(Q) WORLD CUP 2022 QUALIFIERS (Q)
Qatar, Germany, Denmark, Brazil, Belgium, France, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, Switzerland, England, Netherlands, Argentina
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ENGLAND hit double figures for the first time in 57 years to thrash San Marino on Monday and seal a place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Fresh from a perfect hat-trick in a similarly facile 5-0 thumping of Albania on Friday, Harry Kane collected another match ball against more hapless opponents on Monday.
Kane, in fact, scored four to take him up to 48 goals for England, level with Gary Lineker, one behind Sir Bobby Charlton, and five behind record-holder Wayne Rooney.
Meanwhile, after filling his boots over the last few days, Kane now holds the national record for competitive goals in an England shirt with his total of 43.
Not that this contest in Serravalle was particularly competitive.
Harry Maguire began the rout after just six minutes with a header from a corner before Filippo Fabri diverted the ball past his own goalkeeper.
Then, Kane took over, scoring twice from the spot and twice more in the box for four goals in succession in a 15-minute spell before half time.
Even by their own lowly standards, San Marino were in a generous mood - and, in the second half, soon added to the own goal and concession of two penalties with a sending off midway through the second half.
By then, Arsenal youngster Emile Smith Rowe had scored his first senior England goal with a lovely first-time finish after a layoff by Tammy Abraham to make it 7-0.
Then, straight after the dismissal of Dante Rossi, Tyrone Mings also netted his first in national colours for the senior team with a looping header.
Abraham scored the ninth goal himself with a sharp turn-and-volley from a lofted ball by Trent Alexander-Arnold who picked up a late hat-trick of assists.
And Bukayo Saka made it 10, nodding in from just a few yards out, as England - who had another two goals ruled out - recorded double figures for the first time since a friendly win in New York against the United States in 1964.
Altogether, it meant the Three Lions remained unbeaten throughout their Group I campaign and qualified along with the nine other group winners.
Those group winners were Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Croatia, England, and Germany.
Now, it would be fair to say that some teams made it through more easily than others.
Serbia provided the most dramatic victory after Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic nodded in a last-minute winner against Portugal away in Lisbon.
The two teams went into what was effectively a decider deadlocked on 17 points - and, at 1-1, it was the Portuguese who were set to go through on goal difference.
Then Championship top goalscorer Mitrovic intervened, stunning the Estadio da Luz by with a header at the far post to complete a fine comeback win.
Neighbours Croatia also made it through in a decider, beating Russia who started the day two points ahead of their opponents but finished it a point behind.
The Vatreni progressed to the finals with a 1-0 win after Fyodor Kudryashov found the wrong net just 10 minutes before full time.
Spain held their nerve to see off Sweden in a battle of the top two in Group B - but, in Group C, Italy lost out to Switzerland after being held to a 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland in Belfast.
That stalemate, coupled with a 4-0 win for the Swiss over Bulgaria, consigned the Azzurri to the playoffs for the second consecutive World Cup campaign.
Memorably, in the autumn of 2017, the Italians lost to Sweden and missed out on the World Cup for the first time since 1950 - so, undoubtedly then, the requirement for a playoff again will have sent shivers down more than a few spines in the cities of Rome, Milan, Turin, and elsewhere.
Netherlands were another shock failure in the qualifiers for 2018 - and were extremely vulnerable to going out altogether if they had lost at home to Norway following a terrible late giveaway against Montenegro.
Heading into the last 10 minutes at 0-0 in Rotterdam against the Norwegians, there could have been another nervy ending - but, instead, the Dutch hit two late goals through Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay, and the Oranje could breathe a huge collective sigh of relief.
France and Belgium, like England, were far more relaxed and went undefeated in their respective sections, remaining fully in control of their destiny throughout.
Germany similarly qualified easily, with nine wins out of 10 - but the shock home defeat in Duisberg to North Macedonia early in the campaign no doubt hastened the departure of head coach Joachim Loew after a tenure of nearly 15 years.
Former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick has certainly steadied the ship for the Nationalmannschaft who have a new generation of talent now emerging.
Euro 2020+1 semi finalists Denmark also won nine matches out of 10 in Group F - but, in contrast to the Germans' early reverse, the Danes' sole defeat came in their last game against Scotland after they had already sealed their place in the finals.
Nevertheless, the Scots can take great heart from their convincing victory over the team ranked at number 10 - and, indeed, from their performance throughout whole campaign.
After all, this is the first time that Scotland have only lost one match in a single set of qualifiers since 2002, and the win over the Danes - through goals from John Souttar and Che Adams - is easily their best in years.
Certainly, after many years in the doldrums, it can finally be said that supporting Scotland in a packed house at Hampden Park is fun again. That has not often been the case until the arrival of Steve Clarke as head coach in 2019.
Following their similarly impressive 1-1 draw against Belgium, Wales will also have a home semi final as they seek to end their wait for a World Cup finals appearance, which stretches right back to 1958.
Additionally, it means the Scottish and the Welsh will avoid a semi final tie against a big-hitter like Euro 2016 champions Portugal, Euro 2020+1 winners Italy, or Russia, following their aforementioned failure to win their groups.
For the record, the six playoff teams with a home tie are Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Wales, Scotland, and Russia - and the six teams with to play away will be Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, surprise package North Macedonia, and the two best-ranked Nations League pair, Austria and Czech Republic.
The draw on 26 November will determine the single-legged matches which will be played in March - though, ultimately, only three of the 12 hopefuls will make it through to Qatar.
That is because three separate pathways will be drawn with the two semi finals in each path playing a further one-off match at a venue which will also be decided on 26 November.
Most of the big names have made it through but Ivory Coast are out following their defeat on the last day of the group stage to Cameroon.
Meanwhile, in another dramatic tie, Ghana progressed on goals scored at the expense of South Africa after beating Bafana Bafana 1-0 in Cape Coast through an Andre Ayew penalty.
It all means that each of the five teams who have made it into pot one - Senegal, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria, and Tunisia - will be drawn against one of the teams from pot two - Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, and DR Congo - with two-legged ties taking place on a home-and-away basis in March.
The five playoff winners will qualify for the finals, with Mali as the only side out of them looking to make their debut. (DR Congo appeared as Zaire in 1974).
At the other end of the scale, Brazil are the only team to appear at every World Cup finals - and the unbeaten Selecao will retain that proud record after qualifying from the marathon all-in-one South American group with fully six games to spare.
Tite's team beat Colombia 1-0 in Sao Paulo with a goal from Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta following neat play by Marquinhos and Neymar.
And the Brazilians then dropped points for only the second time in 13 games in a 0-0 draw away in Argentina, a result which was enough for La Albiceleste to make it through to the finals too.
Ecuador look comfortable in third place on 23 points following wins over rock-bottom Venezuela at home (1-0) and away to Chile (2-0).
However, the last direct qualifying position and the sole playoff place remain fully up for grabs with Colombia (17 points), Peru (17), Chile (16), Uruguay (16), Bolivia (15), and Paraguay (13) all struggling for consistency.
In North America, there are surprise leaders with Canada - who last qualified in 1986 - currently topping a final-stage group of eight teams, known as the Octagonal.
The best Canadian team in decades followed up their 1-0 win over Costa Rica with an astonishing, though entirely convincing, 2-1 defeat of regional powerhouse Mexico in snowy Edmonton.
The Canucks - on 16 points from eight matches - are the only unbeaten side in the Octagonal, although United States (15), Mexico (14), and Panama (14) are not far behind.
By contrast, Costa Rica (9), Jamaica (7), El Salvador (6), and Honduras (3) especially all have work to do with over half the games now played.
Also, just over the halfway mark of the last group phase, Asian qualifying - which is split into two sections - has been dominated by Iran and Saudi Arabia, both of whom have won five games and drawn once in the first six.
In Group A, Iran look set to be joined by South Korea with none of the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Iraq, or Syria providing much of a threat to established big fish.
Nevertheless, Group B is more competitive behind the Saudis. Japan - on 12 points - leapfrogged Australia (11) this month after Socceroos could only draw in China while the Japanese won away in Oman.
At this point in the usual cycle between World Cups, all of the finalists would be known and they would be waiting to see the fate to befall them in the finals draw.
However, the coronavirus and the delayed date of the World Cup finals due to the decision to hold the tournament in Qatar means still 19 places of the 32 are yet to be determined.
Controversially, it means there will be qualifiers in Asia, North America and South America in late January and early February, as well as the African Cup of Nations.
These matches will be outside of the previously established international windows which will no doubt prompt howls of anguish from managers in European club football.
However, the calendar is already crammed beyond its capacity, and there appear to be no other realistic options available.
The 10 group winners have qualified for the finals; the 10 runners-up and two non-placed teams with the best 2020-21 Nations League record are drawn into two rounds of playoffs with the three overall winners qualifying for the finals.
(Q) Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Croatia, England, Germany
(P) Home tie: Portugal, Sweden, Italy, Wales, Scotland, Russia
(P) Away tie: Ukraine, Turkey, Poland, North Macedonia, Austria, Czech Republic
| Group A | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) SERBIA | 6 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 20 |
| (P) Portugal | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 6 | 17 |
| Ireland | 2 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 9 |
| Luxembourg | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 9 |
| Azerbaijan | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 1 |
| Group B | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) SPAIN | 6 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 19 |
| (P) Sweden | 5 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 6 | 15 |
| Greece | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Georgia | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 7 |
| Kosovo | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 5 |
| Group C | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) SWITZERLAND | 5 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 18 |
| (P) Italy | 4 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 16 |
| Northern Ireland | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| Bulgaria | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 8 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 19 | 3 |
| Group D | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) FRANCE | 5 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 18 |
| (P) Ukraine | 2 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 12 |
| Finland | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 7 |
| Kazakhstan | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 3 |
| Group E | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) BELGIUM | 6 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 6 | 20 |
| (P) Wales | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 15 |
| (P) Czech Republic | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 9 | 14 |
| Estonia | 1 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 21 | 4 |
| Belarus | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 3 |
| Group F | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) DENMARK | 9 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 3 | 27 |
| (P) Scotland | 7 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 23 |
| Israel | 5 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 21 | 16 |
| (P) Austria | 5 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 17 | 16 |
| Faroe Islands | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 4 |
| Moldova | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 30 | 1 |
| Group G | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) NETHERLANDS | 7 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 8 | 23 |
| (P) Turkey | 6 | 3 | 1 | 27 | 16 | 21 |
| Norway | 5 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 8 | 18 |
| Montenegro | 3 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 12 |
| Latvia | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 9 |
| Gibraltar | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 43 | 0 |
| Group H | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) CROATIA | 7 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 4 | 23 |
| (P) Russia | 7 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 6 | 22 |
| Slovakia | 3 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 14 |
| Slovenia | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 12 | 14 |
| Cyprus | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 5 |
| Malta | 1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 30 | 5 |
| Group I | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) ENGLAND | 8 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 3 | 26 |
| (P) Poland | 6 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 11 | 20 |
| Albania | 6 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 18 |
| Hungary | 5 | 2 | 3 | 19 | 13 | 17 |
| Andorra | 2 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 24 | 6 |
| San Marino | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 46 | 0 |
| Group J | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) GERMANY | 9 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 4 | 27 |
| (P) North Macedonia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 23 | 11 | 18 |
| Romania | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 17 |
| Armenia | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 20 | 12 |
| Iceland | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 9 |
| Liechtenstein | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 34 | 1 |
CONMEBOL (South America)
Matchday 14/18. Top four teams qualify directly for the finals; the fifth-placed team enters an inter-continental playoff.
(Q) Brazil, Argentina
| Table | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (Q) BRAZIL | 11 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 4 | 35 |
| (Q) ARGENTINA | 8 | 5 | 0 | 20 | 6 | 29 |
| Ecuador | 7 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 13 | 23 |
| Colombia | 3 | 8 | 3 | 16 | 17 | 17 |
| Peru | 5 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 20 | 17 |
| Chile | 4 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
| Uruguay | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 21 | 16 |
| Bolivia | 4 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 28 | 15 |
| Paraguay | 2 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 13 |
| Venezuela | 2 | 1 | 11 | 9 | 25 | 7 |
CONCACAF (North America)
Matchday 8/14. Top three teams qualify directly for the finals; the fourth-placed team enters an inter-continental playoff.
| Octagonal | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| Canada | 4 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 16 |
| United States | 4 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 15 |
| Mexico | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 | 14 |
| Panama | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 14 |
| Costa Rica | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 9 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 7 |
| El Salvador | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 6 |
| Honduras | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 3 |
CAF (Africa)
The 10 group stage winners (P) compete in two-legged playoffs with the five winners qualifying for the finals.
(P) Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, DR Congo
| Group A | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) Algeria | 4 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 14 |
| Burkina Faso | 3 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 12 |
| Niger | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 17 | 7 |
| Djibouti | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 29 | 0 |
| Group B | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) Tunisia | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 13 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Zambia | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Mauritania | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 2 |
| Group C | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) Nigeria | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 13 |
| Cape Verde Islands | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 11 |
| Liberia | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Central African Rep. | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| Group D | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) Cameroon | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| Ivory Coast | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| Mozambique | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| Malawi | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 3 |
| Group E | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) Mali | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 16 |
| Uganda | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| Kenya | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
| Rwanda | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
| Group F | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) Egypt | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 14 |
| Gabon | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| Libya | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
| Angola | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 5 |
| Group G | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) Ghana | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| South Africa | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 13 |
| Ethiopia | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 |
| Zimbabwe | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Group H | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) Senegal | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 4 | 16 |
| Togo | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Namibia | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
| Congo | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| Group I | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) Morocco | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 18 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 6 |
| Guinea | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 4 |
| Sudan | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 3 |
| Group J | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| (P) DR Congo | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 11 |
| Benin | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
| Tanzania | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Madagascar | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
AFC (Asia)
Matchday 6/10. Top two teams in both groups qualify directly for the finals; the two third-placed teams enter a playoff with the winner entering an inter-continental playoff.
| Group A | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| Iran | 5 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 16 |
| South Korea | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 14 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Lebanon | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| Iraq | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 4 |
| Syria | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
| Group B | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
| Saudi Arabia | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 16 |
| Japan | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Australia | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 11 |
| Oman | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| China | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 5 |
| Vietnam | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 0 |
OFC (Oceania)
In September 2021, the OFC determined it was not possible to organise a qualifying event within the Oceania region. A qualifying competition is now expected to take place in Qatar in March 2022; the winners will advance to an inter-continental playoff.
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