Europe’s Preliminary Competition for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia provided the most berths, with thirteen in total. The FIFA World Cup always features tough competition, with teams like 2014 champions Germany, as well as France and Spain, being some of the top contenders.
Europe also holds the highest number of qualifying groups among all continents for the World Cup tournament.
The FIFA World Cup is the 21st edition and will take place in Russia. A total of 32 teams are participating in the tournament, all of which have successfully passed the qualifying rounds before the World Cup.
2018 World Cup qualifying groups Europe
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The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the governing body for European football, comprising 55 member associations, each representing their respective countries.
FIFA selected 32 teams from 5 continents for the road to Russia. Africa (5 teams), Asia (5 teams), Europe (14 teams), North, Central America and the Caribbean (3 teams), South America (5 teams).
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the governing body for European football. This association consists of 55 members, each representing their respective countries.
The FIFA World Cup is one of the largest and most popular sports events. A total of 64 football matches were played across 12 venues in 11 host cities during the 2018 World Cup.
Format of the 2018 World Cup European qualifying groups
| Round | Matchday | Date |
|---|---|---|
| First round (group stage) | 1 | 4–6 September 2016 |
| 2 | 6–8 October 2016 | |
| 3 | 9–11 October 2016 | |
| 4 | 11–13 November 2016 | |
| 5 | 24–26 March 2017 | |
| 6 | 9–11 June 2017 | |
| 7 | 31 August – 2 September 2017 | |
| 8 | 3–5 September 2017 | |
| 9 | 5–7 October 2017 | |
| 10 | 8–10 October 2017 |
| Round | Matchday | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Second round (play-offs) | First leg | 9–11 November 2017 |
| Second leg | 12–14 November 2017 |
Qualified teams from Europe (UEFA)
| 2018 World Cup Qualifying Groups Europe | |||
| Belgium | France | Portugal | |
| Croatia | Germany | Russia | |
| Denmark | Iceland | Serbia | |
| England | Poland | Spain | |
| Sweden | Switzerland | ||
Top top scorers in the 2018 World Cup European Qualifications
| Goals | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Robert Lewandowski | Poland |
| 15 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
| 11 | Romelu Lukaku | Belgium |
| 11 | Christian Eriksen | Denmark |
| 9 | André Silva | Portugal |
| 8 | Marcus Berg | Sweden |
| 7 | Stevan Jovetić | Montenegro |
| 6 | Eden Hazard | Belgium |
| 6 | Kostas Mitroglou | Greece |
| 6 | Ciro Immobile | Italy |
| 6 | Arjen Robben | Netherlands |
| 6 | Aleksandar Mitrović | Serbia |
| 6 | Andriy Yarmolenko | Ukraine |
