Big teams will have to be ruthless on road to Russia

Euro 2016 has only just drawn to a close but 2018 World Cup qualifying starts on September 4 and the big guns will have to hit the ground running if they are to avoid getting into trouble.

This summer has raised the expectations of some nations – think Iceland and Wales – and lowered those of others, such as England and Spain, but how much of a bearing should the last six weeks of action have on punting attitudes to the Uefa World Cup qualifying heats which feature a record 54 teams?

Russia begin the two-year process of preparing to host the tournament but just 13 European qualifying berths are up for grabs, meaning that at least ten of the 24 teams who featured at Euro 2016 will not be competing for the title of world champions in 2018.