France Laurent Blanc has criticised his side's exclusion from the top European seeds in the 2014 World Cup qualifying draw after they landed in the same group as champions Spain.

Blanc's men will also face Belarus, Georgia and Finland after being drawn in Group I but, as World Cup winners in 1998 and runners-up in 2006, the coach is unsure why Les Bleus are ranked so low.
""I don't know why France are in the second group, why Greece, Norway and Croatia are ranked higher,"" Blanc told reporters. ""We had to face one of the top (seeded) teams, and we got the biggest.
""We should have been in the first group - and now we have drawn the best team of the last World Cup, but then, you have no choice.""
France were upset by Belarus 1-0 in Paris in September before a 1-1 draw in Minsk last month, but Blanc tried focus on the positive side of being in the only one of the nine European groups to have five rather than six teams.
""It's two matches less. In the calendar that can have its importance,'' he said. ''The best international players play in the best clubs so they also play in European competitions.
""If you only focus on Spain, you'd say 'it's impossible, it's a very difficult group' but the first team qualifies and so do the best second-placed teams. It's not a disadvantage to be second& Logic would say we'd take (second) among the five teams.''
Blanc also admitted that he was actually relished the prospect of facing old rivals Spain.
""It will be a beautiful match because ... to face the best is always enriching,"" he added.
FIFA bases their seeding on the world rankings, with France in 10th place among the European teams.
The fact that they were in Pot 2 means that, with only the group winners assured of an automatic place in the finals, one of Spain or France will most likely have to qualify through a two-leg European playoffs to reach the World Cup.
(Source: Soccernet)