Russia is looking for a few good men and women who can shoot a gun and speak a bit of English.

The usual search for a "Group of Death" that adds spice to the buildup towards the FIFA World Cup looks to be a fruitless one after Friday's draw in Moscow as, partly down to the new rankings-based format, none of the favourites face more than one tough-looking rival.

The draw for the 2018 Russia World Cup kicks off in Moscow and we take a look at how the teams line up.

Lionel Messi knows the teams he fears most at the 2018 World Cup: champions Germany, Brazil, France and Spain.

With Arjen Robben, Alexis Sanchez, Gareth Bale and Gianluigi Buffon as the stars, it is possible to build an impressive team from players who will miss the 2018 World Cup.

Peru become the last side to clinch their place at next year's World Cup finals when goals in each half from Jefferson Farfan and Christian Ramos gave them a 2-0 win over New Zealand in the second leg of their inter-confederation playoff on Wednesday.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic heap praise on his players after they saw off Greece with the minimum of fuss in their playoff tie on Sunday to seal a place at the 2018 World Cup.

FIFA announces a new and simplified format for the 2018 World Cup draw with the teams to be grouped by their place in the world ranking rather than their continent.