And so amidst the chaos of failed bids and bribery rotting the foundations of the beautiful game, the European qualifying groups are to be drawn this week and England could get a tricky group.
The European countries are divided up into 6 pots.
Pot 1
England, Spain, Holland, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Norway and Greece.
Pot 2
France, Montenegro, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Slovenia, Turkey, Serbia and Slovakia.
Pot 3
Switzerland, Israel, Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Ukraine and Hungary.
Pot 4
Northern Ireland, Scotland, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Lithuania, Albania, Austria, Poland.
Pot 5
Armenia, Finland, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Moldova, FYR Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands.
Pot 6
Wales, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Malta, Andorra, San Marino, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg.
So this works out to 9 groups, 8 of which will hold 6 teams and 1 that will hold 5.
The very best England could hope for would be
England
Slovenia
Belarus
Albania
Faroe Islands
Andorra.
But when has it ever been that easy. Not in my recollection so a more likely group could see
England
France/Russia
Switzerland/Republic of Ireland/Ukraine
Romania
FYR Macedonia
Wales/Iceland
Well that's what could be and we will have to wait till the draw is made to see how bad England's latest "Group of Death" is.
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