WORLD CUP: SERBIA TO FACE PORTUGAL

Serbia have a very difficult task on their hands after they were drawn with European champions Portugal at the end of the draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the European section. Portugal are the reigning European champions after they needed extra time to beat France by a lone goal in the final of the 2016 European Championship. Portugal beat the French team on home soil with former Swansea City attacker Eder getting the only goal of the game. Portugal also went on to add the inaugural UEFA Nations League crown to their European Championship crown. Portugal beat the Netherlands 1-0 on home soil in the UEFA Nations League final to take the title. Portugal are a formidable team and Serbia will have to produce the campaign of their lives to finish ahead of a Portugal team with Cristiano Ronaldo as the skipper.

Apart from Portugal and Serbia, the other countries that have been drawn into Group A are the Republic of Ireland, Azerbaijan and Luxembourg. It was also announced by UEFA that World Cup hosts Qatar will be joining this group and their games with the other teams will serve as friendlies as the Asian nation continues to prepare for the tournament scheduled to take place at the end of 2022. The tournament is scheduled to start on November 21, 2022 through to December 18, 2022.

Before the draw took place, Serbia were in the second pot alongside other countries like Wales, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Turkey, Slovakia and Romania. Serbia might need to finish as either the group winners or the second-placed team to have a chance of making it to the World Cup tournament billed for Qatar in two years time. All the ten group winners will qualify automatically, while the teams in second place will go into the playoffs alongside the two teams from the UEFA Nations League. From the 12 teams for the playoffs, three teams will emerge.