The road to the 2018 World Cup in Russia will start on Thursday as 209 nations have to be cut down to a manageable number. Each of the nations involved in preliminary qualifying get around £200,000 to cover flights, accommodation and logistics.

On Thursday, six two-legged ties begin and will be concluded on 17 March, they are: India v Nepal; Yemen v Pakistan; Timor-Leste v Mongolia; Cambodia v Macau; Chinese Taipei v Brunei Darussalam; and Sri Lanka v Bhutan.