Youtube daily which Sep 4 2017

The hosts secure their spot at the tournament automatically but the rest of Europe is battling it out for 13 spots alongside them at the finals.

The likes of England and Germany are primed to follow Belgiums lead and book their place at next summers World Cup in Russia as European qualification heats up in the coming weeks.

As usual, Joachim Lows world champions have had few problems with their group thus far and currently boast a perfect record.

There could be a trickier path to the finals, however, for the likes of Spain and Italy, who are paired together in a group, and the Netherlands face an uphill struggle to reach even the second-place play-offs.

Goal has your complete guide to the current qualification picture as we edge nearer to the return of the biggest sporting event on the planet.

The 54 countries participating are split into nine groups of six.

The teams in each group play each other twice - once at home and once away. The nine first-place teams qualify directly for the World Cup finals.

The nine second-place teams are then ranked by points, but with the results of their games against the last-placed team in their group discarded (leaving eight games each).

The best eight teams on that basis are drawn at random into four two-legged play-off ties, with the ninth team eliminated. The winners of those ties also qualify for the World Cup finals.

The nine second-place teams from each group are ranked by points, but with the results of their games against the sixth-placed team in their group discarded.

Those points dont count because there were initially two groups of five teams until Kosovo and Gibraltar were admitted to UEFA.

UEFA subsequently decided not to change the rules despite the fact that the groups are now balanced.

The best eight teams on that basis will be drawn at random - there is no seeding - into four two-legged, home-and-away play-off ties, with the ninth team eliminated.

The winners of those ties will qualify for the World Cup finals.