Egypt welcomes record 19 mln tourists in 2025, outpacing global growth    Egypt confirms safety of citizens in Venezuela after US strikes, capture of Maduro    Egypt's Agiba Petroleum drills two new oil, gas wells in Western Desert    Egyptian pound edges up against dollar in early Sunday trade    Finance Ministry to offer eight T-bill, bond tenders worth EGP 190bn this week    US forces capture Maduro in "Midnight Hammer" raid; Trump pledges US governance of Venezuela    ETA begins receiving 2025 tax returns, announces expanded support measures    Gold slips at start of 2026 as thin liquidity triggers profit-taking: Gold Bullion    Port Said health facilities record 362,662 medical services throughout 2025    Madbouly inspects Luxor healthcare facilities as Universal Insurance expands in Upper Egypt    Nuclear shields and new recruits: France braces for a Europe without Washington    Cairo conducts intensive contacts to halt Yemen fighting as government forces seize key port    From Niche to National Asset: Inside the Egyptian Golf Federation's Institutional Rebirth    5th-century BC industrial hub, Roman burials discovered in Egypt's West Delta    Egyptian-Italian team uncovers ancient workshops, Roman cemetery in Western Nile Delta    Egypt to cover private healthcare costs under universal insurance scheme, says PM at New Giza University Hospital opening    Egypt completes restoration of 43 historical agreements, 13 maps for Foreign Ministry archive    Egypt, Viatris sign MoU to expand presidential mental health initiative    Egypt sends medical convoy, supplies to Sudan to support healthcare sector    Egypt's PM reviews rollout of second phase of universal health insurance scheme    Egypt sends 15th urgent aid convoy to Gaza in cooperation with Catholic Relief Services    Al-Sisi: Egypt seeks binding Nile agreement with Ethiopia    Egyptian-built dam in Tanzania is model for Nile cooperation, says Foreign Minister    Al-Sisi affirms support for Sudan's sovereignty and calls for accountability over conflict crimes    Egypt flags red lines, urges Sudan unity, civilian protection    Egypt unveils restored colossal statues of King Amenhotep III at Luxor mortuary temple    Egyptian Golf Federation appoints Stuart Clayton as technical director    4th Egyptian Women Summit kicks off with focus on STEM, AI    UNESCO adds Egyptian Koshari to intangible cultural heritage list    Egypt recovers two ancient artefacts from Belgium    Egypt warns of erratic Ethiopian dam operations after sharp swings in Blue Nile flows    Egypt golf team reclaims Arab standing with silver; Omar Hisham Talaat congratulates team    Sisi expands national support fund to include diplomats who died on duty    Egypt's PM reviews efforts to remove Nile River encroachments    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



France join top seeds for World Cup draw
Reuters Published in Ahram Online on 16 - 10 - 2017

France will be among the top seeds for next month's World Cup draw after they climbed to seventh in the FIFA rankings published on Monday.
The draw for next year's finals will be held in Moscow on Dec. 1 when the 32 eventual finalists will be divided into four pots according to their position in the rankings announced on Monday.
The seven top-ranked teams plus hosts Russia go into in pot one, the next eight ranked teams in pot two and so on.
Each of the eight four-team first-round groups will consist of one team drawn from each pot.
The top seven teams on Monday were Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland and France -- all among the 23 teams who have so far guaranteed their places in Russia.
Spain will be in pot two, where they will be joined by England, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay. Peru, Switzerland and Italy, who all face playoffs in November, will also go into pot two if they qualify.
Peru, who face New Zealand in November as they attempt to end a 36-year absence from the World Cup, climbed into the top 10 for the first time.
The rankings also confirmed that Switzerland, Italy, Croatia and Denmark will be the seeded teams for the European playoffs, which will be drawn on Tuesday and played over two legs in November.
Northern Ireland, Ireland, Greece and Sweden are the other teams involved.

Clic here to read the story from its source.