<P> The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts . All 210 remaining FIFA member associations were eligible to enter the qualifying process, and for the first time in World Cup history, all eligible national teams registered for the preliminary competition, but Zimbabwe and Indonesia were disqualified before playing their first matches . Bhutan, South Sudan, Gibraltar and Kosovo made their FIFA World Cup qualification debuts . Myanmar, having successfully appealed against a ban from the competition for crowd trouble during a 2014 World Cup qualifying tie against Oman, were obliged to play all their home matches outside the country . </P> <P> While the main qualifying draw took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, on 25 July 2015, qualification matches were played before that . The first, between Timor - Leste and Mongolia, began in Dili on 12 March 2015 as part of the AFC's qualification, with East Timorese player Chiquito do Carmo scoring the first goal in qualification . Matches were also played in CONCACAF prior to the main draw . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Team </Th> <Th> Method of qualification </Th> <Th> Date of qualification </Th> <Th> Finals appearance </Th> <Th> Last appearance </Th> <Th> Consecutive finals appearances </Th> <Th> Previous best performance </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Russia </Td> <Td> Hosts </Td> <Td> 2 December 2010 </Td> <Td> 11th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Fourth place (1966) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Brazil </Td> <Td> CONMEBOL Round Robin winners </Td> <Td> 28 March 2017 </Td> <Td> 21st </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 21 </Td> <Td> Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Iran </Td> <Td> AFC Third Round Group A winners </Td> <Td> 12 June 2017 </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Japan </Td> <Td> AFC Third Round Group B winners </Td> <Td> 31 August 2017 </Td> <Td> 6th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 6 </Td> <Td> Round of 16 (2002, 2010) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Mexico </Td> <Td> CONCACAF Fifth Round winners </Td> <Td> 1 September 2017 </Td> <Td> 16th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 7 </Td> <Td> Quarter - finals (1970, 1986) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Belgium </Td> <Td> UEFA Group H winners </Td> <Td> 3 September 2017 </Td> <Td> 13th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Fourth place (1986) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> South Korea </Td> <Td> AFC Third Round Group A runners - up </Td> <Td> 5 September 2017 </Td> <Td> 10th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 9 </Td> <Td> Fourth place (2002) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Saudi Arabia </Td> <Td> AFC Third Round Group B runners - up </Td> <Td> 5 September 2017 </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> 2006 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Round of 16 (1994) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Germany </Td> <Td> UEFA Group C winners </Td> <Td> 5 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 19th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 17 </Td> <Td> Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> England </Td> <Td> UEFA Group F winners </Td> <Td> 5 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 15th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 6 </Td> <Td> Winners (1966) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Spain </Td> <Td> UEFA Group G winners </Td> <Td> 6 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 15th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 11 </Td> <Td> Winners (2010) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Nigeria </Td> <Td> CAF Third Round Group B winners </Td> <Td> 7 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 6th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Round of 16 (1994, 1998, 2014) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Costa Rica </Td> <Td> CONCACAF Fifth Round runners - up </Td> <Td> 7 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Quarter - finals (2014) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Poland </Td> <Td> UEFA Group E winners </Td> <Td> 8 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 8th </Td> <Td> 2006 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Third place (1974, 1982) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Egypt </Td> <Td> CAF Third Round Group E winners </Td> <Td> 8 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 3rd </Td> <Td> 1990 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> First round (1934), Group stage (1990) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Iceland </Td> <Td> UEFA Group I winners </Td> <Td> 9 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td>--</Td> <Td> </Td> <Td>--</Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Serbia </Td> <Td> UEFA Group D winners </Td> <Td> 9 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 12th </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Fourth place (1930, 1962) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Portugal </Td> <Td> UEFA Group B winners </Td> <Td> 10 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 7th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 5 </Td> <Td> Third place (1966) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> France </Td> <Td> UEFA Group A winners </Td> <Td> 10 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 15th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 6 </Td> <Td> Winners (1998) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Uruguay </Td> <Td> CONMEBOL Round Robin runners - up </Td> <Td> 10 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 13th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Winners (1930, 1950) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Argentina </Td> <Td> CONMEBOL Round Robin third place </Td> <Td> 10 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 17th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> 12 </Td> <Td> Winners (1978, 1986) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Colombia </Td> <Td> CONMEBOL Round Robin fourth place </Td> <Td> 10 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 6th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Quarter - finals (2014) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Panama </Td> <Td> CONCACAF Fifth Round third place </Td> <Td> 10 October 2017 </Td> <Td> 1st </Td> <Td>--</Td> <Td> </Td> <Td>--</Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Senegal </Td> <Td> CAF Third Round Group D winners </Td> <Td> 10 November 2017 </Td> <Td> 2nd </Td> <Td> 2002 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Quarter - finals (2002) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Morocco </Td> <Td> CAF Third Round Group C winners </Td> <Td> 11 November 2017 </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> 1998 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Round of 16 (1986) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Tunisia </Td> <Td> CAF Third Round Group A winners </Td> <Td> 11 November 2017 </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> 2006 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Group stage (1978, 1998, 2002, 2006) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Switzerland </Td> <Td> UEFA Second Round winners </Td> <Td> 12 November 2017 </Td> <Td> 11th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Quarter - finals (1934, 1938, 1954) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Croatia </Td> <Td> UEFA Second Round winners </Td> <Td> 12 November 2017 </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Third place (1998) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Sweden </Td> <Td> UEFA Second Round winners </Td> <Td> 13 November 2017 </Td> <Td> 12th </Td> <Td> 2006 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Runners - up (1958) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Denmark </Td> <Td> UEFA Second Round winners </Td> <Td> 14 November 2017 </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Quarter - finals (1998) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Australia </Td> <Td> CONCACAF v AFC play - off winners </Td> <Td> 15 November 2017 </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> 2014 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Round of 16 (2006) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Peru </Td> <Td> OFC v CONMEBOL play - off winners </Td> <Td> 15 November 2017 </Td> <Td> 5th </Td> <Td> 1982 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Quarter - finals (1970), Second round (1978) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Team </Th> <Th> Method of qualification </Th> <Th> Date of qualification </Th> <Th> Finals appearance </Th> <Th> Last appearance </Th> <Th> Consecutive finals appearances </Th> <Th> Previous best performance </Th> </Tr>

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