ENGLAND became the first European qualifiers for the World Cup with their win in Latvia on Tuesday.
The Three Lions join the 27 other sides who have already booked their place, with 20 more places to be decided either next month or in March’s final play-offs.
The final group-stage qualifiers take place during November’s international break.
And as it stands, Euro 2020 nemeses Italy are the toughest team England could be pitted in a group against in North America next summer.
That is because the Azzurri have not yet qualified and – barring a spectacular collapse by Norway – will need to go through a play-off, four years on from losing to North Macedonia and missing out on Qatar 2022.
Any team that qualifies via the play-off will automatically be put in Pot 4 for the draw as it takes place before the play-offs are decided.
Currently, the top seeds in Pot 1 will be Argentina, Spain, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Germany plus hosts Canada, Mexico and the USA.
However, a lot can still change with final qualification spots still to be decided and world ranking points on offer – with Croatia and Morocco potentially overtaking Germany, for example.
It is the Fifa rankings after the November qualifiers that will determine the pots and seedings for the World Cup draw on December 5 in Washington.
SunSport explains who is through, who should make it, who is hanging on – and whose hopes are already shattered.
EUROPE (16 places)
Qualified: England
Thomas Tuchel’s men did exactly what they were expected to do in Riga and qualifying without conceding a goal sent out a further message of intent.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s double meant Portugal were seconds away from joining them before Hungary’s added-time leveller.
The Portuguese are heavy odds-on to secure group victory and an automatic place next month, when all 12 sections finish, with most of Europe’s big guns – including France, Germany, Spain and Holland – all in commanding positions, as are Croatia, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland.
But Italy and Alexander Isak’s Sweden are both play-off bound, with Wales, Northern Ireland and probably – unless they beat Denmark at Hampden – Scotland joining them in the shoot-out for Europe’s final four slots while Greece and Bulgaria are among the sides eliminated.
AFRICA (9 places)
Qualified: Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana
South Africa were the big winners on the final day of qualifying, taking advantage of Benin’s thumping in Nigeria to leapfrog to the top of their group.
Mo Salah’s Egypt and 2022 semi-finalists Morocco head a strong North African contingent, while Ghana and Senegal are full of Prem stars.
Cape Verde became the second smallest qualifiers in World Cup history.
Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon and DR Congo will play off in Morocco next month to find Africa’s team for the inter-continental play-offs which will provide the final two qualifiers in March. Mali and Togo are the biggest failures so far.
SOUTH AMERICA (6 places)
Qualified: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Paraguay, Colombia
The two-year qualification process ended last month with Bolivia’s unlikely win over Brazil earning them an inter-continental slot and the chance to make the World Cup for the first time since 1994, at the expense of Venezuela.
ASIA (8 places)
Qualified: Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan, Japan, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
The 2022 hosts and their next door neighbours both secured World Cup returns by making controversial home advantage count in their last chance for automatic qualification as all the normal suspects made it through.
Jordan and Uzbekistan are the World Cup novices benefitting from the extra places.
Group runners-up Iraq and the United Arab Emirates meet next month to earn a place in the March play-offs.
CONCACAF (6 places)
Qualified: Canada, Mexico, United States (as hosts)
The race for the final three automatic slots will go to the wire next month, with Honduras, Jamaica and Suriname currently heading their groups but nothing settled.
Holding Panama to a draw kept Suriname ahead by a nose while Curacao dropped to second behind Jamaica after drawing with Trinidad.
The best two runners-up will go directly to the intercontinental play-offs.
OCEANIA (1 place)
Qualified: New Zealand
The Kiwis’ 3-0 win over New Caledonia in Auckland in March ensured their third World Cup appearance and first since drawing all three group games in 2010.
New Caledonia, with a population of just 270,000, will be the play-off outsiders.