2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group F

The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group F was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: England, Slovakia, Scotland, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Malta.

The draw for the first round (group stage) was held as part of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Draw on 25 July 2015, starting 18:00 MSK (UTC+3), at the Konstantinovsky Palace in Strelna, Saint Petersburg, Russia.[1][2]

The group winners, England, qualified directly for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The group runners-up, Slovakia, were eliminated as the worst runners-up.[1]

Standings

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2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group was based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7):[3]
  1. Points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss)
  2. Overall goal difference
  3. Overall goals scored
  4. Points in matches between tied teams
  5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
  6. Goals scored in matches between tied teams
  7. Away goals scored in matches between tied teams (if the tie was only between two teams in home-and-away league format)
  8. Fair play points
    • first yellow card: minus 1 point
    • indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points
    • direct red card: minus 4 points
    • yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points
  9. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification            
1   England 10 8 2 0 18 3 +15 26 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup 2–1 3–0 1–0 2–0 2–0
2   Slovakia 10 6 0 4 17 7 +10 18 0–1 3–0 1–0 4–0 3–0
3   Scotland 10 5 3 2 17 12 +5 18 2–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–0
4   Slovenia 10 4 3 3 12 7 +5 15 0–0 1–0 2–2 4–0 2–0
5   Lithuania 10 1 3 6 7 20 −13 6 0–1 1–2 0–3 2–2 2–0
6   Malta 10 0 1 9 3 25 −22 1 0–4 1–3 1–5 0–1 1–1
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

Matches

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The fixture list was confirmed by UEFA on 26 July 2015, the day following the draw.[1][4] Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times are in parentheses).[5]

Lithuania  2–2  Slovenia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 4,114
Slovakia  0–1  England
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Malta  1–5  Scotland
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 15,069

England  2–0  Malta
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 81,781
Scotland  1–1  Lithuania
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 35,966
Slovenia  1–0  Slovakia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 10,492

Lithuania  2–0  Malta
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 5,067
Slovakia  3–0  Scotland
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Slovenia  0–0  England
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 13,274

England  3–0  Scotland
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 87,258
Malta  0–1  Slovenia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Slovakia  4–0  Lithuania
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)

England  2–0  Lithuania
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 77,690
Referee: Ruddy Buquet (France)
Malta  1–3  Slovakia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 4,980
Scotland  1–0  Slovenia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 20,435

Scotland  2–2  England
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 48,520
Slovenia  2–0  Malta
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 7,839
Referee: Simon Lee Evans (Wales)
Lithuania  1–2  Slovakia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 4,083

Lithuania  0–3  Scotland
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 5,067
Malta  0–4  England
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Slovakia  1–0  Slovenia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)

England  2–1  Slovakia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 67,823
Scotland  2–0  Malta
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 26,371
Slovenia  4–0  Lithuania
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)

England  1–0  Slovenia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 61,598
Malta  1–1  Lithuania
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Scotland  1–0  Slovakia
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 46,773

Lithuania  0–1  England
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 5,067
Slovakia  3–0  Malta
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Slovenia  2–2  Scotland
Report (FIFA)
Report (UEFA)
Attendance: 11,123

Goalscorers

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There were 74 goals scored in 30 matches, for an average of 2.47 goals per match.

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Discipline

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A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[6]

  • Receiving a red card (red card suspensions could be extended for serious offences)
  • Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches (yellow card suspensions were carried forward to the play-offs, but not the finals or any other future international matches)

The following suspensions were served during the qualifying matches:

Player Team Offence(s) Suspended for match(es)
Mišo Brečko   Slovenia   vs Ukraine in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying (17 November 2015) vs Lithuania (4 September 2016)
Jonathan Caruana   Malta   vs Scotland (4 September 2016) vs England (8 October 2016)
Luke Gambin vs England (8 October 2016)
vs Lithuania (11 October 2016)
Martin Škrtel   Slovakia     vs England (4 September 2016) vs Slovenia (8 October 2016)
Tomáš Hubočan   vs England (4 September 2016)
  vs Slovenia (8 October 2016)
vs Scotland (11 October 2016)
Jonathan Caruana   Malta   vs Lithuania (11 October 2016) vs Slovenia (11 November 2016)
vs Slovakia (26 March 2017)
Aljaž Struna   Slovenia   vs Slovakia (8 October 2016)
  vs England (11 October 2016)
vs Malta (11 November 2016)
Gary Cahill   England   vs Slovenia (11 October 2016)
  vs Scotland (11 November 2016)
vs Lithuania (26 March 2017)
Georgas Freidgeimas   Lithuania   vs Scotland (8 October 2016)
  vs Slovakia (11 November 2016)
vs England (26 March 2017)
Andrei Agius   Malta   vs Lithuania (11 October 2016)
  vs Slovenia (11 November 2016)
vs Slovakia (26 March 2017)
Egidijus Vaitkūnas   Lithuania   vs Scotland (8 October 2016)
  vs England (26 March 2017)
vs Slovakia (10 June 2017)
Artūras Žulpa   vs Slovenia (4 September 2016)
  vs England (26 March 2017)
Jean Paul Farrugia   Malta     vs Slovakia (26 March 2017) vs Slovenia (10 June 2017)
Juraj Kucka   Slovakia   vs Slovenia (8 October 2016)
  vs Malta (26 March 2017)
vs Lithuania (10 June 2017)
Adam Nemec     vs Malta (26 March 2017)
Valter Birsa   Slovenia   vs England (11 October 2016)
  vs Scotland (26 March 2017)
vs Malta (10 June 2017)
Boštjan Cesar   vs Slovakia (8 October 2016)
  vs Scotland (26 March 2017)
Miral Samardžić   vs Lithuania (4 September 2016)
  vs Scotland (26 March 2017)
Eric Dier   England   vs Slovenia (11 October 2016)
  vs Scotland (10 June 2017)
vs Malta (1 September 2017)
Nerijus Valskis   Lithuania   vs Malta (11 October 2016)
  vs Slovakia (10 June 2017)
vs Scotland (1 September 2017)
Alfred Effiong   Malta   vs Scotland (4 September 2016)
  vs Slovenia (10 June 2017)
vs England (1 September 2017)
Paul Fenech
Ján Ďurica   Slovakia   vs Slovenia (8 October 2016)
  vs Lithuania (10 June 2017)
vs Slovenia (1 September 2017)
Martin Škrtel   vs Malta (26 March 2017)
  vs Lithuania (10 June 2017)
Linas Klimavičius   Lithuania   vs Slovakia (10 June 2017)
  vs Slovenia (4 September 2017)
vs Malta (5 October 2017)
Darvydas Šernas
Ryan Fenech   Malta   vs Slovenia (10 June 2017)
  vs Scotland (4 September 2017)
vs Lithuania (5 October 2017)
Milan Škriniar   Slovakia   vs Lithuania (10 June 2017)
  vs England (4 September 2017)
vs Scotland (5 October 2017)
Mantas Kuklys   Lithuania   vs Scotland (8 October 2016)
  vs Malta (5 October 2017)
vs England (8 October 2017)
Zach Muscat   Malta   vs Slovenia (11 November 2016)
  vs Lithuania (5 October 2017)
vs Slovakia (8 October 2017)
Róbert Mak   Slovakia     vs Scotland (5 October 2017) vs Malta (8 October 2017)
Valter Birsa   Slovenia   vs Slovakia (1 September 2017)
  vs England (5 October 2017)
vs Scotland (8 October 2017)
Rene Krhin   vs Slovakia (8 October 2016)
  vs England (5 October 2017)

Notes

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  1. ^ CET (UTC+1) for matches on 11 November 2016, and CEST (UTC+2) for all other matches.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "FIFA World Cup qualifying draw format". UEFA.com. 16 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016.
  2. ^ "European teams learn World Cup qualifying fate". UEFA.com. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2016.
  4. ^ "World Cup European Qualifiers fixtures confirmed". UEFA.com. 26 July 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Fixture List – 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition" (PDF). UEFA.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 August 2015.
  6. ^ "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2014-16" (PDF). UEFA.com.
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