"The draw for the World Cup play-offs takes place on Thursday, and the results on Monday and Tuesday are crucial for Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and, potentially, Scotland. We know eight of the 16 teams who will be in the play-offs, but who fills the remaining places will determine the draw pots - and who gets home advantage in the semi-finals."
"The 12 teams who finished runners-up in their group will be seeded into three pots by their world ranking. The fourth pot will contain the four teams who were awarded a play-off through performance in the Uefa Nations League. There are four places to be won, through four play-off paths each containing four teams with one-legged semi-finals and finals. The draw takes place at 12:00 GMT on Thursday, which will create the individual paths."
"In the semi-finals, the seeded teams will be at home: Pot 1 v Pot 4 Pot 2 v Pot 3 The home advantage in each of the finals will be determined by draw on Thursday. So, is being in Pot 1 more favourable than Pot 2? It doesn't make too much difference. While Pot 4 has teams who failed to make the top two of their World Cup groups, there are nations within it who will have a higher world ranking that some in Pot 3."
The World Cup play-off draw on Thursday will create four distinct play-off paths, each with four teams contesting one-legged semi-finals and finals. Twelve group runners-up are seeded into three pots according to world ranking, while Pot 4 comprises Nations League play-off qualifiers. Seeded teams host the semi-finals: Pot 1 v Pot 4 and Pot 2 v Pot 3, with final home advantage decided by draw. Securing a place in Pot 1 or Pot 2 guarantees a home semi-final. Several nations are already confirmed, while Kosovo, Turkey, Poland, North Macedonia and Wales remain dependent on upcoming results.
Read at www.bbc.com
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