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Diahuebs 27 Januari 2022

What’s at stake as World Cup qualifying resumes

host. Paraguay in Diego Alonso’s
The U.S., seeking to return first match as coach follow-
Here’s a look at the final stag- to the World Cup after miss- ing Óscar Tabárez’s firing.
es of qualifying for the Nov. ing out on 2018, is second Bolivia plays at Venezuela on
21-Dec. 18 tournament: in the North and Central Friday with two points sepa-
American and Caribbean rating the eighth-place team
North & Central America & region with 15 points after from the qualification places.
Caribbean eight of 14 games, one point
A chill will be in the air in behind Canada. The fifth-place team after
CONCACAF for an unusual CONMEBOL qualifying
January international win- Mexico and Panama have concludes in March can still
dow featuring triple-headers. 14 points each, followed by make the tournament by
Costa Rica (nine), Jamaica beating an Asian team in the
The United States hosts El (seven), El Salvador (six) intercontinental playoffs in
Salvador on Thursday night and Honduras (three). The June.
in Columbus, Ohio, where top three teams qualify and
(AP) - The eight stadiums when the World Cup playoffs the expected temperature fourth team advances to a Asia
are ready in Qatar and World are staged as scheduled. for kickoff was 25 degrees playoff against the Ocea- Iran will qualify for a third
Cup tickets have been on sale (minus-4 Celsius). The U.S. nia champion, likely against World Cup in a row by beat-
for a week. Now the mission Then attention will turn to then travels to Hamilton, New Zealand. ing Iraq on Thursday. South
to snap up remaining tourna- the final tournament draw in Ontario, to play Canada on Korea, which is without the
ment slots resumes. Doha on April 1, which will Sunday, and moves on to The Americans are missing injured Son Heung-min,
take place ahead of the inter- complete the window against midfielder Gio Reyna, still could also seal a spot from
With qualifying disrupted by continental playoffs in June Honduras in St. Paul, Min- sidelined by a hamstring in- Group A from its double-
the pandemic, fixtures have completing the 32-team field nesota. jury sustained in the opening header over the next week
been squeezed in over the for the Middle East’s first qualifier at El Salvador on — against Lebanon and Syria
next week or so for teams in World Cup. Seeking its first World Cup Sept. 2. — before the two remaining
the Americas and Asia. appearance since 1986, Can- qualifiers in March.
So far, 13 teams have quali- ada has four of six remaining The Canadians, who trained
It means Europe’s top leagues fied: Argentina, Belgium, matches on the road — with Monday in Fort Lauderdale, But after featuring at four
having to take a mid-season Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, games at Honduras and El Florida, are missing Bayern consecutive World Cups,
break even though the con- England, France, Germany, Salvador in this window be- Munich star fullback Al- Australia’s qualification from
tinent’s national teams aren’t Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, tween the home meeting phonso Davies. He has been the other group is in the bal-
playing next until March, Switzerland and Qatar as with the Americans. sidelined by myocarditis, an ance after three matches
inflammation of the heart without a win. If the Soc-
muscle, after testing positive ceroos miss out on the two
for COVID-19. automatic qualification
places by finishing third in
South america Group B, they would have to
Apart from last-place Ven- contest a playoff against the
ezuela, seven other CON- third-place team from Group
MEBOL countries are still in A — currently the United
contention to join Brazil and Arab Emirates — to advance
Argentina in Qatar, with four to intercontinental playoffs
qualifiers remaining. against South American op-
position in June.
Third-place Ecuador will
edge closer to one of the four Looking down, Australia has
direct-qualification spots a four-point edge on Oman.
Thursday by beating Brazil, But second place is in reach
which won’t be playing Ney- with Australia only a point
mar. Peru and Colombia are behind Japan, which takes on
both six points behind Ecua- China and Saudi Arabia over
dor going into their clash on the next week. Before closing
Friday of fourth and fifth. Group B in March against
current frontrunners Saudi
Sitting a further point down Arabia and Japan, Australia
is Chile, which hosts Lio- on Thursday plays Vietnam,
nel Messi-rested Argentina which is on zero points, and
on Thursday, and Uruguay, Oman on Tuesday.
which plays at ninth-place