FIFA World Cup Draw: Portugal and Spain Placed in the Same Group
Hosts Russia will kick off next year’s FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia in Moscow on 14 June.
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Hosts Russia will kick off next year’s FIFA World Cup finals against Saudi Arabia in Moscow and defending champions Germany will start against Mexico after Friday’s draw threw up some mouthwatering clashes.
Five-time winners Brazil will face Switzerland in their first Group E match with Costa Rica and Serbia making up one of the tougher-looking of the eight groups.
European champions Portugal will play Iberian neighbours Spain in their first match in Group B, while Argentina were placed in Group D with newcomers Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria.
England will face the other debut nation Panama in Group G in which Belgium are the top seeds.
Unlike previous laborious draw ceremonies, Friday’s event at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow, was a quickfire operation.
Here’s a look at the groups for the 2018 FIFA World Cup:
Group A: Russia, Uruguay, Egypt and Saudi Arabia
Group B: Portugal, Spain, Iran and Morocco
Group C: France, Peru and Denmark and Australia
Group D: Argentina, Croatia, Iceland, and Nigeria
Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia
Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden and South Korea
Group G: Belgium, England, Tunisia and Panama
Group H: Poland, Colombia, Senegal and Japan
After speeches by Russian President Vladimir Putin and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, the business of drawing the 32 balls from four pots began with eight World Cup greats, including Argentina’s Diego Maradona and France’s 1998 captain Laurent Blanc assisting in the process.
“The most coveted trophy will be won by the team showing the most resilience,” Putin said shortly before Russia’s opponents were revealed.
The month-long tournament, taking place across 11 host cities from Kaliningrad in the west to Ekaterinburg, 2,500km away in the east, begins on 14 June.
It will involve 64 matches in total with the final taking place in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on 15 July.
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