Fifa to keep top seeds apart in World Cup draw

"The top four seeded countries will not be able to meet each other until the semi-finals of next year's World Cup for the first time in the tournament's history. Fifa has announced that Spain (1st seed) and Argentina (2) will be 'paired' and placed into groups in opposite halves of the draw. France (3) and England (4) will also be paired, which means England will not be able to come up against Spain or Argentina until the semi-finals, and France until the final."

"When two teams are paired, they are placed in opposite halves of the knockout bracket and cannot meet each other until the final. This happens at Wimbledon, and in the new Champions League format, where seeds are kept apart in pairs. Fifa wants to ensure the top-ranked countries do not meet earlier in the knockout rounds, thus potentially creating blockbuster games later in the tournament. The same ranking system was used for the Club World Cup in the summer."

"The four pots for the final draw, which takes place on Friday, 5 December (17:00 GMT), have also been confirmed. Scotland will be in pot three, with the six play-off paths - which includes Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Italy - all in pot four. Debutants Uzbekistan are in pot three, with fellow first-timers Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao in pot four. The 12 groups at the World Cup will include one team from each of the four pots."

"Fifa will start by drawing the teams from pot one. Co-hosts Mexico (A1), Canada (B1) and the United States (D1) will have coloured balls with their flags on to denote their special status. Their group positions are pre-determined so they play all their games in their own countries. Once a team has been drawn they will go into the first available group in alphabetical order."

Fifa paired the top four seeds so Spain (1) and Argentina (2) occupy opposite halves, and France (3) and England (4) are likewise paired, preventing meetings before the semi-finals or final if they win their groups. Pairing places teams in opposite knockout halves so paired sides can only meet in the final. The four draw pots are confirmed: Scotland is in pot three; six play-off paths (including Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Italy) are in pot four. Debutants Uzbekistan are in pot three; Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao are in pot four. Co-hosts Mexico, Canada and the USA have pre-determined group positions.

Read at www.bbc.com