European qualifying has been utterly chaotic so far. Of the six groups that have finished, only two top seeds have qualified:
Is this an ominous sign for today's top seeds, France? Well, their squad is as lethal as ever, but they were poor in last year's event - failing to top their group, scraping through the play-offs, nearly going out in the group stage before eventually being put out 3-0 by Italy. They face a tricky group, with Russia one of the stronger second seeds. In fact, the two were in the same qualifying group last year, with Poland's surprise victory putting France into the play-offs and Russia out altogether. Meanwhile, Wales may be the bottom-ranked side, but with players from Cardiff and Swansea now available to them, they should be considered a real threat.
Wales' new-look side got off to a bad start as they conceded within 5 minutes against Austria - a goal which turned out to be the only one of the match. Elsewhere, Edinson Cavani grabbed a hat-trick as France beat North Macedonia 4-0, whilst Christian Cueva got two free kick assists as Russia beat Georgia 2-0.
Wales' new-look side got off to a bad start as they conceded within 5 minutes against Austria - a goal which turned out to be the only one of the match. Elsewhere, Edinson Cavani grabbed a hat-trick as France beat North Macedonia 4-0, whilst Christian Cueva got two free kick assists as Russia beat Georgia 2-0.
France repeated that fine performance with another 4-0 victory, this time against Georgia. Russia made a firm statement with a 3-0 win against Austria, with all three goals within the first 24 minutes. And Wales got off the mark, a low long-range shot from Harry Arter proving enough for a 1-0 win over North Macedonia.
Next up in France's crosshairs was Austria, who ended up with 10 men and a 2-0 defeat. Russia hosted Wales, but some apocalyptically bad defending allowed Bobby Reid to grab two goals and earn a 2-0 win for Wales. Meanwhile in the battle between the group's two teams with no points or goals, a late effort for Gabriel Ramos was enough to earn Georgia a 1-0 win over North Macedonia.
Neymar had missed the win over Austria with a knock, but he was back in style as his solo goal lead France to a 3-0 lead over Russia. However, in the 66th minute Kamil Glik was sent off as he conceded a penalty, which Jefferson Farfán put away, giving Russia come hope of a comeback. It wasn't to be though, as the only goal in the remainder of the match was Cavani's second, sealing a 4-1 win. Munas Dabbur got both goals as Austria beat North Macedonia 2-0, whilst Wales moved into second place as Arter and Mike van der Hoorn got the goals in a 2-0 win over Georgia.
The big caveat to Wales' second place was that they had yet to play France, and an 18th-minute stunner from Neymar lead the group leaders to an easy 3-0 victory. Russia and Austria both had the chance to move level with Wales in the group. Russia just about got there, as Alexandr Kokorin's prodded finish was enough to earn a 1-0 win over North Macedonia, but Austria had a miserable game as they lost 2-0 at home to Georgia.
Neymar had missed the win over Austria with a knock, but he was back in style as his solo goal lead France to a 3-0 lead over Russia. However, in the 66th minute Kamil Glik was sent off as he conceded a penalty, which Jefferson Farfán put away, giving Russia come hope of a comeback. It wasn't to be though, as the only goal in the remainder of the match was Cavani's second, sealing a 4-1 win. Munas Dabbur got both goals as Austria beat North Macedonia 2-0, whilst Wales moved into second place as Arter and Mike van der Hoorn got the goals in a 2-0 win over Georgia.
The big caveat to Wales' second place was that they had yet to play France, and an 18th-minute stunner from Neymar lead the group leaders to an easy 3-0 victory. Russia and Austria both had the chance to move level with Wales in the group. Russia just about got there, as Alexandr Kokorin's prodded finish was enough to earn a 1-0 win over North Macedonia, but Austria had a miserable game as they lost 2-0 at home to Georgia.
Here is the table with 15 of 30 games played:
No draws yet! That soon changes, as Wales and Austria played out a dull 0-0. This allowed Russia to open up space in second place, as their Peruvian pair of Farfán and Cueva got the goals in a second 2-0 defeat of Georgia. France unsurprisingly got the three points against North Macedonia, although a 2-0 victory was slightly surprising that it wasn't higher.
Austria and Wales now had the drawing bug, as they followed their stalemate with further draws - 1-1 against Russia and 0-0 against North Macedonia respectively. France also looked to be on course for a single point as Georgia fought back to 1-1 in their game. However, Glik headed them 2-1 up, before picking up another red card. Georgia couldn't find a way through, though, and ultimately finished the match with 10 men themselves as Gabriel Ramos picked up a second yellow.
Austria and Wales now had the drawing bug, as they followed their stalemate with further draws - 1-1 against Russia and 0-0 against North Macedonia respectively. France also looked to be on course for a single point as Georgia fought back to 1-1 in their game. However, Glik headed them 2-1 up, before picking up another red card. Georgia couldn't find a way through, though, and ultimately finished the match with 10 men themselves as Gabriel Ramos picked up a second yellow.
France just had to beat Austria to seal their qualification to this year's DWC, and despite going behind, they surged back to win 3-1 and progress in much easier fashion than last year! After three games without a win, Wales simply had to beat Russia to get back into the reckoning for the play-offs, and two great strikes by Arter lead them to a 3-0 victory. Meanwhile, North Macedonia drew 0-0 with Georgia.
One name notably absent from this episode so far is Kylian Mbappé, who has been solid but not amazing thus far. This changed as he had two fine goals in the opening 26 minutes to help France lead Russia 3-0. Once again, Russia had a mini-fightback but ultimately lost 4-2. This gave Wales the chance to secure second place if they could beat Georgia. Milos Lacny put Georgia ahead, but Josh Murphy equalised. With time running out, Wales were awarded a penalty. Up stepped Leroy Fer... but it was saved! North Macedonia somehow managed to get a third successive point, despite yet scoring, with a 0-0 draw with Austria.
Here is the table with one game to go:
Here is the table with one game to go:
This looks good for Wales, but they have to visit France in their final game. Should they lose, a Russian win over North Macedonia would see them scrape into second.
France vs Wales
Whilst it's not a meaningful match for France, they can become the first team to qualify for this year's DWC with a perfect record. Wales were up for this, though, and nearly went ahead through an early goalmouth scramble. Cameron Carter-Vickers cleared off the line to preserve the scoreline, and the match looked set for a draw. But in the 89th minute a free kick found Mbappé at the far post, and he fired in to win it for France! A heartbreaking result for Wales, but they aren't yet eliminated...
France vs Wales
Whilst it's not a meaningful match for France, they can become the first team to qualify for this year's DWC with a perfect record. Wales were up for this, though, and nearly went ahead through an early goalmouth scramble. Cameron Carter-Vickers cleared off the line to preserve the scoreline, and the match looked set for a draw. But in the 89th minute a free kick found Mbappé at the far post, and he fired in to win it for France! A heartbreaking result for Wales, but they aren't yet eliminated...
North Macedonia vs Russia
Surely Russia won't repeat their DWC 2018 result and get eliminated at this stage? They dominated this game, with 62% possession and quite a few shots. But North Macedonia have proved themselves a hard side to break down, and ultimately the closest Russia came to scoring was a Yury Zhirkov free kick that clipped the crossbar. They just couldn't get through, meaning the game finished goalless, and Wales make the play-off!
Elsewhere, centre-back André Ramalho got both goals as Austria finished with a 2-0 win over Georgia.
Final table
Surely Russia won't repeat their DWC 2018 result and get eliminated at this stage? They dominated this game, with 62% possession and quite a few shots. But North Macedonia have proved themselves a hard side to break down, and ultimately the closest Russia came to scoring was a Yury Zhirkov free kick that clipped the crossbar. They just couldn't get through, meaning the game finished goalless, and Wales make the play-off!
Elsewhere, centre-back André Ramalho got both goals as Austria finished with a 2-0 win over Georgia.
Final table
A superb result for Wales' new-look team. The play-offs will still be a stiff challenge, evidenced by the fact that their record is the least impressive of the teams to have finished second so far:
A mitigating factor is how tough that group was, although France made it look easy with a sensational display. With many of the top-ranked teams faltering this year, France might just have put themselves in a good position for a proper tilt at the DWC this year.
Next time we see how the final qualifying group in Asia goes, with some very exciting teams ready to do battle, including China, Saudi Arabia and Japan. Only two can go through!
Next time we see how the final qualifying group in Asia goes, with some very exciting teams ready to do battle, including China, Saudi Arabia and Japan. Only two can go through!