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Australia will face a dream opening date with holders France should they make it to the World Cup finals in Qatar.

The Socceroos were drawn on Friday in a difficult - and eerily familiar-looking -group D alongside the 2018 world champions as well as Denmark and Tunisia, but they have to first get through two tough play-off ties in June.

Remarkably, they also played both Denmark and France in the 2018 group stages in Russia, losing 2-1 to the eventual champions and drawing 1-1 with the Danes as they ended up being eliminated at the bottom of the group.

Of course, though, it's far from a done deal that Australia will even make it to the big show at all.

Graham Arnold's side must first beat the United Arab Emirates in the Asian play-off in Doha on June 7 and then Peru in the inter-continental play-off a week later, just to make it to the end-of-year finals.

But if Australia, currently ranked 42nd in the world, can successfully negotiate those two one-off 'finals' - a big ask on the strength of their recent unconvincing form - they will be the first opponents for France on Tuesday, November 22 as the world's No.3 side and two-time champions set out on their title defence.

The Socceroos would then play 35th-ranked Tunisia, traditionally one of Africa's strongest sides, on Saturday, November 26 with the final group match being on Wednesday, November 30 against 11th-ranked Denmark.

That may mean another date with Christian Eriksen, who scored against Australia in 2018, should he again feature in the Danes' squad following his remarkable comeback after nearly dying on the pitch at the European Championships.

The times and venues for the fixtures will be decided later this month, as FIFA tries to allocate matches to prime broadcast slots for viewers in a team's home country.

New Zealand, who must also first try to win a tough inter-continental play-off against Costa Rica as they seek to qualify, have been drawn in their own hellish 'group of death' with former winners Spain and Germany, as well as Japan.

The most competitive preliminary, in truth, looks set to be Group G which puts five-times World Cup winners Brazil against Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.

Other highlights of Friday's draw in the Qatari capital Doha, where France coach Didier Deschamps was on hand clutching the World Cup itself, include the US facing England and Iran in a highly-charged group B, which will also feature the winners of the European play-off featuring Wales, Scotland and Ukraine.

It means there's potential for the first-ever 'battle of Britain', as England have never played either Wales or their oldest rivals Scotland in a World Cup finals.

There will also be some delicious head-to-heads.

Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski - holders of the Ballon d'Or and FIFA Best player in the world awards, respectively - will meet in group C as Argentina play Poland.

Group H will feature Luis Suarez's reunion with Ghana for the first time since the infamous 2010 quarter-final when the Uruguayan was sent off for punching away an almost certain extra-time winner for the African side.

Cristiano Ronaldo will also open his fifth straight finals for Portugal in that group against Ghana.

The tournament will run from November 21 to December 18, the first time the trophy's been competed for in the Middle East, with Qatar opening proceedings against Ecuador.

The draw:

Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands,

Group B: England, Iran, USA, Scotland or Wales or Ukraine

Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland

Group D: France, Peru or UAE or Australia, Denmark, Tunisia

Group E: Spain, Costa Rica or NZ, Germany, Japan

Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia

Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon

Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, Korea

© AAP 2022

Windy weather and high tides are forecast for NSW over the first weekend of April after record rainfall last month.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued weather warnings for damaging winds affecting southern and central parts of the state on Saturday, along with hazardous surf and abnormally high tides, as residents in the north rebuild again as flood levels recede.

Moderate to heavy rainfalls are likely along the south coast but exact amounts will depend on the movement of the Tasman low pressure system.

But the winds will ease on Sunday as the low moves further south, with Sydney expected to be sunny for a few days next week.

Lismore Council is advising residents not to travel to the city's CBD to allow the SES to remove hazardous materials.

The Council said a one-stop shop recovery centre for flood victims helping with accommodation, providing financial assistance and offering mental health services will reopen following the latest round of floods.

© AAP 2022

There's an extra hour of sleep coming up for people in some eastern Australian states as daylight saving comes to an end.

At 3am Sunday NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT wind the clock back an hour to join Queensland in the same time zone.

The change means South Australia will run half an hour behind the east coast.

Changing the time does not immediately change the body's internal clock, Flinders University sleep health researcher Nicole Lovato said.

"After the transition off daylight saving time, the circadian rhythm is an hour out of sync, it can feel a bit like mild jet lag. You are likely to feel sleepy earlier than usual and wake up earlier than normal," she said.

The symptoms should only last one to two days as the body's rhythm syncs with the new standard time, Dr Lovato added.

Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not have daylight saving.

The next daylight saving is due to start on the first Sunday in October.

© AAP 2022