Some absolute pearlers in there.

Group A and G the standouts

I think Holland will not qualify.
Sweden are improving and it will be Zlatans last wc campaign.

I hope Spain finish 2nd bd go to the play off.

The only 2 that looked to be for sure atm is England and Germany

Group d I have no idea who will finish first.

Having the draw half way through the Euro qualifiers meant there were some pretty odd seedings. Will probably mean some interesting teams will qualify I guess.

Early tip for me is Serbia.

Pwor thats a draw.

Some big teams wont make it.

When you think that Russia will be in pot 1 at the wc

Australia could potentially get (if we qualify)

Russia, Australia, African team, 2nd rate Europe team. Some of those groups will see some "easier" teams qualify which could be to our benefit.

We were very unlucky last tournament.

agree i think out of the pot 1 options everyone will want russia. they will still be difficult to beat on home soil tho, notoriously known as poor travelers but good at home i remember reading that at home they have only lost something like 5 competitive fixtures out of ~70 since independence.

match day 1 will be played over 3 nights, monday to wednesday mornings Oz east Coast time this week

Azerbaijan just 1:0 vs San Marino. Well done little guys. Denmark sneak 1:0 over Armenia. Lithuania stuffed a 2 goal lead and it ended 2:2 at home to Slovenia. 10 man Slovakia held England until the 95th until Lallana won it at the death. Kazakhstan hosted Poland and fought back to make it 2:2. A colourful opening set of matches. 

Russia at home would still be a pretty big challenge. It'd be awesome to be in the opening game. I  just hope we get a draw that doesn't have 3 superpowers. 1 is guaranteed, maybe a second. 

Macedonia v Albania abandoned mid way through the second half i'm hearing.

Anyone else got any info on this?

weather
http://www.supersport.com/Football/fifa-world-cup-2018/news/160906/AlbaniaMacedonia_qualifier_abandoned

Albania v Macedonia - new update:
will resume 10.00pm tonight for the final 14 miniutes of there FIFA World Cup - European Qualifier in Shkoder was 1-1 at the time when referee from Turkey called it off due to torrential rain.

MD 2 and MD3 are scheduled between October 6 and 11

current qualification/making the playoff probabilities are posted at 
http://www.football-rankings.info/2016/09/fifa-ranking-october-2016-probable_23.html

Late fight with two goals gives Iceland victory over Finland. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3905624/Outrage-paltry-fine-handed-Argentina-team-s-Malvinas-flag-England-face-points-deduction-non-political-poppy-display.html

TV coverage (morning of Saturday November 12th),
ESPN:
England v Scotland 6.35am

ESPN2:
Armenia v Montenegero 3.50am
Sweden v France 6.35am

TV coverage (morning of Sunday November 13th),
ESPN:
Austria v Ireland 3.50am
Wales v Serbia 6.35am

ESPN2:
Croatia v Iceland 3.50am
Spain v Macedonia 6.35am

TV coverage (morning of Monday November 14th),
ESPN2:
Switzerland v Faroe Islands 3.50am
Belgium v Estonia 6.35am

Group A Standings after Matchday 4:
1 France 4 3 1 0 7 2 +5 10
2 Netherlands 4 2 1 1 8 4 +4 7
3 Sweden 4 2 1 1 6 3 +3 7
4 Bulgaria 4 2 0 2 6 10 -4 6
5 Belarus 4 0 2 2 2 6 -4 2
6 Luxembourg 4 0 1 3 5 9 -4 1

Matchday 5 - Sunday March 26th (AEDT):
4.00am Sweden v Belarus
6.45am Bulgaria v Netherlands
6.45am Luxembourg v France

Group B Standings after Matchday 4:
1 Switzerland 4 4 0 0 9 3 +6 12
2 Portugal 4 3 0 1 16 3 +13 9
3 Hungary 4 2 1 1 8 3 +5 7
4 Faroe Islands 4 1 1 2 2 8 -6 4
5 Latvia 4 1 0 3 2 8 -6 3
6 Andorra 4 0 0 4 1 13 -12 0

Matchday 5 - Sunday March 26th (AEDT):
4.00am Andorra v Faroe Islands
4.00am Switzerland v Latvia
6.45am Portugal v Hungary

Group C Standings after Matchday 4:
1 Germany 4 4 0 0 16 0 +16 12
2 Northern Ireland 4 2 1 1 8 2 +6 7
3 Azerbaijan 4 2 1 1 2 4 -2 7
4 Czech Republic 4 1 2 1 2 4 -2 5
5 Norway 4 1 0 3 5 7 -2 3
6 San Marino 4 0 0 4 1 17 -16 0

Matchday 5 - Monday March 27th (AEDT):
3.00am Azerbaijan v Germany
3.00am San Marino v Czech Republic
5.45am Northern Ireland v Norway

Group D Standings after Matchday 4:
1 Ireland 4 3 1 0 7 3 +4 10
2 Serbia 4 2 2 0 9 5 +4 8
3 Wales 4 1 3 0 8 4 +4 6
4 Austria 4 1 1 2 6 7 -1 4
5 Georgia 4 0 2 2 3 5 -2 2
6 Moldova 4 0 1 3 2 11 -9 1

Matchday 5 - Saturday March 25th (AEDT):
4.00am Georgia v Serbia
6.45am Austria v Moldova
6.45am Ireland v Wales

Group E Standings after Matchday 4:
1 Poland 4 3 1 0 10 5 +5 10
2 Montenegro 4 2 1 1 9 4 +5 7
3 Denmark 4 2 0 2 7 5 +2 6
4 Romania 4 1 2 1 6 4 +2 5
5 Armenia 4 1 0 3 4 10 - 6 3
6 Kazakhstan 4 0 2 2 3 11 -8 2

Matchday 5 - Monday March 27th (AEDT):
3.00am Armenia v Kazakhstan
5.45am Montenegro v Poland
5.45am Romania v Denmark

Group F Standings after Matchday 4:
1 England 4 3 1 0 6 0 +6 10
2 Slovenia 4 2 2 0 4 2 +2 8
3 Slovakia 4 2 0 2 7 2 +5 6
4 Lithuania 4 1 2 1 5 7 -2 5
5 Scotland 4 1 1 2 6 8 -2 4
6 Malta 4 0 0 4 1 10 -9 0

Matchday 5 - Monday March 27th (AEDT):
3.00am England v Lithuania
5.45am Malta v Slovakia
5.45am Scotland v Slovenia

Group G Standings after Matchday 4:
1 Spain 4 3 1 0 15 1 +14 10
2 Italy 4 3 1 0 11 4 +7 10
3 Israel 4 3 0 1 8 5 +3 9
4 Albania 4 2 0 2 4 6 -2 6
5 Macedonia 4 0 0 4 4 11 -7 0
6 Liechtenstein 4 0 0 4 1 16 -15 0

Matchday 5 - Saturday March 25th (AEDT):
6.45am Italy v Albania
6.45am Liechtenstein v Macedonia
6.45am Spain v Israel

Group H Standings after Matchday 4:
1 Belgium 4 4 0 0 21 1 +20 12
2 Greece 4 3 1 0 9 2 +7 10
3 Bosnia Herzegovina 4 2 1 1 8 5 3 +7
4 Cyprus 4 1 0 3 3 8 -5 3
5 Estonia 4 1 0 3 5 15 -10 3
6 Gibraltar 4 0 0 4 2 17 -15 0

Matchday 5 - Sunday March 26th (AEDT):
4.00am Bosnia Herzegovina v Gibraltar
4.00am Cyprus v Estonia
6.45am Belgium v Greece

Group I Standings after Matchday 4:
1 Croatia 4 3 1 0 10 1 +9 10
2 Ukraine 4 2 2 0 7 3 +4 8
3 Iceland 4 2 1 1 6 5 +1 7
4 Turkey 4 1 2 1 5 5 +0 5
5 Finland 4 0 1 3 3 6 -3 1
6 Kosovo 4 0 1 3 1 12 -11 1

Matchday 5 - Saturday March 25th (AEDT):
4.00am Turkey v Finland
6.45am Croatia v Ukraine
6.45am Kosovo v Iceland

Bulgaria leading Netherlands 2:0. The Dutch are in massive trouble. 

Bulgaria defeat the Netherlands. The Dutch are in so much trouble. 

UEFA standings as of March 26th,

Group A:
1 France 5 4 1 0 10 3 +7 13
2 Sweden 5 3 1 1 10 3 +7 10
3 Bulgaria 5 3 0 2 8 10 −2 9
4 Netherlands 5 2 1 2 8 6 +2 7 
5 Belarus 5 0 2 3 2 10 −8 2
6 Luxembourg 5 0 1 4 6 12 −6 1
 
Matchday 6:
Belarus v Bulgaria
Netherlands v Luxembourg
Sweden v France
 
Group B:
1 Switzerland 5 5 0 0 10 3 +7 15
2 Portugal 5 4 0 1 19 3 +16 12
3 Hungary 5 2 1 2 8 6 +2 7
4 Faroe Islands 5 1 2 2 2 8 −6 5
5 Latvia 5 1 0 4 2 9 −7 3
6 Andorra 5 0 1 4 1 13 −12 1
 
Matchday 6:
Andorra v Hungary
Faroe Islands v Switzerland
Latvia v Portugal
 
Group C:
1 Germany 5 5 0 0 20 1 +19 15
2 Northern Ireland 5 3 1 1 10 2 +8 10
3 Czech Republic 5 2 2 1 8 4 +4 8
4 Azerbaijan 5 2 1 2 3 8 −5 7  1–4
5 Norway 5 1 0 4 5 9 −4 3
6 San Marino 5 0 0 5 1 23 −22 0
 
Matchday 6:
Azerbaijan v Northern Ireland
Germany v San Marino
Norway v Czech Republic
 
Group D:
1 Serbia 5 3 2 0 12 6 +6 11
2 Republic of Ireland 5 3 2 0 7 3 +4 11
3 Wales 5 1 4 0 8 4 +4 7
4 Austria 5 2 1 2 8 7 +1 7
5 Georgia 5 0 2 3 4 8 −4 2
6 Moldova 5 0 1 4 2 13 −11 1
 
Matchday 6:
Moldova v Georgia
Republic of Ireland v Austria
Serbia v Wales
 
Group E:
1 Poland 5 4 1 0 12 6 +6 13
2 Montenegro 5 2 1 2 10 6 +4 7
3 Denmark 5 2 1 2 7 5 +2 7
4 Romania 5 1 3 1 6 4 +2 6
5 Armenia 5 2 0 3 6 10 −4 6
6 Kazakhstan 5 0 2 3 3 13 −10 2
 
Matchday 6:
Kazakhstan v Denmark
Montenegro v Armenia
Poland v Romania
 
Group F:
1 England 5 4 1 0 8 0 +8 13
2 Slovakia 5 3 0 2 10 3 +7 9
3 Slovenia 5 2 2 1 4 3 +1 8
4 Scotland 5 2 1 2 7 8 −1 7
5 Lithuania 5 1 2 2 5 9 −4 5
6 Malta 5 0 0 5 2 13 −11 0
 
Matchday 6:
Scotland v England
Slovenia v Malta
Lithuania v Slovakia
 
Group G:
1 Spain 5 4 1 0 19 2 +17 13
2 Italy 5 4 1 0 13 4 +9 13
3 Israel 5 3 0 2 9 9 0 9
4 Albania 5 2 0 3 4 8 −4 6
5 Macedonia 5 1 0 4 7 11 −4 3
6 Liechtenstein 5 0 0 5 1 19 −18 0
 
Matchday 6:
Israel v Albania
Italy v Liechtenstein
Macedonia v Spain
 
Group H:
1 Belgium 5 4 1 0 22 2 +20 13
2 Greece 5 3 2 0 10 3 +7 11
3 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5 3 1 1 13 5 +8 10
4 Cyprus 5 1 1 3 3 8 −5 4
5 Estonia 5 1 1 3 5 15 −10 4
6 Gibraltar 5 0 0 5 2 22 −20 0
 
Matchday 6:
Bosnia and Herzegovina v Greece
Estonia v Belgium
Gibraltar v Cyprus
 
Group I:
1 Croatia 5 4 1 0 11 1 +10 13
2 Iceland 5 3 1 1 8 6 +2 10
3 Ukraine 5 2 2 1 7 4 +3 8
4 Turkey 5 2 2 1 7 5 +2 8
5 Finland 5 0 1 4 3 8 −5
6 Kosovo 5 0 1 4 2 14 −12 1
 
Matchday 6:
Finland v Ukraine
Iceland v Croatia
Kosovo v Turkey

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4847444/Croatia-vs-Kosovo-World-Cup-tie-abandoned-25-mins.html

Russia + Belgium two clear teams in Europe.

Germany + France + Poland + Spain + Croatia can be clear to 2018 next game.

Apart from Russia and Belgium, who have already qualified, the only teams I see that are clear are Germany (Group C), Serbia (Group D), England (Group F) and Spain (Group G) as they can all lose one of their last two games and qualify.

France's stumble against Luxembourg in Group A means they have to win their last two game against Bulgaria and Belarus to assure themselves of qualification. A draw to either team would mean Sweden could take top spot.

Group B will be decided on the last day and come down to whether Switzerland can avoid defeat in Portugal.

Poland (Group E) are in a comfortable position just needing 4 points to qualify. They will be hoping the Montenegro v Denmark game ends in a draw otherwise they will need a result on the last day at home against Montenegro.

Croatia (Group I) will have to win against Finland and avoid defeat against Ukraine unless Iceland manage to defeat Turkey in which case they will need to win both games.

Germany, England and Spain have joined Belgium as the 4 confirmed qualifiers after EUFA WCQ MD9 matches, while Switzerland and Poland are guaranteed to join them provided they manage either draws or wins on the last Match Day and France, Portugal (against Switzerland), Serbia and Iceland similarly if they can win on the last match day. Other teams will have to do the business and rely on other results to secure a direct ticket to Russia.

As far as playoffs go there are a huge number of scenarios with Italy the only team 100% locked in at the moment while the 9th ranked 2nd placed EUFA team "short straw" remains up for grabs for the time being. 

Group F currently appears to be the most likely group to fill that slot but that changes massively if Scotland can win away to Slovenia and take 2nd with 20pts (14 pts counted for the tiebraker) on Monday morning Oz East coast time.  Scotland would be safe (higher ranked than the Group H 2nd place team) and really start to put pressure on other teams such as Croatia and Ukraine (Group I), and Serbia, Wales and Ireland (Group D).

Greece (Group H) are playing Gibraltar and they need to get a result if B-H win against Estonia, however their likely 2nd placed ranking won't be affected by the MD10 result so there is a possibility they could miss the playoffs even if they win that one by a big margin.  However it is quite likely they will be OK as long as they secure 2nd place in the group.

Seeded:
Switzerland
Italy
Croatia
Denmark

Unseeded:
Northern Ireland
Sweden
Ireland
Greece

I thought it was based on FIFA rankings released right before the draw?

latest FIFA Rankings when it'll be released on Monday.

11. Switzerland 1135
15. Italy 1066
19. Croatia 1013
20. Denmark 1001

23. Northern Ireland 889
25. Sweden 872
26. Ireland 866
47. Greece 682

Pity.
Ireland vs Northern Ireland would've been a belter of a fixture.