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GENEVA — FIFA is preparing a more complicated draw for the European World Cup qualifying groups, giving greater weight to the upcoming UEFA Nations League rather than relying solely on world rankings. The new system will see the list of top-seeded teams for the 12 groups made up of the eight Nations League quarterfinalists plus the four top-ranked teams among those who don't make the last eight of the UEFA competition. That means when the draw is held in December, only placeholder names will be used for the top-seeded teams in each group as the Nations League program will still be underway. The quarterfinals are not completed until March 23, meaning teams will have to wait three months to find out their full slate of qualifying opponents.
