FIFA separates Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2014 World Cup draw
30.07.2011 16:24
Ruzan Khachatryan
`Radiour'
The Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil' will take
place in Rio de Janeiro at 11 p.m. Yerevan time. Each confederation
will have their qualifying groups and schedules drawn as teams learn
their path to the World Cup.
European qualifying remains the same with eight groups of six and one
group of five teams each playing a round robin. The matches will be
played from September 7, 2012 through October 15, 2013 and the nine
group winners will qualify for the 2014 World Cup. The eight best
second-place teams will advance to play in four two-legged playoffs
against each other with the winners of those playoffs also qualifying
for the World Cup.
The preliminary draw will determine the nine groups for the qualifying
stage. The teams are placed into six pots of nine based on the FIFA
rankings. The top nine times will be in Pot 1, the next nine teams in
Pot 2, etc., to ensure that the top teams are not in the same group.
The draw for the two-legged playoffs will be held at a later date.
FIFA is trying to limit political clashes in the 2014 World Cup
qualifiers by separating Russia-Georgia and Armenia-Azerbaijan in the
European draw, the Associated Press reports.
The governing body says it honored a request by European soccer
authorities to keep the former warring neighbors apart. The teams were
also kept separate in the 2012 European Championship qualifiers.
Armenia and Azerbaijan were drawn together in Euro 2008 qualifying but
the matches were never played.
30.07.2011 16:24
Ruzan Khachatryan
`Radiour'
The Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil' will take
place in Rio de Janeiro at 11 p.m. Yerevan time. Each confederation
will have their qualifying groups and schedules drawn as teams learn
their path to the World Cup.
European qualifying remains the same with eight groups of six and one
group of five teams each playing a round robin. The matches will be
played from September 7, 2012 through October 15, 2013 and the nine
group winners will qualify for the 2014 World Cup. The eight best
second-place teams will advance to play in four two-legged playoffs
against each other with the winners of those playoffs also qualifying
for the World Cup.
The preliminary draw will determine the nine groups for the qualifying
stage. The teams are placed into six pots of nine based on the FIFA
rankings. The top nine times will be in Pot 1, the next nine teams in
Pot 2, etc., to ensure that the top teams are not in the same group.
The draw for the two-legged playoffs will be held at a later date.
FIFA is trying to limit political clashes in the 2014 World Cup
qualifiers by separating Russia-Georgia and Armenia-Azerbaijan in the
European draw, the Associated Press reports.
The governing body says it honored a request by European soccer
authorities to keep the former warring neighbors apart. The teams were
also kept separate in the 2012 European Championship qualifiers.
Armenia and Azerbaijan were drawn together in Euro 2008 qualifying but
the matches were never played.