All is set for 2018 FIFA World cup draw which will be staged in the beautiful Moscow’s State Kremlin Palace on Friday, December 1, exactly 1456 days after the last draw in Costa do Sauípe Resort, Mata de São João, Bahia, Brazil.
The ceremony which will determined the preliminary groups for the 32 participating teams is set to be hosted by Former England striker and top scorer at the 1986 World Cup Gary Lineker and Russian Sports journalist Maria Komandnaya.
NAIJ.com has put together everything you need to know before Friday’s draw
The 32 Participating Countries
Nigeria became the first African team and the 12th overall to qualify for the World cup but the likes of Ivory Coast, Ghana, Chile, Italy and the United States failed to secure a spot in Russia.
A full list of qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup can be found here.
PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest Nigeria news on NAIJ.com mobile app
How the draw will be done
FIFA will be using the October 2017 ranking to conduct the draw as all qualified 32 teams have been placed in four pots with the best seven teams along with hosts Russia in pot 1.
The draw will start with pot 1 and end with pot 4. All balls in each pot must be completely emptied before moving on to the next.
The standard procedure is that the ball from a team pot will be drawn, followed by a ball from one of the group pots, thus determining the position in which the respective team will play.
Aside teams from Europe, no other continent can have two representatives in one group.
Hosts
England international footballer turned broadcaster Gary Lineker will be joined by Russian journalist Maria Komandnaya for the draw.
Gary Lineker. Photo: BBC
Komandnaya has been working in football broadcasting in her homeland for over 10 years while Lineker had a good playing career as he played for teams like Leicester, Everton, Barcelona and Tottenham before ending his playing days in Japan.
He won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup and is third on the list of England’s all-time highest goal scorers.
Time for the draw
The ceremony begins at 16:00 CET (4pm Nigerian time) and it will be live on Super Sports 3.
When does the World cup starts
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will commence on June 14, 2018. The final match will be held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on July 15, 2018.
Teams to watch-out for
Germany have been tipped as favourite for the tournament following their dominance throughout World Cup qualifiers.
They can become the first country to win back-to-back World cup trophies in Russia since the Brazil did it in 1958 and 1962.
Other contenders for the trophy are Brazil, Spain, France and Belgium.
Nigeria Super Eagles qualify for 2018 FIFA World cup - on NAIJ.com TV
Source: Sports.naija.ng
from Latest Sport News | Today on Naij.com http://ift.tt/2AfXVtC
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment