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EUROPEAN countries will be drawn into NINE groups, with winners qualifying automatically and eight best runners-up playing off for four other places. Euro nations will be split into six seeded pots, with one team from each drawn into each group. Pots with the lowest seeds will be drawn first while pots with the top seeds, like England, will be drawn at around 8.40pm BST. AFRICA have five places for the finals. After a preliminary round, 40 teams contest 10 groups of four teams each. ASIA have 4.5 finals spots. An initial competition sees 10 of 43 countries in two groups with winners and runners-up qualifying and third-placed teams facing off to make the inter-continental play-off. CONCACAF have 3.5 places for the finals. Three qualifying rounds will leave six teams from 35 to face off on a league basis. The top three qualify and the fourth-placed team go into the inter-continental play-off. OCEANIA have 0.5 places and the 11 countries play preliminary games to produce a final group of four. The winner qualifies for the intercontinental play-off. SOUTH AMERICA have 4.5 places for the finals with hosts Brazil qualifying automatically. Nine countries play in one league with the top four qualifying and the fifth going to the inter- continental play-off.