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As it happenedended

World Cup play-off draw as it happened: Northern Ireland to play Switzerland, Republic of Ireland against Denmark

Relive the 2018 World Cup play-off draw from Zurich

Luke Brown
Tuesday 17 October 2017 08:51 EDT
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Northern Ireland were one of the eight countries in the draw
Northern Ireland were one of the eight countries in the draw (Getty)

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Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland discovered their World Cup play-off fate on Tuesday.

Michael O'Neill's team will play Switzerland, ranked 11th in the world who finished second in their qualification group behind Portugal.

Meanwhile, Martin O'Neill's Republic of Ireland team will play Denmark.

More details below...

When is the draw?

The draw will be held in Zurich on Tuesday 17 October, with the ceremony getting underway at 13:00 BST [14:00 local].

What is the format?

The eight teams will be drawn into four pairs. The teams with the four highest Fifa rankings are seeded for the draw.

Who is in it?

  • Switzerland (seeded)
  • Italy (seeded)
  • Denmark (seeded)
  • Croatia (seeded)
  • Sweden
  • Northern Ireland
  • Greece
  • Republic of Ireland

When are the games?

The play-off first legs will be played between Thursday 9 and Saturday 11 November, with the second legs between Sunday 12 and Tuesday 14 November. Uefa will confirm home and away legs after the draw.

When is the World Cup draw?

The final draw for the tournament will be held in Moscow on Friday 1 December.

When is the World Cup?

The 2018 World Cup in Russia will start on 14 June and finish with the final in Moscow 15 July.

Just five minutes to go...

Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 12:54

Looks like Fifa are experiencing some technical issues, for those of you attempting to watch the draw on their official website...

Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 12:56

The draw is expected to get underway shortly. Here's a reminder of the countries who have already qualified...

Africa: Egypt, Nigeria

Asia: Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea

Europe: Belgium, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Spain

North, Central America and Caribbean: Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay

Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 13:02

Here we go!

Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 13:07

Play-off 1: Northern Ireland vs Switzerland

Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 13:07

Play-off 2: Croatia vs Greece

Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 13:08

Play-off 3: Denmark vs Republic of Ireland

Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 13:09

Play-off 4: Sweden vs Italy

Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 13:09

Confirmation of the World Cup European play-off matches:

Northern Ireland vs Switzerland

Croatia vs Greece

Denmark vs Republic of Ireland

Sweden vs Italy

Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 13:10
Vithushan Ehantharajah17 October 2017 13:13

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