Follow Portugal Investment Immigration and Life in Portugal: Last night, Beijing time, the draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup European zone play-offs was held at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. The Portuguese team successfully avoided France but was drawn against the Sweden team led by Zlatan Ibrahimović. This means that only one of the two superstars, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ibrahimović, will be able to participate in next year's World Cup.
There are 13 qualifying spots for the European zone in this World Cup. The winners of the 9 qualifying groups advanced directly to Brazil, while the 8 best runners-up will compete in a two-legged play-off to determine the final 4 tickets. The draw was divided into two pots based on the latest FIFA world rankings, with Portugal (14), Greece (15), Croatia (18), and Ukraine (20) in Pot 1, while France (21), Sweden (25), Romania (29), and Iceland (46) were in Pot 2.
Famous Swiss footballer Alexander Frei was the first to draw the yellow balls, and Portugal was the first team drawn; their opponents, Sweden, cannot be underestimated. Historically, the two teams have faced each other 15 times, with Portugal at a complete disadvantage with 3 wins, 6 draws, and 6 losses. The most anticipated aspect is the head-to-head clash between Cristiano Ronaldo and Ibrahimović. Neither of these world-class stars has much to be proud of at the national team level, and now they must lead their respective national teams in a life-or-death struggle. As the saying goes, "When two tigers fight, one is bound to be injured." This duel is destined to see only one of them standing on the stage of next year's World Cup, and their leadership abilities will be truly tested.
As a Pot 2 team, France drawing Ukraine is considered a favorable outcome. In their 7 previous encounters, Les Bleus have remained unbeaten with 4 wins and 3 draws. However, this Ukraine team is not weak; they almost pushed England into the play-offs and "clinched a last-minute victory" over Montenegro. In the third group, Greece faces Romania. Greece had an impressive record of 8 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in the qualifying group stage, entering the play-offs only due to a goal difference disadvantage. In comparison, Romania's group stage record was 6 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses. Considering the overall strength of both teams, Greece still has a slight advantage. The final group features Iceland against Croatia. Iceland is the only one of the 8 teams without World Cup experience, while Croatia is determined to win.
The two legs of the play-offs will take place on November 15 and November 19, local time.
(The team listed first plays at home first):
Portugal VS Sweden
Ukraine VS France
Greece VS Romania
Iceland VS Croatia
