2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group I
The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group I was one of the nine UEFA groups for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. The group consisted of six teams: Croatia, Iceland, Ukraine, Turkey, Finland, and Kosovo.
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] Kosovo was added to the group after the draw, after becoming FIFA members together with Gibraltar in May 2016,[3] and UEFA decided not to put Kosovo in group H together with Bosnia and Herzegovina for security reasons.[4][5]
The group winners, Iceland, qualified directly for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The group runners-up, Croatia, advanced to the play-offs as one of the best 8 runners-up, where they won against Greece and thus qualified for the tournament as well.[1] This was the first time Ukraine was eliminated after the first round, as the team had been eliminated in 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014 after the play-offs, and qualified in 2006.
Standings
| 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tiebreakers |
|---|
In league format, the ranking of teams in each group is based on the following criteria (regulations Articles 20.6 and 20.7):[6]
|
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland |
10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 22 | Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Croatia |
10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 20 | Advance to second round | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| 3 | Ukraine |
10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 17 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 4 | Turkey |
10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 15 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 5 | Finland |
10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 9 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 6 | Kosovo |
10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 24 | −21 | 1 | 1–2 | 0–6 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 0–1 | — |
Matches
The fixture list prior to the inclusion of Kosovo was confirmed by UEFA on 26 July 2015, the day following the draw.[1][7] Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times are in parentheses).[8]
| Croatia | 1–1 | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
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| Finland | 1–1 | Kosovo |
|---|---|---|
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Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
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| Iceland | 3–2 | Finland |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
| Kosovo | 0–6 | Croatia |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
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Attendance: 14,612
Referee: David Fernández Borbalán (Spain)
| Turkey | 2–2 | Ukraine |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
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| Ukraine | 3–0 | Kosovo |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Attendance: 999
Referee: Kevin Blom (Netherlands)
| Iceland | 2–0 | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
| Croatia | 2–0 | Iceland |
|---|---|---|
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Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
| Turkey | 2–0 | Finland |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
| Kosovo | 1–2 | Iceland |
|---|---|---|
|
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Attendance: 6,832
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)
| Finland | 1–2 | Ukraine |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
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| Kosovo | 1–4 | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
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Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
Attendance: 3,758
Referee: Miroslav Zelinka (Czech Republic)
| Ukraine | 2–0 | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
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Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
| Iceland | 2–0 | Ukraine |
|---|---|---|
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| Kosovo | 0–1 | Finland |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
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Attendance: 2,446
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (Austria)
| Turkey | 1–0 | Croatia |
|---|---|---|
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Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
| Croatia | 1–1 | Finland |
|---|---|---|
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| Kosovo | 0–2 | Ukraine |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
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| Turkey | 0–3 | Iceland |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
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| Finland | 2–2 | Turkey |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
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| Iceland | 2–0 | Kosovo |
|---|---|---|
|
Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
| Ukraine | 0–2 | Croatia |
|---|---|---|
| Report (FIFA) Report (UEFA) |
|
Goalscorers
There were 70 goals scored in 30 matches, for an average of 2.33 goals per match.
- 6 goals
- 5 goals
- 4 goals
- 3 goals
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
- Matej Mitrović
- Ivan Perišić
- Ivan Rakitić
- Domagoj Vida
- Robin Lod
- Alexander Ring
- Pyry Soiri
- Birkir Bjarnason
- Theódór Elmar Bjarnason
- Hörður Björgvin Magnússon
- Björn Bergmann Sigurðarson
- Ragnar Sigurðsson
- Valon Berisha
- Atdhe Nuhiu
- Amir Rrahmani
- Cengiz Ünder
- Artem Besyedin
- Yevhen Konoplyanka
- Ruslan Rotan
- 1 own goal
- Leart Paqarada (against Ukraine)
Discipline
A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[15]
- Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
- Receiving two yellow cards in two different matches (yellow card suspensions are 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aron Gunnarsson | Iceland |  vs Ukraine (5 September 2016) vs Finland (6 October 2016) | vs Turkey (9 October 2016) |
| Niklas Moisander | Finland | vs Iceland (6 October 2016) vs Croatia (9 October 2016) | vs Ukraine (12 November 2016) |
| Hekuran Kryeziu | Kosovo | vs Finland (5 September 2016) vs Ukraine (9 October 2016) | vs Turkey (12 November 2016) |
| Emre Mor | Turkey | vs Ukraine (6 October 2016) vs Iceland (9 October 2016) | vs Kosovo (12 November 2016) |
| Ivan Perišić | Croatia |  vs Iceland (12 November 2016) | vs Ukraine (24 March 2017) |
| Thomas Lam | Finland | vs Kosovo (5 September 2016) vs Ukraine (12 November 2016) | vs Turkey (24 March 2017) |
| Theódór Elmar Bjarnason | Iceland | vs Ukraine (9 October 2016) vs Croatia (12 November 2016) | vs Kosovo (24 March 2017) |
| Enis Alushi | Kosovo | vs Finland (5 September 2016) vs Turkey (12 November 2016) | vs Iceland (24 March 2017) |
| Eduard Sobol | Ukraine | vs Turkey (6 October 2016) vs Finland (12 November 2016) | vs Croatia (24 March 2017) |
| Paulus Arajuuri | Finland | vs Iceland (6 October 2016) vs Turkey (24 March 2017) | vs Ukraine (11 June 2017) |
| Alexander Ring | vs Croatia (9 October 2016) vs Turkey (24 March 2017) | ||
| Bernard Berisha | Kosovo |  vs Turkey (11 June 2017) | vs Croatia (2 September 2017) |
| Burak Yılmaz | Turkey | vs Kosovo (12 November 2016) vs Kosovo (11 June 2017) | vs Ukraine (2 September 2017) |
| Yaroslav Rakitskiy | Ukraine | vs Finland (12 November 2016) vs Finland (11 June 2017) | vs Turkey (2 September 2017) |
| Jere Uronen | Finland | vs Turkey (24 March 2017) vs Iceland (2 September 2017) | vs Kosovo (5 September 2017) |
| Rúrik Gíslason | Iceland | vs Finland (2 September 2017) | vs Ukraine (5 September 2017) |
| Milan Badelj | Croatia | vs Iceland (12 November 2016) vs Turkey (5 September 2017) | vs Finland (6 October 2017) |
| Robin Lod | Finland | vs Iceland (2 September 2017) vs Kosovo (5 September 2017) | vs Croatia (6 October 2017) |
| Emil Hallfreðsson | Iceland | vs Finland (2 September 2017) vs Ukraine (5 September 2017) | vs Turkey (6 October 2017) |
| Bernard Berisha | Kosovo | vs Turkey (11 June 2017) vs Finland (5 September 2017) | vs Ukraine (6 October 2017) |
| Valon Berisha | vs Ukraine (9 October 2016) vs Finland (5 September 2017) | ||
| Hakan Çalhanoğlu | Turkey | vs Ukraine (6 October 2016) vs Croatia (5 September 2017) | vs Iceland (6 October 2017) |
| Viktor Kovalenko | Ukraine | vs Finland (11 June 2017) vs Iceland (5 September 2017) | vs Kosovo (6 October 2017) |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | vs Finland (12 November 2016) vs Iceland (5 September 2017) | ||
| Hekuran Kryeziu | Kosovo | vs Iceland (24 March 2017) vs Ukraine (6 October 2017) | vs Iceland (9 October 2017) |
| Caner Erkin | Turkey | vs Ukraine (6 October 2016) vs Iceland (6 October 2017) | vs Finland (9 October 2017) |
| Artem Kravets | Ukraine | vs Finland (12 November 2016) vs Kosovo (6 October 2017) | vs Croatia (9 October 2017) |
| Ivan Ordets | vs Turkey (6 October 2016) vs Kosovo (6 October 2017) |
Notes
- CET (UTC+1) for matches on 12 November 2016 and 24 March 2017, and CEST (UTC+2) for all other matches.
- Croatia were sanctioned by FIFA to play two home matches (against Turkey on 5 September 2016 and against Iceland on 12 November 2016) without spectators for two cases of discriminatory chants by fans, which occurred during friendly matches against Israel on 23 March 2016 and against Hungary on 26 March 2016, having already been sanctioned for similar incidents by FIFA and UEFA.[9]
- Ukraine were sanctioned by FIFA to play one home match (against Iceland on 5 September 2016) without spectators for racist behaviour in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against San Marino at Arena Lviv, Lviv. In addition, the Football Federation of Ukraine were ordered not to play any of its 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches at Arena Lviv.[10][11]
- Kosovo play their home matches at Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkodër in Albania instead of their regular stadium, City Stadium, Pristina in Kosovo.[12]
- The Ukraine v Kosovo match was played in a neutral venue due to Ukraine's non-recognition of Kosovo's travel documents.[13]
- The home matches of Turkey against Kosovo and Finland were changed to 18:00 CET (20:00 local time) due to the decision of the Turkish government to use the UTC+3 time zone all year round starting from September 2016.
- The Croatia v Kosovo match was suspended after 21 minutes due to torrential rain, with the score 0–0 at the time. The match was resumed on 3 September, 14:30 UTC+2.[14]
References
- "FIFA World Cup qualifying draw format". UEFA.com. 16 June 2015. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016.
- "European teams learn World Cup qualifying fate". UEFA.com. 25 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
- "FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed". FIFA.com. 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016.
- "Kosovo to play in Group I in European Qualifiers". uefa.org. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016.
- "Kosovo and Gibraltar assigned to 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying groups". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016.
- "Regulations – 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia" (PDF). FIFA.com.
- "World Cup European Qualifiers fixtures confirmed". UEFA.com. 26 July 2015. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016.
- "Fixture List – 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition" (PDF). UEFA.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 August 2015.
- "FIFA sanctions several football associations after discriminatory chants by fans". FIFA.com. 27 May 2016. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016.
- "Sanctions of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee against Ukraine and Peru". FIFA.com. 27 September 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016.
- "FIFA rejects Ukraine appeal; sanctions for discrimination upheld". FIFA.com. 27 November 2013. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016.
- ""Loro Boriçi", shtëpia e përkohshme e Kosovës". Radio Television of Kosovo. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- "Ukraine's national teams to play Kosovo at neutral venues". InSerbia. 6 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016.
- "Croatia v Kosovo qualifier to resume on Sunday". uefa.com. 3 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017.
- "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2014-16" (PDF). UEFA.com.
External links
- Official FIFA World Cup website
- Qualifiers – Europe: Round 1, FIFA.com
- FIFA World Cup, UEFA.com
- Standings – Qualifying round: Group I, UEFA.com
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