The 2018 World Cup draw will take place in Russia’s capital city of Moscow on Friday(today) December 1 at the State Kremlin Palace, which is frequently used as a concert hall.
Africa has five representatives namely Nigeria,Egypt,Morocco,Tunisia and Senegal who will be keenly following to see which teams they will play against.
It will start at 9pm local time, or 3pm GMT. You can follow all the build-up and live coverage of the event itself right here.
Stadium guide
Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium will bookend the 2018 World Cup , hosting the opening match of the tournament on June 14 and the final on July 15.
Between those dates a total of 12 venues, spread across the expanse of Russia, will be hosting at least four matches each.
With the draw taking place on today, the 32 nations will quickly know who and where they will be playing when the biggest sporting show on earth kicks off.
Senegal
This will be Senegal’s second World Cup finals after Aliou Cissé, who was the captain of the 2002 side under the late Bruno Metsu, guided his team through a difficult qualification group containing Burkina Faso, South Africa and Cape Verde. Cissé has moulded a team strong in all areas. The addition of M’Baye Niang to a forward line who include Keita Baldé of Monaco and Liverpool’s Sadio Mané has allowed Cissé to play 4-3-3, although in the crucial victory over South Africa West Ham’s Diafra Sakho started in a 4-4-2. Much will be expected of Mané, who has been the star man for several years and has been compared to El Hadji Diouf, the talisman for the 2002 side. His injury problems have slowed down a brilliant start to life at Liverpool and he will need to be at his best in Russia.
How they qualified Winners of African Group D (round three) ahead of Burkina Faso Preferred system 4-3-3 Star player Sadio Mané (Liverpool) One to watchM’Baye Niang (Torino, on loan from Milan) Manager Aliou Cissé Odds 150-1
Egypt
Happy to sit back and defend, Egypt are difficult to break down. Only once (in 30 games) have the Pharaohs conceded more than one goal under Hector Cúper. But despite taking Egypt to the Afcon final and a 63% win rate, the Argentinian has been criticised for his defensive style. Egypt’s squad are a mixture of youth and experience, with the goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary set to become the oldest player at a World Cup at 45. In front of him Egypt have the solid defensive partnership of Rami Rabia and West Brom’s Ahmed Hegazi. The midfield is built around Mohamed Elneny and Al Ahly’s Abdallah Said, who at 32 will bring a creative spark.Egypt hope Mohamed Salah’s fine form continues and on the other wing can choose from Ramadan Sobhi, Kahraba and Mahmoud Hassan “Trézéguet”, one to watch for his direct runs into the box.
How they qualified Winners of African Group E (round three) ahead of UgandaPreferred system 4-2-3-1 Star player Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) One to watchMahmoud Hassan “Trézéguet” (Kasımpaşa, on loan from Anderlecht) ManagerHéctor Cúper Odds 250-1
Tunisia
After a 12-year absence Tunisia are back at a World Cup but their path was not entirely straight. Having won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2017, they sacked Henryk Kasperczak soon afterwards. Nabil Maâloul was appointed in April and steered the country to the World Cup, mainly using a 4-2-3-1. The full-backs are encouraged to attack and on the left Ali Maâloul of Al Ahly is key because of how much he contributes going forward. The midfield are dominated by two hard-working ball-winners in Ferjani Sassi and Mohamed Amine Ben Amor, with the MKN trio of Youssef Msakni, Wahbi Khazri and Naïm Sliti adding flair. Msakni, who plays in Qatar, is a tremendous talent and often carries the team. The manager sometimes switches to 4-3-2-1, especially against attacking teams, incorporating the defensive midfilder Ghailene Chaalali instead of Khazri or Sliti.
How they qualified Winners of African Group A (round three) Preferred system 4-2-3-1 Star player Youssef Msakni (Al-Duhail) One to watch Naïm Sliti (Dijon, on loan from Lille) Manager Nabil Maâloul Odds 400-1
Nigeria
Placed in a group with Algeria, Cameroon and the 2012 African champions Zambia, the Super Eagles qualified with a game to spare. The comeback victory over Argentina in a recent friendly in Russia further fed optimism regarding what the team can achieve under Gernot Rohr. The German manager has radically improved the side, infusing the freshness of youth into a team who failed to qualify for two consecutive Africa Cup of Nations tournaments before his appointment. Since he took over last year, the former Bordeaux manager has lost one game and knitted together a ruthless counterattacking side who feature the outstanding Alex Iwobi and with Chelsea’s wing-back Victor Moses playing as a dynamic, talismanic winger. The team are based on a sturdy defence, with energetic ball-winners at the base of midfield and the calming presence of Mikel John Obi to funnel balls to the attack.
How they qualified Winners of African Group B (round three) ahead of Zambia Preferred system 4-3-3 Star player Victor Moses (Chelsea) One to watch Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) Manager Gernot Rohr Odds 150-1
Morocco
The Atlas Lions are roaring again. Twenty years after a heartbreaking elimination from the group stage at France ’98, the first African team to reach the last 16 are back at the World Cup.Morocco , the only African team to qualify for Russia without conceding a goal, have built their game on solid defence and hard work. The experience of Karim El Ahmadi, M’barek Boussoufa and Juventus’s Mehdi Benatia fits well with the intelligence of Hakim Ziyech and the strength of Nordin Amrabat. Hervé Renard is in charge but the advice coming from one of his assistants, Patrice Beaumelle, is vital. The former Coventry City midfielder Mustapha Hadji is also key in the setup, sharing his experiences and acting as a role model for this generation. The team’s main weakness used to be on the left but Real Madrid’s Achraf Hakimi has filled the gap admirably since September.
How they qualified Winners African Group C (round three) ahead of Ivory CoastPreferred system 4-5-1 Star player Hakim Ziyech (Ajax) One to watch Sofiane Boufal (Southampton) Manager Hervé Renard Odds 250-1
