A B C D
E F G H
Italy drawn to face Russia in playoffs
ZURICH (AP) -- Italy, which missed out on qualifying for the 1998 World Cup soccer tournament by playing a scoreless tie against England in its final opportunity, will face Russia in the playoffs for the last four European spots.The other playoff pairings, announced Monday by FIFA, soccer's world governing body, are Croatia versus Ukraine, Ireland versus Belgium and Hungary versus Yugoslavia.
The teams will meet Oct. 29 and Nov. 15 or Nov. 16, with the venues to be decided.
The winners will be determined on the basis of aggregate goals for the two matches, with ties to be decided in sudden-death overtime.
The 1998 World Cup will be held in France.
NEXT ROUNDS: Round of 16 || Quarter-finals || Semi-finals
GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan