# 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A
UEFA [Group A](https://www.edgepedia.org/group-a) was one of nine European groups in the qualifying competition for the 2018 [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup), contested by the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus, and [Luxembourg](https://www.edgepedia.org/luxembourg). France won the group with 23 points and qualified directly for the finals in Russia, while Sweden finished second with 19 points and advanced to the play-offs. The Netherlands, a Pot 1 seed and three-time World Cup runner-up, finished third, also on 19 points, and failed to qualify.[1](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8061d122ac-6b4e5e13ae2a-1000--european-teams-learn-world-cup-qualifying-fate/) • [2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8223be7c50-97bbe6dc8b95-1000--highlights-portugal-and-france-qualify-at-the-last/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Draw | 25 July 2015, St Petersburg; Group A: Netherlands, France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus, Luxembourg[1](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8061d122ac-6b4e5e13ae2a-1000--european-teams-learn-world-cup-qualifying-fate/) |
| Winner | France, 23 points (7 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss; 18 goals for, 6 against)[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) |
| Runner-up | Sweden, 19 points (6-1-3; 26-9), advanced to the play-offs[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8223be7c50-97bbe6dc8b95-1000--highlights-portugal-and-france-qualify-at-the-last/) |
| Netherlands | Third, 19 points (6-1-3; 21-12); eliminated on the final day[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [4](https://www.knvb.com/node/448) |
| Rest of the table | Bulgaria 13 points, Luxembourg 6, Belarus 5[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) |
| Qualification format | Nine group winners went directly to Russia; the eight best runners-up entered two-legged play-offs for four berths[1](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8061d122ac-6b4e5e13ae2a-1000--european-teams-learn-world-cup-qualifying-fate/) |
| Decisive final day | 10 October 2017: France 2-1 Belarus, Netherlands 2-0 Sweden, Luxembourg 1-1 Bulgaria[3](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8223be7c50-97bbe6dc8b95-1000--highlights-portugal-and-france-qualify-at-the-last/) |
## Draw and format
Europe's 52 entrants were drawn in St Petersburg on 25 July 2015 into seven groups of six and two groups of five. Group A placed UEFA EURO 2016 hosts France with the Netherlands, Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus, and Luxembourg; Russia qualified automatically as hosts and [Gibraltar](https://www.edgepedia.org/gibraltar) was not a FIFA member.[1](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8061d122ac-6b4e5e13ae2a-1000--european-teams-learn-world-cup-qualifying-fate/) The Netherlands were in Pot 1 alongside holders Germany, Belgium, Portugal, and England, while France sat in Pot 2 and Sweden in Pot 3, which made Group A one of the strongest sections in the draw.[5](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d806113c9ac-b16e7f0ac5df-1000--fifa-world-cup-european-draw-full-briefing/) • [6](https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/full-2018-fifa-world-cup-qualification-draw-results/)
Each team played the others home and away from September 2016 to October 2017, with three points for a win. The nine group winners qualified directly; the eight best runners-up went into play-offs. In ranking the runners-up across groups, matches against the sixth-placed team in each group were discarded, so every second-placed team was judged on eight matches.[1](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8061d122ac-6b4e5e13ae2a-1000--european-teams-learn-world-cup-qualifying-fate/) • [7](https://unipub.lib.uni-corvinus.hu/3053/1/cewp_201706.pdf) Teams level on points were separated first by overall goal difference, then goals scored, before head-to-head criteria.[8](https://inside.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/news/who-can-qualify-from-europe-today-2912464)
## The campaign
**France.** [Didier Deschamps](https://www.edgepedia.org/didier-deschamps)' side opened with a 0-0 draw in Belarus but beat Bulgaria 4-1 and the Netherlands 1-0 in Amsterdam in October 2016, then beat Sweden 2-1 in Paris in November.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) Sweden took top spot briefly by winning 2-1 in Solna on 9 June 2017, a match France lost in the dying seconds when [Ola Toivonen](https://www.edgepedia.org/ola-toivonen) scored the late winner.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [9](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/EuroExperience/uefaorg/Publications/02/49/53/99/2495399_DOWNLOAD.pdf) France regained the lead on 31 August 2017 with a 4-0 win over the Netherlands in Paris, with goals from [Antoine Griezmann](https://www.edgepedia.org/antoine-griezmann), Thomas Lemar (two), and Kylian Mbappé, while Sweden lost 3-2 in Sofia to Bulgaria the same night.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [10](https://as.com/us/2017/09/01/futbol/1504220427_980403.html) A 1-0 win over Bulgaria in Sofia on 7 October left France needing only to beat Belarus at the Stade de France on the final day; Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud scored inside the opening 33 minutes of a 2-1 win that secured top spot.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8223be7c50-97bbe6dc8b95-1000--highlights-portugal-and-france-qualify-at-the-last/)
**Sweden.** Playing their first campaign after the retirement of captain and leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden drew 1-1 with the Netherlands in Solna on the opening matchday and beat Bulgaria 3-0 and [France 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/france-2)-1 at home.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [11](https://www.soccerphile.com/world-cup-2018/qualifying-group-a) Their campaign was built on heavy wins against the group's weaker sides, including 4-0 and 4-0 victories over Belarus and an 8-0 defeat of Luxembourg in Solna on 7 October 2017 that kept the pressure on France and effectively ended Dutch hopes of second place.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [12](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12018/11057345/world-cup-qualifying-state-of-play-who-needs-what-to-reach-russia-2018) • [13](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/international/holland-world-cup-2018-netherlands-sweden-a7993326.html) Sweden finished with 26 goals scored, the most in the group, and joined Switzerland, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Northern Ireland, and the [Republic of Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-of-ireland) in the play-off draw of 17 October.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [3](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8223be7c50-97bbe6dc8b95-1000--highlights-portugal-and-france-qualify-at-the-last/)
**Netherlands.** The Dutch drew 1-1 in Sweden, beat Belarus 4-1 and Luxembourg 3-1, but lost 1-0 at home to France in October 2016. In March 2017 they lost 2-0 in Sofia to Bulgaria; coach [Danny Blind](https://www.edgepedia.org/danny-blind), who had replaced [Guus Hiddink](https://www.edgepedia.org/guus-hiddink) when the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign collapsed, was sacked after that defeat.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [13](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/international/holland-world-cup-2018-netherlands-sweden-a7993326.html) A 4-0 defeat in Paris on 31 August 2017 left the Netherlands fourth with 10 points, two behind Bulgaria.[10](https://as.com/us/2017/09/01/futbol/1504220427_980403.html) Wins over Bulgaria (3-1) and Belarus (3-1) in September and October lifted them to third, but the 8-0 Swedish win over Luxembourg meant the Netherlands needed to beat Sweden by seven goals in Amsterdam on the final matchday to take the play-off place.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html) • [13](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/international/holland-world-cup-2018-netherlands-sweden-a7993326.html)
## Final matchday
On 10 October 2017 the group's three decisive games were played together. France beat Belarus 2-1 at the [Stade de France](https://www.edgepedia.org/stade-de-france) to win the group and qualify directly. In Amsterdam, Arjen Robben converted a penalty and scored a long-range strike in a 2-0 win over Sweden, a positive end to the campaign but far short of the seven-goal margin required, so the Netherlands finished third and were eliminated. Luxembourg drew 1-1 with Bulgaria through Olivier Thill's goal and an Ivaylo Chochev header, a point that lifted Luxembourg off the bottom of the group ahead of Belarus.[3](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8223be7c50-97bbe6dc8b95-1000--highlights-portugal-and-france-qualify-at-the-last/) • [4](https://www.knvb.com/node/448)
The Netherlands' failure to reach a second consecutive major tournament, after missing Euro 2016, drew attention to the gap between the generation that finished third at the 2014 World Cup, built around [Arjen Robben](https://www.edgepedia.org/arjen-robben), Wesley Sneijder, and [Robin van Persie](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-van-persie), and the players who followed them.[13](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/international/holland-world-cup-2018-netherlands-sweden-a7993326.html)
## Qualification rules and incentives
The group-based format attracted academic analysis of its incentive structure. Because matches against the sixth-placed team were discarded when comparing runners-up across groups, results in the same group could carry different weights for different teams; researchers studying the 2018 UEFA qualifiers argued that this design could create situations in which a team benefits from an unfavorable result, and proposed remedies including abolishing the anonymity of the discarded matches and rethinking the seeding procedure.[7](https://unipub.lib.uni-corvinus.hu/3053/1/cewp_201706.pdf) • [14](https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.04422) In Group A itself, the final standings were settled on the field: France's win over Belarus confirmed direct qualification, and Sweden's superior goal difference, 17 against the Netherlands' 9, decided second place after both finished on 19 points.[2](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html)
## References
1. [European teams learn World Cup qualifying fate, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8061d122ac-6b4e5e13ae2a-1000--european-teams-learn-world-cup-qualifying-fate/)
2. [World Cup 2018 Qualifying, RSSSF](https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2018q.html)
3. [Highlights: Portugal and France qualify at the last, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d8223be7c50-97bbe6dc8b95-1000--highlights-portugal-and-france-qualify-at-the-last/)
4. [Netherlands miss out on 2018 World Cup, KNVB](https://www.knvb.com/node/448)
5. [FIFA World Cup European draw: full briefing, UEFA.com](https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/news/0253-0d806113c9ac-b16e7f0ac5df-1000--fifa-world-cup-european-draw-full-briefing/)
6. [Full 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification draw results, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/full-2018-fifa-world-cup-qualification-draw-results/)
7. [2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – Ranking of second-placed teams, Corvinus University repository](https://unipub.lib.uni-corvinus.hu/3053/1/cewp_201706.pdf)
8. [Who can qualify from Europe on Tuesday?, FIFA.com](https://inside.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/worldcup/2018russia/news/who-can-qualify-from-europe-today-2912464)
9. [UEFA direct #170 (24.08.2017)](https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/EuroExperience/uefaorg/Publications/02/49/53/99/2495399_DOWNLOAD.pdf)
10. [Griezmann, Mbappé y el doblete de Lemar ponen a Francia líder, AS](https://as.com/us/2017/09/01/futbol/1504220427_980403.html)
11. [World Cup 2018 Qualifying Group A, Soccerphile](https://www.soccerphile.com/world-cup-2018/qualifying-group-a)
12. [World Cup qualifying state of play, Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12018/11057345/world-cup-qualifying-state-of-play-who-needs-what-to-reach-russia-2018)
13. [Holland, the 'lost generation' and how total football totally consumed them, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/sport/football/international/holland-world-cup-2018-netherlands-sweden-a7993326.html)
14. [The incentive (in)compatibility of group-based qualification systems, arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.04422)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football competitions and records › Competitions and recurring events › FIFA World Cup › FIFA World Cup (men) › World Cup qualification › UEFA qualification (Europe)*
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