The South American continent holds some of the most successful teams in FIFA World Cup history. With only 10 teams involved, the continent holds one of the more simple qualifying procedures in order to make it to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. However, with so many good teams in contention, the four guaranteed spots are very hotly contested.

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Draw Assistants: Ronaldo and Diego Forlan

Round One:

All ten teams will play in a single round robin series, where each pairing will play home and away games. These matches will be scheduled between September 2015 and October 2017.

According to the FIFA website, top ranked teams Argentina and Brazil have been seeded in the 4^th and 5^th position to ensure that no team will encounter both powerhouses on any double matchday.

The top four teams at the end of the round robin series will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

Here is the full list of member associations according to the order in which they were drawn:

1.      Colombia
2.      Chile
3.      Paraguay
4.      Argentina
5.      Brazil
6.      Ecuador
7.      Venezuela
8.      Bolivia
9.      Peru
10.    Uruguay

Round 2:

The fifth placed team will enter an Intercontinental Play-off with a team from Oceania.

Oceania Draw Results:

Draw Assistants: Alexey Smertin and Predrag Rajkovic

Round One:

The four lowest ranked teams will play in a single round robin group. The group winner will advance into the second round.

Round 2:

There are seven teams waiting in round 2. With the addition of the round 1 winner, eight teams will be competing in round 2. These teams have been drawn into two groups. After these groups play a round robin series, the fourth-placed team will be eliminated. The top three finishers from each group will advance to the third round.

Here are the round 2 groups:

Group A

1.    Tahiti
2.    New Caledonia
3.    Winner Round 1
4.    Papua New Guinea

Group B

1.     New Zealand
2.    Solomon Islands
3.    Fiji
4.    Vanuatu

Round 3:

The six remaining teams will be placed into two groups. These groups will play another round-robin, home and away series. The two group winners will face each other in a one-on-one home-and-away playoff.

The winner of Round 3 advances to the Intercontinental Play-offs against a South American team.

Teams from other continental federations in Europe, Africa, North, Central America and the Caribbean, also took part in the draw held last Saturday at the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg. The full results of the draw may be viewed in the FIFA website. 

Tags2018 FIFA World Cup, Russia, Preliminary Draw, Ronaldo, Argentina, Football, Qualifiers, south america, Oceania, new zealand