The top-seeded teams for the Dec. 5 World Cup tournament draw, including Germany but not Croatia, were set Wednesday when FIFA published new rankings the day after four continents completed qualifying.
Co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico will be joined in the pot of No. 1 seeds by top-ranked Spain, defending champion Argentina, France, England, Portugal, Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Croatia, a semifinalist in 2022 and beaten finalist by France in 2018, was edged down into pot 2 for the draw ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend.