Netherlands will have to overcome both France and Sweden to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
- By Michael Bell
- Follow Michael on Twitter
The draw for the qualifying stage was made in Russia on Saturday evening with Netherlands handed quite possibly the toughest draw imaginable after being selected in Group A.
The Oranje will need to see off France, U21 Euro champions Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus and Luxembourg to reach the 2018 Tournament. Only the top team from each group qualify’s directly to the tournament, while the eight best runners up head to the pay-offs.
Qualifying begins on the 4th of September 2016 and runs until October 2017. Netherlands exact schedule will be released in the coming days.
Group A: Netherlands, France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus, Luxembourg
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When haven’t they had a tough group? I believe its actually better to have tougher group. Forces you to become a team. France will always have the better athletes but mentally they can self destruct. However I believe France has slightly better players in the 20-23 range. u-19 Holland have great talent but please change their coach. They beat Russia and should have beat Spain which won. Can’t have a defender as a coach which is why I expect Blind to fail. Best coaches are always ex midfielders. Not saying Blind is a bad coach but I don’t see him as the answer. The only defender I see in Holland as having the best tactics is Fran De Boer. Cocu is learning and will be a good coach. I think Van Bronckhorst is smart as well and for some reason I believe Dirk Kuyt because of his great work ethic would be a great assistant.