Only 32 teams can compete for the World Cup from South Africa in 2010 and one of those we already know and the journey for that prize begun for all nations on November 25th when the preliminary draw for the 2010 World Cup took place in Durban, South Africa.
The purpose of the draw was to fairly split the countries from the four regions, Asia, Africa, Europe and North, Central America and Caribbean, into competing qualifying groups for the 2010 World Cup.
South America and Oceania do things a little differently and we'll explain that in more detail on their pages.
It's also worth nothing that not all groups do things the same way. For example, what happens in Europe, while achieving the same end result as every other qualifying group, isn't the way it's done in North, Central America and Caribbean. The format is slightly different and you will be forgiven for not grasping it straight away.
You can select a World Cup 2010 qualifying group by clicking on the link above or below and see where your country got placed. As and when the match schedules get published we will, if we are allowed, list the matches here also.
Otherwise, there really is only one place to go if you want all the official news; www.fifa.com.
The purpose of the draw was to fairly split the countries from the four regions, Asia, Africa, Europe and North, Central America and Caribbean, into competing qualifying groups for the 2010 World Cup.
South America and Oceania do things a little differently and we'll explain that in more detail on their pages.
It's also worth nothing that not all groups do things the same way. For example, what happens in Europe, while achieving the same end result as every other qualifying group, isn't the way it's done in North, Central America and Caribbean. The format is slightly different and you will be forgiven for not grasping it straight away.
You can select a World Cup 2010 qualifying group by clicking on the link above or below and see where your country got placed. As and when the match schedules get published we will, if we are allowed, list the matches here also.
Otherwise, there really is only one place to go if you want all the official news; www.fifa.com.
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Group: Africa
The 48 qualifiers will be split into 12 groups of 4 teams. These teams will play a full round-robin in 2008, with the 12 groups winners and 8 best runners-up advancing to the second group round.
For the first time since 1934, the host nation will also take part in the qualifying stage. However, South Africa will also automatically qualify, regardless of where they finish.
Group 1: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Tanzania, Mauritius
Group 2: Guinea, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya
Group 3: Angola, Benin, Uganda, Niger
Group 4: Nigeria, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone
Group 5: Ghana, Libya, Gabon, Lesotho
Group 6: Senegal, Algeria, Liberia, Gambia
Group 7: Côte d'Ivoire, Mozambique, Botswana, Madagascar
Group 8: Morocco, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Mauritania
Group 9: Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Seychelles
Group 10: Mali, Congo, Sudan, Chad
Group 11: Togo, Zambia, Eritrea, Swaziland
Group 12: Egypt, Congo DR, Malawi, Djibouti
The 20 teams that qualify will be split into five mini groups of four teams. The winners of each group will qualify for the World Cup. As an added bonus the top three in each group will also qualify for the African Cup of Nations.
If South Africa advance to this stage the points will only count towards the 2010 African Cup of Nations qualifiers and not the 2010 World Cup.
If Angola advance to the second stage then all teams in the group will automatically advance to 2010 African Cup of Nations.
For the first time since 1934, the host nation will also take part in the qualifying stage. However, South Africa will also automatically qualify, regardless of where they finish.
Group 1: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Tanzania, Mauritius
Group 2: Guinea, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya
Group 3: Angola, Benin, Uganda, Niger
Group 4: Nigeria, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone
Group 5: Ghana, Libya, Gabon, Lesotho
Group 6: Senegal, Algeria, Liberia, Gambia
Group 7: Côte d'Ivoire, Mozambique, Botswana, Madagascar
Group 8: Morocco, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Mauritania
Group 9: Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Seychelles
Group 10: Mali, Congo, Sudan, Chad
Group 11: Togo, Zambia, Eritrea, Swaziland
Group 12: Egypt, Congo DR, Malawi, Djibouti
The 20 teams that qualify will be split into five mini groups of four teams. The winners of each group will qualify for the World Cup. As an added bonus the top three in each group will also qualify for the African Cup of Nations.
If South Africa advance to this stage the points will only count towards the 2010 African Cup of Nations qualifiers and not the 2010 World Cup.
If Angola advance to the second stage then all teams in the group will automatically advance to 2010 African Cup of Nations.
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Group: Europe
The nine group winners will automatically qualify for the 2010 World Cup and the eight best second placed teams will contest home and away play-off matches for the remaining four places.
In determining the rank of the second placed teams, only results against those finishing 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th will be counted.
Group 1: Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary, Albania, Malta
Group 2: Greece, Israel, Switzerland, Moldova, Latvia, Luxembourg
Group 3: Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino
Group 4: Germany, Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein
Group 5: Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Armenia, Estonia
Group 6: Croatia, England, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Andorra
Group 7: France, Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria, Faroe Islands
Group 8: Italy, Bulgaria, Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia, Montenegro
Group 9: Holland, Scotland, Norway, FYR Macedonia, Iceland
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Group: Asia
Twenty teams have made it to this stage and they were split into four pots of five teams. Of those four pots, five qualifying groups will be created where each country will play home and away. The teams which finish first and second in their group qualify for the next round.
The matches will take place on the following match days;
6th February 2008
26th March 2008
20th August 2008
11th October 2008
15th October 2008
19th November 2008
Group 1: Australia, China PR, Iraq, Qatar
Group 2: Japan, Bahrain, Oman, Thailand
Group 3: Korea Republic, Korea DPR, Jordan, Turkmenistan
Group 4: Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, Singapore
Group 5: Iran, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Syria
Group 2: Japan, Bahrain, Oman, Thailand
Group 3: Korea Republic, Korea DPR, Jordan, Turkmenistan
Group 4: Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, Singapore
Group 5: Iran, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Syria
In the next round, the ten remaining teams will be drawn into two groups of five teams. The teams in each group play each other twice, home and away. The top 2 teams in each group will qualify for the World Cup finals in South Africa.
Fifth Place meets Oceania Group Winner
The two teams finishing 3rd in the last group stage play each other for 5th place. The winner will be the team with the highest aggregate score over two legs. These play off matches are scheduled for 10 October 2009 and 14 October 2009.
The 5th place team will then play the winner of the Oceania qualification group in a home and away play-off. The winner of this play-off will qualify for the World Cup finals.
The matches are scheduled for 14 November 2009 and 21 November 2009.
Fifth Place meets Oceania Group Winner
The two teams finishing 3rd in the last group stage play each other for 5th place. The winner will be the team with the highest aggregate score over two legs. These play off matches are scheduled for 10 October 2009 and 14 October 2009.
The 5th place team will then play the winner of the Oceania qualification group in a home and away play-off. The winner of this play-off will qualify for the World Cup finals.
The matches are scheduled for 14 November 2009 and 21 November 2009.
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Group: South America
There are ten teams playing eighteen rounds of football, all for for 4.5 places in the World Cup finals in 2010.
Matches are arranged so that there are always two games within a week, which is aimed at minimizing player travel time.
The top four countries in the final standings will qualify automatically for the 2010 World Cup. The 5th placed country will meet a team from North, Central American, and the Caribbean in a two-legged play-off for a place in the World Cup finals.
For an up to date league table and fixture list visit www.fifa.com.
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Group: North, Central American, and the Caribbean
There will be two preliminary rounds which will reduce the 35 entrants, first to 24 teams and then 12; Round 1 and Round 2.
This will then be followed by three semi-final groups of four teams. The top two in each semi-final group will advance to a final six team group.
The top three teams from the final group will qualify for the World Cup. The 4th place team will compete in a home-and-away play off match against the fifth-place team from the South America group.
The countries ranked 13 to 35 make up the teams for the first stage of the qualifying rounds. St. Vincent and the Grenadines go through to the second round automatically as they received a bye in round one.
Round 1 - Home and Away Match
Anguilla v El Salvador Aruba v Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas v British Virgin Islands Belize v Saint Kitts and Nevis Bermuda v Cayman Islands Dominica v Barbados Dominican Republic v Puerto Rico Netherlands Antilles v Nicaragua Suriname v Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands v Saint Lucia U.S. Virgin Islands v Grenada
Round 2 - Home and Away Match
USA v Barbados or Dominica Guatemala v Saint Lucia or Turks and Caicos Islands Trinidad and Tobago v Bermuda or Cayman Islands Aruba or Antigua and Barbuda v Cuba Belize or Saint Kitts and Nevis v Mexico Jamaica v Bahamas or British Virgin Islands Honduras v Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico Canada v Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Grenada or U.S. Virgin Islands v Costa Rica Montserrat or Suriname v Guyana Panama v Anguilla or El Salvador Haiti v Netherlands Antilles or Nicaragua
World Cup 2010 Qualifying Group: Oceania
Oceania is the only FIFA confederation that does not have an automatic place in the finals to take place in South Africa.
The winner of the qualification rounds will meet the fifth placed country from the Asia qualifying group on the 14th and 21st of November 2009.
The countries currently playing for this opportunity are as follows:
New Zealand
New Caledonia
Fiji
Vanuatu
To view a current league table visit www.fifa.com.
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