The 32 teams will be divided into four pots with the seven top-ranked teams plus hosts Russia in pot one, the next eight-ranked teams in pot two and so on.
Germany will be in pot one, Switzerland in pot two, Australia in pot 4.
How will the draw work?
Each first-round group will consist of one team from each pot, determined by the draw. FIFA says the only geographical constraint will be that no group can include two teams from the same continent, with the exception of Europe.
In theory, Australia could draw Germany, Spain and Costa Rica - ouch!
Or it could play Poland, Croatia, and Tunisia - much easier.
The first two teams of each group will qualify for the round of the last 16, and so on.
Bring it on!
The 2018 FIFA World Cup runs from 14 June to 15 July. SBS Radio has the broadcast rights to ALL the matches. SBS TV will show a selection of matches, including all the finals.
And this is how the 32 teams have been grouped for the 1 December draw in Moscow:
Pot 1: Russia, Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland, France
Pot 2: Spain, Peru, Switzerland, England, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay, Croatia
Pot 3: Denmark, Iceland, Costa Rica, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Iran
Pot 4: Serbia, Nigeria, Australia, Japan, Morocco, Panama, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
