2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
| UEFA European Qualifiers |
|---|
The European Zone of qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup will see teams competing for places at the finals in Brazil. As in recent tournaments, UEFA will have 13 direct qualfiers for the finals tournaments, with the 2014 qualifiers chosen as the winners of each of nine qualifying groups as well as the winners of four play-offs between group runners-up.
Format
All 53 UEFA national teams entered qualification, and 13 teams will qualify for the 2014 World Cup. The draw for the qualification groups was held at the World Cup Preliminary Draw at the Marina da Glória in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 30 July 2011. The qualification format is the same as 2010. The teams were drawn into eight groups of six teams and one group of five, with the nine group winners qualifying directly into the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The eight best runners-up (determined by records against the first-, third-, fourth- and fifth-placed teams in their groups to ensure balance between different groups) are drawn in two-legged play-offs that will determine the other four qualifying nations.[1]
Seeding
The July 2011 FIFA Ranking was used to seed the teams. In consideration of the delicate political situations of the relationships between Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as between Russia and Georgia, UEFA requested that FIFA maintain the current UEFA policy to not draw these teams into the same qualification groups – although as Armenia and Azerbaijan were in the same pot they could not be drawn together. The mechanism for keeping Russia and Georgia apart was confirmed by the FIFA Organising Committee on 29 July 2011.[1]
Teams were allocated to seeding pots as follows. (July 2011 FIFA Rankings shown in brackets)[2]
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
| Pot 4 | Pot 5 | Pot 6 |
|
|
|
|
First round
The matches are scheduled to be played between 7 September 2012 and 15 October 2013. An initial schedule that includes matches before this date was not ratified by FIFA.
Groups
Group A
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A
Group B
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B
Group C
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group C
Group D
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group D
Group E
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group E
Group F
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F
Group G
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group G
Group H
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group H
Group I
Template:2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group I
Ranking of second-placed teams
Because one group has one team fewer than the others, matches against the sixth-placed team in each group are not included in this ranking. As a result, eight matches played by each team will count for the purposes of the second-placed table.
The eight best runners-up will be determined by the following parameters in this order:
- Highest number of points
- Goal difference
- Highest number of goals scored
| Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD | ||||||||||
| TBD |
Second round
The 8 best group runners-up will contest the second round ("continental play-offs"). The 8 teams will be paired into 4 home-and-away series. The 4 winners will qualify for the World Cup. There has been no mention of seeding this draw to date, as happened in qualification for the 2010 World Cup, but the rules may change at a later point.
Draw
The draw date, location, and procedure for Round Two will be confirmed by the end of Round One by the Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014.[1]
Matches
The matches are scheduled to be played on 15 and 19 November 2013.[1]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Nov 2013 | 19 Nov 2013 | |||
| 15 Nov 2013 | 19 Nov 2013 | |||
| 15 Nov 2013 | 19 Nov 2013 | |||
| 15 Nov 2013 | 19 Nov 2013 |
References
- ^ a b c d "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil - Preliminary Competition Format and Draw Procedures - European Zone" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
- ^ "FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking - July 2011 (UEFA)". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 27 July 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.