Soccer: Italy set to be unseeded at World Cup
(ANSA) – Rome, October 16 – Italy look set to be unseeded at the World Cup after being held 2-2 by Denmark and Armenia in their last two qualifiers.
The Azzurri will be overtaken by Switzerland, Colombia and Uruguay, who won their games on Tuesday, in the FIFA ranking.
This means Cesare Prandelli’s men will probably not be seeded, increasing their chances of being pitched against another top national team in the group stage of next year’s tournament in Brazil. There is still a slender chance Italy, who were fourth in the rankings before the latest qualifiers, will be seeded, as Uruguay have not yet qualified. The South Americans first have to get through a playoff against Jordan, but it is seen as highly improbable that the Middle Eastern country will prevail.
If Uruguay do fail to qualify, FIFA will have to decide whether to seed four-time world champions Italy or the Netherlands – the two teams are set to be tied on 1,136 points after the latest round of international results. The seeded teams will be hosts Brazil, world and European champions Spain, Germany, Argentina, Belgium, Switzerland, Colombia and, if they qualify, Uruguay.