Germany look heavy favourites to top this group and should do quite comfortably based on the performances we’ve seen from Julian Naglesmann’s side, since the former Bayern and RB Leipzig boss took over. Germany recently battled past Italy to reach the semi-finals of the Nations League and also put in a decent account of themselves in the European Championship last summer, only going out to eventual winners Spain.

Luxembourg, Northern Ireland and Slovakia join them in Group A which on paper looks quite a straightforward group to navigate, based on the superior quality Germany have over these sides. Germany didn’t have to qualify for the European Championship last summer as the host nation, so this will be Julian Naglesmann’s first experience of a qualification period but he’s unlikely to face many complications in guiding Germany to the top of this group.

Sweden will be looking to right the wrongs of their European Championship qualification run, in which they missed out on the tournament in a group where Austria and Belgium took the top spots. Sweden should have really featured at the tournament as the 27th ranked side in world football and with the quality they possess throughout the side, particularly in forward areas.

Alexander Isak and Victor Gyokeres usually feature as a front two for Sweden, which gives them serious firepower heading into these qualification games which the other sides in the group will struggle to deal with. They’re joined by Kosovo, Slovenia and Switzerland in Group B which is a group that looks more balanced than the majority of the groups in the qualifying stage, but Sweden could have the edge with their significant scoring power.

This group is likely to go down to a battle between Sweden and Switzerland for top spot, Switzerland have more recent experience on the international stage but were quite fortunate with their group during the qualification period for the European Championship, with Romania actually topping that group and the Swiss finishing just two points above Israel to qualify.

Denmark will be optimistic about their chances of topping this group in which they are joined by Scotland, Greece and Belarus. Belarus are likely to finish rock bottom of the group which leaves Denmark, Scotland and Greece battling for the top spots. Of these sides, Denmark are the best equipped to battle through a qualification period.

Scotland were excellent in battling their way through the European Championship qualifiers, to finish second in the group only behind Spain who went on to win the whole tournament – Steve Clarke’s side are still the last side to beat Spain in a competitive game, showing they can battle against Europe’s elite. Denmark comfortably topped their group during qualifying for the European Championship, winning seven of their 10 games.

Greece could be the surprise package of the qualifying stage, they were unlucky in being drafted in a group with both France and Netherlands to qualify for the European Championship, but are faced with a more balanced group here which could see them run close to qualification. They showed they can compete at this level in their Nations League victory against England last year, but Denmark have the experience and quality to fight off these nations at this level and qualify for the World Cup.

This should be another straightforward group for France, despite the issues that Didier Deschamps has been having in truly extracting the attacking quality from this incredibly talented French side. They’re joined by Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Iceland in Group D – none of these sides should cause France any major problems as they look to qualify for the World Cup again having recently lifted the trophy in 2018.

France waltzed through qualifying for the European Championship, ending the campaign unbeaten scoring 29 goals and only conceding three in the process. This dominance is likely to be replicated here with a significant gap in World Ranking as well as squad quality between Didier Deschamps’ side and the others in the group.

Spain are the reigning European Championship winners and head into this qualification period looking to establish a period of dominance in international football, similar to the Spain side of the early 2010s. They should come through this group quite comfortably seeing as they only lost one game in qualifying for the European Championship, and that remains the last time this Spain side tasted defeat on the international stage.

They’re joined by Turkey, Georgia and Bulgaria in what will be a competitive group for those sides, but Spain should be a level above that scrap. Turkey are likely to be their biggest challengers in this group, but Georgia also showed plenty of resolve at the European Championship last summer to suggest that they could spring a surprise in this group, but not at the expense of a dominant Spain side who are one of the early favourites to lift the trophy next summer.

Roberto Martinez is still have teething problems in getting the most out of his side at the very top level of international football, but these qualifiers are often routine for Portugal. They were the strongest side in qualifying for the European Championship last summer winning all 10 of their games by an aggregate score of 36-2.

They were unable to replicate this level of dominance in the actual tournament where they looked like a side that ran out of ideas in the final third, which is surprising considering the creative and attacking players they have in the squad. They’re joined by Hungary, Ireland and Armenia in Group F which offers them another opportunity to have a relatively straightforward qualification period, which they will hope will translate to a more successful campaign at the actual tournament.

This group is really interesting, Netherlands stand out as a side that can power their way through to the World Cup next summer. Netherlands are joined by Lithuania, Finland, Poland and Malta in Group G in which there is a clear gap between the top two sides in this group and the rest of the crowd.

This should see a straight shootout between Poland and Netherlands for top spot in this group, with whoever misses out having a strong likelihood of beating out the other sides in this qualifying period. Poland have already got their qualifying campaign off to a positive start with two wins from their opening two games against Lithuania and Malta, they were dominant in these games showcasing the platform they’ll be given in this group up against sides that don’t have much recent experience at all at this level of international football. However, Netherlands showed in their competitive Nations League tie recently with Spain as well as their run to the semi finals of the European Championship last summer, that they will take some beating to top spot.

Ralf Rangnick’s side caught the attention of many with their performances at the European Championship last summer. The intense pressing strategy combined with a front-footed style of play when on the ball makes them an exciting team to watch, and incredibly effective at this level of international competition.

Their biggest threat in this group will be Romania who actually topped their group in qualifying for the European Championship last summer and will fancy their chances of beating off Bosnia, Cyprus and San Marino to rival Austria. However, Austria should have too much for the rest of the group given their quality and performance at the last major tournament in which they gave themselves a platform to build on for the World Cup next summer.

Austria finished second in their group during qualifying for the European Championship, only finishing one point behind Belgium. Given the absence of a European heavyweight in their qualifying group, Austria should be able to comfortably come out on top with only Romania having the international experience in recent years to cause them any issues in this group.

Italy squeezed through the most recent qualifying period to make it to the European Championship, finishing second in the group behind England but level on points with Ukraine, only a superior goal difference saw Italy qualify for the tournament, but Luciano Spalletti’s side are building towards being a more consistent side on the international stage as they showed in their Nations League performance last year.

They’re joined by Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova in Group I which is a group made up of sides that have underachieved in international competition in recent years, especially Italy and Norway who have the talent to regularly reach the knockout stages of international competition, but haven’t always showcased this ability on the biggest stage with Norway, in particular, struggling to get past the qualifying stage in recent campaigns.

Italy and Norway are the best sides in this group when it comes to player quality, but Italy should be able to fight off Norway through their superior experience of recent international tournaments. Their qualifying stage shouldn’t be as tense as it was for the European Championship last time out, which should see Italy book their place at the World Cup next year.

Craig Bellamy has revolutionised the atmosphere around this Wales side, they won their opening game of World Cup qualification with a 3-1 win over Kazakhstan which built on their positive Nations League performance in which they topped their group, fighting off the likes of Turkey and Iceland.

Wales and Kazakhstan are joined by Belgium, North Macedonia and Liechtenstein in a group which looks to be a battle between Wales and Belgium for top spot.

Wales could top this group, even after drawing with North Macedonia last time out, Belgium are in a period of transition having recently appointed a new coach and many of their stars of recent seasons reaching the latter stages of their careers.

Thomas Tuchel’s England side have got off to a solid start in qualifying for next year’s tournament, winning both of their opening games against Latvia and Albania with no real issues. Only Serbia really look like they could cause England some problems in this qualifying stage but even they will struggle with the firepower and depth of this England side.

England topped their qualifying group to reach the European Championship last summer, finishing ahead of the likes of Italy and Ukraine. Qualifying under Gareth Southgate for a major tournament was never an issue, England reached every major tournament under Southgate’s tutelage which may look easy given the quality littered throughout the England side, but previous England sides have faced rocky qualifying periods – this shouldn’t be one of them.

Albania and Serbia are probably the best of the rest in this group, but both of those sides should be battling behind England, who have already made a strong start to qualification.

Croatia are the only European heavyweight in this group in which they are joined by Czechia, Montenegro, Faroe Islands and Gibraltar. Faroe Islands and Gibraltar are pretty much making up the numbers in the group when looking at their recent performances in qualifying stages for these international tournaments, leaving Czechia, Montenegro and Croatia to battle it out for two places.

Croatia are certainly the best placed of these sides when looking at their recent international pedigree, Zlatko Dalic’s side came through a much more competitive group in qualifying for the European Championship, battling against Wales and Turkey on that occasion. They won’t have to expend as much energy in coming through this group given the superior quality they have over the other sides here.