams would expect to go into the contest with two wins from as many games and one of Brazil or Germany will probably be quarter-final opponents no matter who tops the group. Therefore, a chance to have a warm-up against one of the best teams in Russia could be invaluable for Gareth Southgate's men. Premier League stars Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku will give England a measure of where they stand against the best. But if the game has qualification at stake for either team, it becomes perhaps the biggest game of the entire group stage.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments