Olympics over, World Cup qualifying to look forward to

Day -661. WorldCup2018

For a crazy sports fan this could be the start of another daily count: first day post-Olympics. First day is always the hardest, right? It will get better.

So what to look forward to? September 1st. World Cup qualifying starts again with matches in Asia and South America. Australia kick off round 3 of qualifying with a home match against Iraq, hoping that it is the start of another smooth run to the World Cup. Being Asian has been good for Australia.

In South America, can the euphoria of Brazil's Olympic gold medal carry over into a must-not-lose match away to Ecuador. Brazil cannot afford to lose any more points or it won't be long before all their matches become must-win. And Argentina play Uruguay where the question is will Lionel Messi definitely be back from his short retirement?

On September 4th what many of us think is the real competition starts: European qualifying. Will the traditional powerhouses be back to their best, or will the Icelands of Europe be able to maintain their surprise status. Or are they are even surprises anymore? Maybe more of the minnows will feel inspired and will be minnows no more. Apart from the interest in how Sam Allardyce's England look against Slovakia, my eyes will be on Scotland's quest to avoid an opening day upset in Malta, hoping that the Scots do indeed suffer another embarrassing defeat.