2018 World Cup Preliminary Draw Produces Exciting Matches, Further Questions

Everyone loves the FIFA World Cup draw. There is a certain sense of excitement that comes from watching stodgy FIFA officials pull names out of a plastic bubble. Even the sharpest soccer cynic cannot deny the excitement that comes from the World Cup preliminary draw. On Saturday, 2018 World Cup qualification was jump-started with the announcement of the preliminary draw for the 2018 World Cup.

Now it should be mentioned that World Cup qualification did not start on Saturday. Sixty-seven countries have already been eliminated for Russia, mostly from Asia (Asian Football Confederation) and North/Central America (CONCACAF). But Saturday was big because it provides shape and clarification for what qualification will be like for Africa (CAF,) Europe (UEFA,) South America (CONMEBOL,) and the regional powers in CONCACAF  and Asia.

Before we get into each region one thing to also bear in mind is that there will be two inter-continental playoffs between three of the Confederations and OCEANIA(which includes New Zealand, Fiji, etc.) In the first match the fifth-place team out of the AFC will take on the fourth-best team in CONCACAF. Meanwhile in the second match the representative of OFC will take on the fifth-best team from CONMEBOL. These matches will be determined after each confederation completes their World Cup Qualification matches.

One other thing to keep in mind is that for the AFC, CAF, and CONCACAF there will be multiple rounds of qualification.

AFC

Aside from finding out who they will play in the inter-continental playoff the AFC was largely absent from the World Cup preliminary draw. The reason for this is that the AFC has already started World Cup qualification. Due to the number of teams in their region (47,) distance (the region spans from Lebanon to Australia) qualification generally starts earlier than the rest of the world.

Thus far in qualification there have been a few interesting results in the second round of qualification for the AFC (there are four total rounds). Perhaps the biggest result was tiny Guam stunning India 2-1 winning just their second-ever World Cup qualification match (the first also came during qualification this turn against Turkmenistan).

If there is a person to keep an eye on during AFC qualification it is midfielder Omar Abdulrahman of the United Arab Emirates. Abdulrahman has long been considered one of the rising stars of Middle Eastern football and has been the target of several European clubs. He helped lead the UAE to third place in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and currently has the team sitting in third place in Group A. The UAE have a difficult match upcoming against Palestine on September the 9th but should advance to the later stages of the tournament and hopefully to Russia.

To check out the full table check out the hyperlink under AFC.

CAF

Although Round 1 of CAF qualification might not feature the powers of African football, for Major League Soccer supporters there will be plenty of reasons to keep an eye on the matches. Abdoulie Mansally (Real Salt Lake/Gambia,) and Michael Lahoud (Philadelphia Union/Sierra Leone) will all likely be called up for qualifiers in September. It will also be interesting to see if Sierra Leone calls in Columbus Crew SC’s Kei Kamara after an extended absence from the senior national team.

The second round of CAF is where things get interesting. Aside from Morocco-Equatorial Guinea, match-up of the one-time and eventual hosts of the 2015 African Cup of Nations, match-ups between Egypt-Ethiopia (two playoff finalists for CAF’s 2014 World Cup spots) and Kenya(who feature Southampton’s Victor Wanyama)-Cape Verde (rising power in African football) could make for some fascinating games.

CONCACAF

Round 3 should provide few upsets with Canada, Jamaica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines likely to overcome Belize, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, and Aruba. The one game that could be interesting is Haiti versus Grenada. Haiti are coming off of a Quarterfinal run in the 2015 Gold Cup. But Grenada are always a difficult team to beat in a two-game tournament and will pose Haiti some troubles when they travel to St. George’s Stadium.

Of course the round that has everyone’s attention is the fourth round. Of the three groups listed, Group B appears to be the most difficult with Costa Rica and Panama already slotted in the group and Jamaica and Haiti likely to be added. Group A will also be no cakewalk for Mexico with Honduras and potential matches against Canada and El Salvador forthcoming. Canada can also not feel good about this arrangement with a return to San Pedro Sula Stadium in Honduras forthcoming.

For the United States, Group C should provide for some interesting contests. Despite last Wednesday’s loss, the U.S.A. has typically done better against Caribbean sides than against Central American sides on the road. Trinidad and Tobago appeared to have rebuilt from their 2006 golden generation but with two automatic spots available the U.S. should have no trouble making the hexagonal final round.

CONMEBOL

CONMEBOL has just one round of qualification but is perhaps the fiercest group to qualify out of. With the improved play of Venezuela and minnows like Bolivia and Peru getting to play at elevation there really is no such thing as an easy game during World Cup qualification in South America.

The team that will be interesting to watch early on in qualification will be Brazil. Without Neymar for their first two against Chile  (2015 Copa America champions) and Venezuela it is conceivable that Brazil could lose their first two matches. Given their disastrous  2015 Copa America run, Brazilian coach Dunga will be under immense pressure to return them to their once dominant form.

OFC

New Zealand should be considered the heavy favorites to advance out of OFC and face the fifth-place squad from CONMEBOL. For the Kiwis this tournament as well as every friendly over the next two years are in preparation for that two-game playoff. Midfielder Bill Tuilloma, who was the skipper of their U-20 side at the World Cup, currently plays for Marseilles and is part of a young, exciting corps of players that New Zealand have developed in the past ten years.

But do not sleep on Fiji. Fiji’s under-20 squad just won their first-ever match at the U-20 World Cup and will likely bring many of their top players for experience into this World Cup qualification campaign.

UEFA

England-Scotland, Spain-Italy, a Group A with Netherlands-France-Sweden, and the potential for a Greece-Cyprus match? Yes please. Thanks to the expansion of the European Championships from 16 to 24 teams, interest in the preliminary round seems to have rejuvenated the interest of some of Europe’s middle-tier teams. That interest has improved the quality of play and given teams that might have called it early the resolve to try against the powers of European football.

The group that is perhaps the most intriguing is Group I. Croatia, Iceland, Turkey, and the Ukraine could all lay claim that they should finish at the top of the group and all four are still in contention to qualify for Euro 2016 (Only Turkey find themselves on the outside looking in).

Group A should also be prove to be a strong group. The Netherlands are struggling to qualify for Euro 2016 but barring a miracle should qualify. France are coming up on another exciting generation of young players (Paul Pogba, Lucas Digne, Antoine Greizman) and Sweden will still have Zlatan Ibrahimovic  and Sebastian Larsson. Bulgaria should also not be overlooked.

Next: Mexico and USA To Square Off In FIFA Confederations Cup Playoff At The Rose Bowl