Ronaldo, Portugal await World Cup playoff draw
ZURICH — Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will find out Monday who they must beat in a playoff to reach the World Cup in Brazil.
France and Franck Ribery would be the toughest possible test for the Portuguese as the in-form and highest-ranked of four unseeded nations in the draw at FIFA.
Article continues after this advertisementPortugal, No. 14 in FIFA’s monthly world standings, is seeded with Greece (No. 15), Croatia (No. 18) and Ukraine (No. 20), which is one spot ahead of the French after the qualifying groups finished last week.
France (No. 21) is unseeded with Sweden (No. 25), Romania (No. 29) and Iceland (No. 46).
Two-legged playoffs are scheduled for Nov. 15 and 19.
Article continues after this advertisementThe four winners complete Europe’s 13-strong entry in the 32-team World Cup draw on December 6.