Beaten by Serbia in added time (1-2), Sunday evening in Lisbon, Portugal is still far from Qatar and the 2022 World Cup. The 2016 European champions will have to go through very tricky dams next March. .
And the qualification of the Portuguese is far from being a formality.
It is indeed possible that Cristiano Ronaldo misses the big meeting of the World Cup.
The dams for Qatar will indeed innovate.
The teams concerned will not face each other in a two-way duel as before.
They will have to go through a new-look tournament.
Twelve teams will compete for the last three remaining places in the Europe zone.
To win the precious sesame, it will therefore be necessary to eliminate two opponents.
🗳️ The draw for the European play-offs for the 2022 #WorldCup, which will feature 12 teams, will be held in Zurich, Switzerland on Friday, 26 November.
Find out more ⬇️https: //t.co/lHoZ4f3bOj pic.twitter.com/ukugey7bs5
- FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 21, 2021
These 12 teams will be divided into three routes (A, B, C) following the draw which will take place in Zurich on November 26. To put it simply, they will be divided into three groups to play a Final Four with semi-finals and then a final played in dry matches. Only the three winners of these finals will go to Qatar. The semi-finals will be played on March 24 or 25, 2022 and the finals in stride, on March 28 or 29.
The qualified teams are the ten best runners-up from each qualifying group.
We already know a few: Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Sweden, Poland and North Macedonia.
The last will be known this Monday and Tuesday at the end of the last group matches.
In Group A, which is still very open, it will be played between Turkey, Norway and the Netherlands.
In Group B, Italy is on a favorable waiver but Switzerland is on the lookout.
In Group C, that of France, Finland and Ukraine can still qualify.
Finally in Group E, behind qualified Belgium, Wales and the Czech Republic are neck and neck.
Two opponents to be eliminated in quick succession
To these ten nations will be added the two best countries of the last League of Nations which failed to secure their ticket via direct qualifying.
Austria is sure to be there.
The other place will be played between the Czech Republic and Wales, in other words the two teams from Group E guaranteed to be there.
For the Portuguese, there is already a certainty: they will have to face heavy to go to Qatar.
They will have to win two matches in quick succession against top-level opponents who could be Turkey, Sweden, Russia, Switzerland, Lewandowski's Poland or Memphis Depay's Netherlands.
Whatever the draw, they will have tough opponents.
"We have to apologize to the Portuguese," said coach Fernando Santos.
My team will be at the World Cup, that's guaranteed.
She will just go through the roadblocks, which is not normal.
We will have to prepare well to beat our opponent in March and be in Qatar.
I always trust my players.
We have great quality players but you have to be able to show that quality on the pitch.
"
