2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Encyclopedia
The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA
confederations. Each confederation — the AFC
(Asia), CAF
(Africa), CONCACAF
(North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL
(South America), OFC
(Oceania), and UEFA
(Europe) — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament. A total of 205 teams entered the qualification competition, with South Africa
, as the host, qualifying for the World Cup automatically. The first qualification matches were played on 25 August 2007 and qualification concluded on 18 November 2009. Overall, 2337 goals were scored over 848 matches.
) and the Montenegro
team, which later became FIFA's 208th member. The final number of teams entered breaks the previous record of 199 entrants set during the 2002 FIFA World Cup
. Four FIFA members (all from the AFC
) failed to register for the tournament by 15 March 2007: Bhutan
, Brunei
, Laos
, and the Philippines
.
After the close of entries, Bhutan were allowed to enter and were included in the Asian preliminary draw, while Brunei and the Philippines had their late entries rejected.
However, five teams withdrew during qualifying without playing a match: Bhutan
, Central African Republic
, Eritrea
, Guam
, and São Tomé and Príncipe
. In addition, Papua New Guinea
failed to meet the registration deadline for the South Pacific Games (which was also the initial stage of the Oceania qualification) and took no part in qualification.
The following 32 teams qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
:
on 28 May 2007, but none was held.
Initial groups for the Oceania qualification were eventually held in Auckland
, New Zealand in early June, with preliminary draws for the Asian and African qualification announced in August.
The draw for the main 2010 World Cup qualifying groups was held in Durban
, South Africa on 25 November 2007. 34 teams had been eliminated before the actual draw — 6 from OFC, 5 from CAF and 23 from AFC — and CONMEBOL qualification also had started (no draw was required for this confederation, as all 10 members play in the same group, with the order of fixtures the same as for the 2006 qualification rounds). The 4 remaining teams from OFC had also started playing the final stage as a single group, and no draw was needed. Therefore, the draw of 25 November involved 156 FIFA members from the original 205 entries, divided as follows: UEFA–53 entries in draw; CAF–48 entries in draw (original 53 minus 5 preliminary round losers and withdrawals); AFC–20 entries in draw (original 43 minus 23 1st and 2nd round losers and withdrawals); and CONCACAF–35 entries in draw.
The distribution by confederation for the 2010 World Cup was:
UEFA and CAF have a guaranteed number of places, whereas the number of qualifiers from other confederations is dependent on play-offs between the highest placed teams in the qualification tournaments not guaranteed a place in the finals, with CONCACAF's fourth-place team facing CONMEBOL's fifth-placed team, and AFC's fifth-placed team facing the winner of the OFC.
As the host nation, South Africa
qualifies automatically. As in 2006
, the current cup holders – Italy
– did not qualify automatically.
This is a change from 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
, where results between tied teams was the first tiebreaker.
The CAF qualification process began with a preliminary round played on 13 October and 17 November 2007 to narrow the field to 48 teams, and then 12 groups of 4 teams were drawn in Durban in November 2007.
The 12 groups winners and 8 best runners-up advanced to the next stage. The procedure was complicated due to two of the groups being reduced to just 3 teams due to the withdrawal of Eritrea (before the commencement of the group) and the exclusion of Ethiopia (which saw all their results annulled). As a result, the comparison of the 12 runners-up did not include results against teams finishing fourth in 4-team groups.
The remaining 20 teams were placed in 5 groups of 4 teams at a draw held in Zürich
on 22 October 2008. The winners of these groups qualified for the World Cup finals.
The qualifying competition for the 2010 World Cup was combined with the qualification process for the 2010 African Cup of Nations
. Since South Africa was hosting the World Cup, it automatically qualified for that tournament, although it (unlike hosts in previous qualifying tournaments since 1938) played in the qualifiers themselves to facilitate the use of the same set of qualifying matches for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
Had South Africa advanced to the third round (second group stage), their matches would not have been counted in determining who advances to the World Cup finals. However, South Africa were eliminated from the qualifiers after the second round. This meant that they could not qualify for the African Cup of Nations, and all matches in Round 3 counted towards World Cup qualification.
In Group C, Algeria and Egypt finished with identical overall and head-to-head records. A tiebreaking play-off was contested on 18 November 2009 in Sudan to determine which team would qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with Algeria prevailing 1–0.
Two preliminary rounds (one in October 2007 and one in the first half of November) narrowed the field from 43 to 20 prior to the group stage draw in Durban on 25 November 2007.
The group stage draw divided the 20 remaining sides into 5 groups of 4, which were played from February to June 2008, from which the winners and runners-up advanced to the final group stage. The winners and runners-up from 2 final groups of 5 nations (playing from September 2008 to June 2009) will qualify automatically for the World Cup finals, with the 2 third-placed sides playing off in September 2009 for the right to compete against the Oceania winner for a final qualification spot (with matches played in October and November 2009).
The knock-out preliminary rounds themselves were somewhat unusual, with all 38 AFC sides that did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup playing in the first knock-out round, but the 11 best-ranked winners from that round receiving byes in the second round (and only the 8 lowest-ranked winners competing to reduce the fields of teams to 20).
2 – 2 on aggregate; Bahrain advanced on the away goals rule to the AFC-OFC playoff against , the winner of the OFC zone (2008 OFC Nations Cup
).
The European qualification games started in August 2008 after Euro 2008. Eight groups of six teams and one group of five contested the European qualifying competition. As a result, the nine group-winners qualified directly, while the best eight of the nine second-placed teams contested home and away play-off matches for the remaining four places. In determining the best eight second-placed teams, the results against teams finishing last in the six-team groups were not counted for consistency between the five- and six-team groups.
The First Round was completed on 14 October 2009. A draw for the Second Round was held in Zurich
on 19 October, with the matches played on 14 and 18 November.
The draw for the second round play-offs was held in Zürich on 19 October, and the matches were played on 14 and 18 November 2009. The eight teams were seeded according to the FIFA World Rankings
released on 16 October. The top four teams were seeded into one pot, with the bottom four teams seeded into a second. A separate draw was conducted between each matchup to decide who would host the first leg.
|}
France, Portugal, Greece and Slovenia qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The CONCACAF qualification process is identical to that for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
, except that as Puerto Rico competed this time (they were the only CONCACAF member not to enter 2006 qualification), there were 11 matches instead of 10 in the first preliminary round, and thus 13 teams instead of 14 received a bye to the second preliminary round. The two preliminary rounds, played in the first half of 2008, reduced the 35 entrants to 24 and then 12 teams. 3 semi-final groups of 4 were played between August and November 2008, with the top two in each group advancing to a final 6-team group held during 2009. The top 3 of this group qualified for the World Cup finals; the 4th-place team advancing to the playoff against the 5th-place CONMEBOL team.
The qualification process began with a tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games
in August 2007. The top three (New Caledonia
, Fiji
, and Vanuatu
, respectively) joined New Zealand in a 4-team group, which was also the 2008 OFC Nations Cup
, playing home and away. The winner would play a home and away playoff with the fifth-place Asian nation for a World Cup berth.
The CONMEBOL qualification process again featured a league system (home and away matches) for a single group of 10 associations, with matches played from October 2007 to October 2009. The fixture list was identical to that used in the qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. To limit the amount of travel by European-based players to South America, CONMEBOL's schedule used nine 'double match days' (with two sets of matches held within a few days of each other).
The top 4 teams qualified for the World Cup finals; the 5th-place team advancing to a playoff against the 4th-place CONCACAF team.
The draw for the order in which the matches will be played was held on 2 June 2009 during the FIFA Congress in Nassau
, the Bahamas
.
played the winner of the play-off between the two third-placed teams in the AFC qualification round four (considered to be the 5th placed team in the AFC). New Zealand qualified for the play-off by winning the OFC competition in September 2008. Bahrain
qualified for the play-off by winning the AFC Fifth placed play-off in September 2009. New Zealand won the play-off and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on 14 November 2009.
|}
) played off against the fifth-place team in the CONMEBOL qualifying group
(Uruguay
). Uruguay won the play-off and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on 18 November 2009.
|}
In the second leg of the play-off between France and the Republic of Ireland
, French captain Thierry Henry
, unseen by the referee, twice illegally handled the ball in the lead up to the decisive goal, which saw France make the final 32 teams ahead of Ireland. The incident caused widespread debate on FIFA Fair Play, and how matches should be refereed at the highest level. The Football Association of Ireland
requested a replay on grounds of fairness, but this was denied by FIFA under the Laws of the Game. A widely reported later request by Ireland to be included as an unprecedented 33rd World Cup entrant was later withdrawn by the FAI, and dismissed by the FAI as peripheral to their other more substantial petitions for change in world football made to FIFA.
Costa Rica
also complained over Uruguay
's winning goal in the CONMEBOL–CONCACAF playoff.
There was crowd trouble around two matches between Egypt and Algeria, with the Algerian team bus stoned before the first in Cairo, and reports of Egyptian fans ambushed after the second in Khartoum
, Sudan
. Local media made lurid reports, and diplomatic relations between the countries nosedived.
In response to the incidents during qualification, and to a match fixing controversy, on 2 December 2009 FIFA called for an extraordinary general meeting of their Executive Committee. After the meeting, FIFA announced that they would be setting up an inquiry into technology and extra officials in the game, but they did not announce the widely expected move of fast-tracking the introduction of goal-line referee's assistants, already being trialled in the Europa League, and instead restated that the competition in South Africa would be officiated as before, with just one referee, two assistants, and a fourth official. On the subject of fair play, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said:
.
12 goals Moumouni Dagano
Osea Vakatalesau
10 goals Humberto Suazo
Theofanis Gekas
9 goals Edin Džeko
Luís Fabiano
Samuel Eto'o
Wayne Rooney
Seule Soromon
8 goals Razak Omotoyossi
Joaquín Botero
Frédéric Kanouté
Shane Smeltz
Rudis Corrales
Sarayoot Chaikamdee
Maksim Shatskikh
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
confederations. Each confederation — the AFC
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
(Asia), CAF
Confederation of African Football
The Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...
(Africa), CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
(North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL
CONMEBOL
The South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
(South America), OFC
Oceania Football Confederation
The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
(Oceania), and UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
(Europe) — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament. A total of 205 teams entered the qualification competition, with South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
, as the host, qualifying for the World Cup automatically. The first qualification matches were played on 25 August 2007 and qualification concluded on 18 November 2009. Overall, 2337 goals were scored over 848 matches.
Entrants
At the close of entries on 15 March 2007, 204 football associations had entered the preliminary competition: 203 out of the 207 FIFA members at that time (including the host nation, South Africa, as the qualification procedure in Africa also acted as the qualification for the 2010 African Cup of Nations2010 African Cup of Nations
The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa...
) and the Montenegro
Montenegro national football team
The Montenegro national football team represents Montenegro in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Montenegro, the governing body for football in Montenegro...
team, which later became FIFA's 208th member. The final number of teams entered breaks the previous record of 199 entrants set during the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
. Four FIFA members (all from the AFC
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
) failed to register for the tournament by 15 March 2007: Bhutan
Bhutan national football team
The Bhutan national football team is the national team of Bhutan and is controlled by the Bhutan Football Federation.- History :While a Bhutanese National football team has existed since the 1970s, it was officially founded in 1983 and joined FIFA in 2000....
, Brunei
Brunei national football team
The Brunei national football team nicknamed Tebuan ,is the national team of the Brunei and is controlled by the Football Association of Brunei Darussalam.The team was founded in 1959 and joined FIFA in 1969.Their main regional rivalries are against Malaysia and Philippines.The...
, Laos
Laos national football team
The Laos national football team is the national team of Laos and is controlled by the Lao Football Federation. A member of the AFC, Laos has developed regional rivalries with Thailand and Burma.-History:...
, and the Philippines
Philippines national football team
The Philippines national football team is the national football team of the Philippines and represents the country in international football. The team is controlled by the Philippine Football Federation , the governing body of football in the Philippines....
.
After the close of entries, Bhutan were allowed to enter and were included in the Asian preliminary draw, while Brunei and the Philippines had their late entries rejected.
However, five teams withdrew during qualifying without playing a match: Bhutan
Bhutan national football team
The Bhutan national football team is the national team of Bhutan and is controlled by the Bhutan Football Federation.- History :While a Bhutanese National football team has existed since the 1970s, it was officially founded in 1983 and joined FIFA in 2000....
, Central African Republic
Central African Republic national football team
The Central African Republic national football team, nicknamed Les Fauves, is the national team of the Central African Republic and is controlled by the Fédération Centrafricaine de Football. They are a member of CAF. Despite being traditionally one of the weakest teams in Africa and the world,...
, Eritrea
Eritrea national football team
The Eritrea national football team is controlled by the Eritrean National Football Federation . It is nicknamed the Red Sea Boys. It has not qualified for the finals of the FIFA World Cup or the African Nations Cup...
, Guam
Guam national football team
The Guam national football team is the national team of Guam, an overseas territory of the United States in the Pacific Ocean, and is controlled by the Guam Football Association. They are affiliated to the Asian Football Confederation's East Asian Football Federation region.The team was founded in...
, and São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé and Príncipe national football team
The São Tomé and Príncipe national football team is the national team of São Tomé and Príncipe and is controlled by the Federação Santomense de Futebol. It is a member of CAF and FIFA.-History:...
. In addition, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea national football team
The Papua New Guinea national football team is the national team of Papua New Guinea and is controlled by the Papua New Guinea Football Association....
failed to meet the registration deadline for the South Pacific Games (which was also the initial stage of the Oceania qualification) and took no part in qualification.
Qualified teams
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
:
| Team | Qualified as | Qualification date | Appearance in finals |
Consecutive Streak |
Previous best performance | FIFA Ranking FIFA World Rankings The FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May 2004 | (Last: 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... ) |
85 | ||||
| 6 June 2009 | 40 | |||||
| 6 June 2009 | 24 | |||||
| 6 June 2009 | 48 | |||||
| 6 June 2009 | 3 | |||||
| 17 June 2009 | (Last: 1966 1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup, the eighth staging of the World Cup, was held in England from 11 July to 30 July. England beat West Germany 4–2 in the final, winning the World Cup for the first time, so becoming the first host to win the tournament since Italy in 1934.-Host selection:England was chosen as... ) |
91 | ||||
| 5 September 2009 | 1 | |||||
| 6 September 2009 | 38 | |||||
| 9 September 2009 | 7 | |||||
| 9 September 2009 | 2 | |||||
| 9 September 2009 | 21 | |||||
| 10 October 2009 | 19 | |||||
| 10 October 2009 | 5 | |||||
| 10 October 2009 | (Last: 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... ) |
27 | ||||
| 10 October 2009 | 20 | |||||
| 10 October 2009 | 4 | |||||
| 10 October 2009 | (Last: 1998 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... ) |
17 | ||||
| 10 October 2009 | 18 | |||||
| 10 October 2009 | 11 | |||||
| 14 October 2009 | 13 | |||||
| 14 October 2009 | (Last: 1990 1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated... ) |
33 | ||||
| 14 October 2009 | 6 | |||||
| 14 October 2009 | (Last: 1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:... ) |
35 | ||||
| 14 November 2009 | (Last: 1982 1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:... ) |
83 | ||||
| 14 November 2009 | (Last: 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... ) |
32 | ||||
| 14 November 2009 | (Last: 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... ) |
14 | ||||
| 18 November 2009 | (Last: 1986 1986 FIFA World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially... ) |
29 | ||||
| 18 November 2009 | (Last: 1994 1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988... ) |
16 | ||||
| 18 November 2009 | (Last: 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... ) |
49 | ||||
| 18 November 2009 | 10 | |||||
| 18 November 2009 | 9 | |||||
| 18 November 2009 | (Last: 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... ) |
25 | ||||
- 1.The rankings are shown as of 16 October 2009. These were the rankings used for the final draw.
- 2.GermanyGermany national football teamThe Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
between 1951 and 1990 is often referred to as "West Germany", as a separate East German state and team existed then. - 3.Competed as YugoslaviaYugoslavia national football teamThe Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
from 1930 to 1938, SFR YugoslaviaYugoslavia national football teamThe Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
from 1950 to 1990, FR Yugoslavia from 1992 – 1998 and Serbia and MontenegroSerbia national football teamThe Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
for 2006; 1st appearance as Serbia. - 4.Competed as CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia national football teamThe Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
from 1934 to 1990; 1st appearance as Slovakia. - 5.No official third place match took place in 1930 and no official third place was awarded at the time; both United States and Yugoslavia lost in the semi-finals. However, FIFA lists the teams as third and fourth respectively.
Qualification process
The qualification process commenced in August 2007 and was completed in November 2009. An initial draw for preliminary qualification (qualifying groups in Oceania, and knockout ties in CAF and AFC) had been announced for ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
on 28 May 2007, but none was held.
Initial groups for the Oceania qualification were eventually held in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand in early June, with preliminary draws for the Asian and African qualification announced in August.
The draw for the main 2010 World Cup qualifying groups was held in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa on 25 November 2007. 34 teams had been eliminated before the actual draw — 6 from OFC, 5 from CAF and 23 from AFC — and CONMEBOL qualification also had started (no draw was required for this confederation, as all 10 members play in the same group, with the order of fixtures the same as for the 2006 qualification rounds). The 4 remaining teams from OFC had also started playing the final stage as a single group, and no draw was needed. Therefore, the draw of 25 November involved 156 FIFA members from the original 205 entries, divided as follows: UEFA–53 entries in draw; CAF–48 entries in draw (original 53 minus 5 preliminary round losers and withdrawals); AFC–20 entries in draw (original 43 minus 23 1st and 2nd round losers and withdrawals); and CONCACAF–35 entries in draw.
The distribution by confederation for the 2010 World Cup was:
- Europe (UEFAUEFAThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
): 13 places - Africa (CAFConfederation of African FootballThe Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...
): 5 places (+ South Africa qualified automatically as host nation for a total of 6 places) - Asia (AFCAsian Football ConfederationThe Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
): 4 or 5 places - South America (CONMEBOLCONMEBOLThe South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
) 4 or 5 places - North, Central American and Caribbean (CONCACAFCONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
): 3 or 4 places - Oceania (Oceania Football ConfederationOceania Football ConfederationThe Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
): 0 or 1 place
UEFA and CAF have a guaranteed number of places, whereas the number of qualifiers from other confederations is dependent on play-offs between the highest placed teams in the qualification tournaments not guaranteed a place in the finals, with CONCACAF's fourth-place team facing CONMEBOL's fifth-placed team, and AFC's fifth-placed team facing the winner of the OFC.
As the host nation, South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
qualifies automatically. As in 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
, the current cup holders – Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
– did not qualify automatically.
| Confederation | Teams started | Teams eliminated | Teams qualified | Qualifying end date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, after UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of... |
53 | 40 | 13 | 18 November 2009 |
| CAF 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) The Confederation of African Football section of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification saw teams compete for five berths in the final tournament in South Africa... |
52+1 | 47 | 5+1 | 18 November 2009 |
| CONCACAF 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF) The CONCACAF qualification stage for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa consisted of 35 national teams competing for the three berths given automatically to CONCACAF by FIFA. The United States, Mexico and Honduras qualified... |
35 | 32 | 3 | 18 November 2009 |
| CONMEBOL 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL) The South American zone of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification saw 10 teams competing for places in the finals which were held in South Africa. The format is identical to that used for the previous three World Cup qualification tournaments held by CONMEBOL... |
10 | 5 | 5 | 18 November 2009 |
| AFC 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) The Asian Football Confederation was allocated four assured qualifying berths for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and one place in a play-off. 43 teams were in the running for these spots; Laos, Brunei and the Philippines did not attempt to qualify... |
43 | 39 | 4 | 14 November 2009 |
| OFC 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC) The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification for the Oceania Football Confederation selected New Zealand to compete in a two-legged home-and-away playoff against Bahrain, the fifth-place team from the Asian Football Confederation for a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa... |
10 | 9 | 1 | 14 November 2009 |
| Total | 203+1 | 172 | 31+1 | 18 November 2009 |
Tiebreakers
For FIFA World Cup qualifying stages the method used for separating teams level on points is the same for all Confederations, as decided by FIFA itself. If teams are even on points at the end of group play, the tied teams will be ranked by:- goal difference in all group matches
- greater number of goals scored in all group matches
- greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams
- goal difference in matches between the tied teams
- greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams
- drawing of lots, or a play-off (if approved by FIFA)
This is a change from 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
, where results between tied teams was the first tiebreaker.
Africa (CAF)
(53 teams competing for 5 berths, host South Africa occupying a 6th berth)The CAF qualification process began with a preliminary round played on 13 October and 17 November 2007 to narrow the field to 48 teams, and then 12 groups of 4 teams were drawn in Durban in November 2007.
The 12 groups winners and 8 best runners-up advanced to the next stage. The procedure was complicated due to two of the groups being reduced to just 3 teams due to the withdrawal of Eritrea (before the commencement of the group) and the exclusion of Ethiopia (which saw all their results annulled). As a result, the comparison of the 12 runners-up did not include results against teams finishing fourth in 4-team groups.
The remaining 20 teams were placed in 5 groups of 4 teams at a draw held in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
on 22 October 2008. The winners of these groups qualified for the World Cup finals.
The qualifying competition for the 2010 World Cup was combined with the qualification process for the 2010 African Cup of Nations
2010 African Cup of Nations
The 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Orange Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, was the 27th Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial football championship of Africa...
. Since South Africa was hosting the World Cup, it automatically qualified for that tournament, although it (unlike hosts in previous qualifying tournaments since 1938) played in the qualifiers themselves to facilitate the use of the same set of qualifying matches for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
Had South Africa advanced to the third round (second group stage), their matches would not have been counted in determining who advances to the World Cup finals. However, South Africa were eliminated from the qualifiers after the second round. This meant that they could not qualify for the African Cup of Nations, and all matches in Round 3 counted towards World Cup qualification.
| Legend |
|---|
| Countries that qualified for the 2010 World Cup and 2010 African Cup of Nations |
| Countries that qualified for the 2010 African Cup of Nations |
Final positions (Third Round)
| Group A |
Group B |
Group C |
| Group D |
Group E |
In Group C, Algeria and Egypt finished with identical overall and head-to-head records. A tiebreaking play-off was contested on 18 November 2009 in Sudan to determine which team would qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with Algeria prevailing 1–0.
Asia (AFC)
(43 teams competing for 4 or 5 berths; a playoff against OFC determines which confederation gets the extra berth)Two preliminary rounds (one in October 2007 and one in the first half of November) narrowed the field from 43 to 20 prior to the group stage draw in Durban on 25 November 2007.
The group stage draw divided the 20 remaining sides into 5 groups of 4, which were played from February to June 2008, from which the winners and runners-up advanced to the final group stage. The winners and runners-up from 2 final groups of 5 nations (playing from September 2008 to June 2009) will qualify automatically for the World Cup finals, with the 2 third-placed sides playing off in September 2009 for the right to compete against the Oceania winner for a final qualification spot (with matches played in October and November 2009).
The knock-out preliminary rounds themselves were somewhat unusual, with all 38 AFC sides that did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup playing in the first knock-out round, but the 11 best-ranked winners from that round receiving byes in the second round (and only the 8 lowest-ranked winners competing to reduce the fields of teams to 20).
| Legend |
|---|
| Countries that directly qualified for the 2010 World Cup |
| Countries that advanced to the AFC play-off |
Final positions (Fourth Round)
| Group A |
Group B |
Play-off for 5th place (Fifth Round)
|}2 – 2 on aggregate; Bahrain advanced on the away goals rule to the AFC-OFC playoff against , the winner of the OFC zone (2008 OFC Nations Cup
2008 OFC Nations Cup
The 2008 OFC Nations Cup was the eighth edition of the OFC Nations Cup, and the first under a new format that was introduced. It took place as a series of as a home-and-away round-robin tournament on FIFA match dates in 2007 and 2008...
).
Europe (UEFA)
(53 teams competing for 13 berths)The European qualification games started in August 2008 after Euro 2008. Eight groups of six teams and one group of five contested the European qualifying competition. As a result, the nine group-winners qualified directly, while the best eight of the nine second-placed teams contested home and away play-off matches for the remaining four places. In determining the best eight second-placed teams, the results against teams finishing last in the six-team groups were not counted for consistency between the five- and six-team groups.
The First Round was completed on 14 October 2009. A draw for the Second Round was held in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
on 19 October, with the matches played on 14 and 18 November.
| Legend |
|---|
| Countries that directly qualified for the 2010 World Cup |
| Countries that advanced to the Second Round |
Final positions (First Round)
| Group 1 |
Group 2 |
Group 3 |
| Group 4 |
Group 5 |
Group 6 |
| Group 7 |
Group 8 |
Group 9 |
Second Round
The Second Round was contested by the top eight runners up. With one group having one team fewer than the others, matches against the sixth-placed team in each of the other groups were not included in this ranking.The draw for the second round play-offs was held in Zürich on 19 October, and the matches were played on 14 and 18 November 2009. The eight teams were seeded according to the FIFA World Rankings
FIFA World Rankings
The FIFA World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in association football, currently led by Spain. The teams of the member nations of FIFA , football's world governing body, are ranked based on their game results with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
released on 16 October. The top four teams were seeded into one pot, with the bottom four teams seeded into a second. A separate draw was conducted between each matchup to decide who would host the first leg.
|}
France, Portugal, Greece and Slovenia qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF)
(35 teams competing for 3 or 4 berths; a playoff against CONMEBOL determines which confederation gets the extra berth)The CONCACAF qualification process is identical to that for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
, except that as Puerto Rico competed this time (they were the only CONCACAF member not to enter 2006 qualification), there were 11 matches instead of 10 in the first preliminary round, and thus 13 teams instead of 14 received a bye to the second preliminary round. The two preliminary rounds, played in the first half of 2008, reduced the 35 entrants to 24 and then 12 teams. 3 semi-final groups of 4 were played between August and November 2008, with the top two in each group advancing to a final 6-team group held during 2009. The top 3 of this group qualified for the World Cup finals; the 4th-place team advancing to the playoff against the 5th-place CONMEBOL team.
| Legend |
|---|
| Countries that directly qualified for the 2010 World Cup |
| Country that advanced to the CONCACAF-CONMEBOL playoff |
Final positions (Fourth Round)
Honduras advanced on goal difference tiebreaker. Costa Rica moved to the CONCACAF/CONMEBOL intercontinental play-off.Oceania (OFC)
(10 teams competing for 0 or 1 berth; a playoff against AFC determines which confederation gets the extra berth. Tuvalu also played in the qualifying tournament, but was not an entrant to the World Cup qualification)The qualification process began with a tournament at the 2007 South Pacific Games
Football at the 2007 South Pacific Games
The 2007 South Pacific Games Football was held at the Toleafoa J.S. Blatter Complex in Apia, Samoa in from 25 August to 7 September 2007.The Men's tournament formed the first stage of the Oceania Football Confederation's qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the qualification...
in August 2007. The top three (New Caledonia
New Caledonia national football team
The New Caledonia national football team is the team of New Caledonia and is controlled by the Fédération Calédonienne de Football. Although they were only admitted to FIFA in 2004, they have been participating in the OFC Nations Cup since its inception. They have been one of this relatively small...
, Fiji
Fiji national football team
The Fiji national football team is the national team of Fiji and is controlled by the Fiji Football Association. Their best finish in the OFC Nations Cup was third in 1998 and 2008.-World Cup record:*1930 to 1978 - Did not enter...
, and Vanuatu
Vanuatu national football team
The Vanuatu national football team is the national team of Vanuatu and is controlled by the Vanuatu Football Federation.-History:It was known as the New Hebrides national football team until the New Hebrides became Republic of Vanuatu in 1980. It finished fourth in the OFC Nations Cup in 1973,...
, respectively) joined New Zealand in a 4-team group, which was also the 2008 OFC Nations Cup
2008 OFC Nations Cup
The 2008 OFC Nations Cup was the eighth edition of the OFC Nations Cup, and the first under a new format that was introduced. It took place as a series of as a home-and-away round-robin tournament on FIFA match dates in 2007 and 2008...
, playing home and away. The winner would play a home and away playoff with the fifth-place Asian nation for a World Cup berth.
Final positions (Second Round)
New Zealand advanced to the AFC-OFC playoff, against Bahrain, the 5th-placed team of AFC.South America (CONMEBOL)
(10 teams competing for 4 or 5 berths; a playoff against CONCACAF determined which confederation filled the extra berth)The CONMEBOL qualification process again featured a league system (home and away matches) for a single group of 10 associations, with matches played from October 2007 to October 2009. The fixture list was identical to that used in the qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for South America. 10 teams took part, all in a single group. The rules were very simple: the teams would play against each other in a home-and-away basis, with the four teams with most points qualifying to...
. To limit the amount of travel by European-based players to South America, CONMEBOL's schedule used nine 'double match days' (with two sets of matches held within a few days of each other).
The top 4 teams qualified for the World Cup finals; the 5th-place team advancing to a playoff against the 4th-place CONCACAF team.
| Legend |
|---|
| Countries that directly qualified for the 2010 World Cup |
| Country that advanced to the CONCACAF-CONMEBOL playoff |
Inter-confederation play-offs
There are two scheduled inter-confederation playoffs to determine the final two qualification spots to the finals. The ties themselves were not drawn, but were allocated by FIFA as:- AFC 5th place v OFC winner
- CONCACAF 4th place v CONMEBOL 5th place
The draw for the order in which the matches will be played was held on 2 June 2009 during the FIFA Congress in Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
.
AFC 5th place v OFC winner
The winner of the OFC qualification tournament2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification for the Oceania Football Confederation selected New Zealand to compete in a two-legged home-and-away playoff against Bahrain, the fifth-place team from the Asian Football Confederation for a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa...
played the winner of the play-off between the two third-placed teams in the AFC qualification round four (considered to be the 5th placed team in the AFC). New Zealand qualified for the play-off by winning the OFC competition in September 2008. Bahrain
Bahrain national football team
The Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...
qualified for the play-off by winning the AFC Fifth placed play-off in September 2009. New Zealand won the play-off and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on 14 November 2009.
|}
CONCACAF 4th place v CONMEBOL 5th place
The fourth-place team in the CONCACAF qualifying fourth round (Costa RicaCosta Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
) played off against the fifth-place team in the CONMEBOL qualifying group
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)
The South American zone of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification saw 10 teams competing for places in the finals which were held in South Africa. The format is identical to that used for the previous three World Cup qualification tournaments held by CONMEBOL...
(Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
). Uruguay won the play-off and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on 18 November 2009.
|}
Qualification controversies
Controversy surrounded several of the final qualification matches in November 2009.In the second leg of the play-off between France and the Republic of Ireland
France vs Republic of Ireland 2010 FIFA World Cup play-off
The France vs Republic of Ireland 2010 FIFA World Cup play-off, dubbed by the media as the Hand of Frog affair, was a controversial association football game played on 18 November 2009 in the Stade de France outside Paris between the national teams of France and the Republic of Ireland...
, French captain Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
, unseen by the referee, twice illegally handled the ball in the lead up to the decisive goal, which saw France make the final 32 teams ahead of Ireland. The incident caused widespread debate on FIFA Fair Play, and how matches should be refereed at the highest level. The Football Association of Ireland
Football Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
requested a replay on grounds of fairness, but this was denied by FIFA under the Laws of the Game. A widely reported later request by Ireland to be included as an unprecedented 33rd World Cup entrant was later withdrawn by the FAI, and dismissed by the FAI as peripheral to their other more substantial petitions for change in world football made to FIFA.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica national football team
The Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
also complained over Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
's winning goal in the CONMEBOL–CONCACAF playoff.
There was crowd trouble around two matches between Egypt and Algeria, with the Algerian team bus stoned before the first in Cairo, and reports of Egyptian fans ambushed after the second in Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. Local media made lurid reports, and diplomatic relations between the countries nosedived.
In response to the incidents during qualification, and to a match fixing controversy, on 2 December 2009 FIFA called for an extraordinary general meeting of their Executive Committee. After the meeting, FIFA announced that they would be setting up an inquiry into technology and extra officials in the game, but they did not announce the widely expected move of fast-tracking the introduction of goal-line referee's assistants, already being trialled in the Europa League, and instead restated that the competition in South Africa would be officiated as before, with just one referee, two assistants, and a fourth official. On the subject of fair play, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said:
Goalscorers
Included goals in the Inter-confederation play-offs2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (Inter-confederation play-offs)
For the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, there are two scheduled inter-confederation playoffs to determine the final two qualification spots to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals...
.
12 goals Moumouni Dagano
Moumouni Dagano
Beli Moumouni Dagano is a Burkinabé footballer. He currently plays for Al-Khor in Qatar.-Career:Dagano began his career at Ivorian side Stella Club d'Adjamé, based in Abidjan. In 1999 he moved back to his homeland, with Etoile Filante, before making his move to Europe a year later, with Belgian...
Osea Vakatalesau
Osea Vakatalesau
Osea Vakatalesau is a Fijian football striker playing for Fiji national football team and Ba F.C.-International career:...
10 goals Humberto Suazo
Humberto Suazo
Humberto Andrés Suazo Pontivo , nicknamed Chupete, is a Chilean football player, who currently plays as a striker in Monterrey. In 2006 he was awarded by IFFHS as the world's top goal scorer of the year....
Theofanis Gekas
Theofanis Gekas
Theofanis Gekas is a Greek football striker who currently plays for the German club Eintracht Frankfurt. He has been the top goalscorer of the Greek League and the Bundesliga in previous seasons...
9 goals Edin Džeko
Edin Džeko
Edin Džeko is a Bosnian footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Bosnian national team. He was named Bosnian Footballer of the Year for 2009 and 2010...
Luís Fabiano
Luís Fabiano
Luís Fabiano Clemente , commonly known as Luís Fabiano, is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for São Paulo and the Brazilian national football team as a striker.-Early career:...
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team...
Seule Soromon
Seule Soromon
Seule Soromon is an association football striker from Vanuatu who currently plays for ASB Premiership team YoungHeart Manawatu.He hails from Mele, which is located northwest of Port Vila.-Club career:...
8 goals Razak Omotoyossi
Razak Omotoyossi
Razak Omotoyossi is a Nigerian-born Beninese footballer who plays for Egyptian club Zamalek and also for the Benin national football team....
Joaquín Botero
Joaquín Botero
Joaquín Botero Vaca is a Bolivian football striker. He was the top goalscorer in world football in the 2002 season, with 49 goals scored for Club Bolívar...
Frédéric Kanouté
Frédéric Kanouté
Frédéric Oumar Kanouté is a French-born Malian footballer who currently plays for Sevilla FC in the Spanish La Liga. On 2 February 2008, Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year and is the first foreign-born player to win it.-Lyon:Born in Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Rhône, Kanouté's...
Shane Smeltz
Shane Smeltz
Shane Edward Smeltz is a New Zealand professional association football player. He plays as a striker for Perth Glory FC.-Club career:...
Rudis Corrales
Rudis Corrales
Rudis Alberto Corrales Rivera is a Salvadoran footballer.On December 19, 2010, it was announced that he signed a two year contract with Alianza.-Club career:...
Sarayoot Chaikamdee
Sarayoot Chaikamdee
Sarayuth Chaikamdee is a Thai footballer. He plays for Thai Premier League clubside Bangkok Glass. He previously played for Pisico Bình Ðịnh F.C. in the V-League . He is a striker and is known in Thailand as "Joe five yards" because he only score goals within the 5 yards box...
Maksim Shatskikh
Maksim Shatskikh
Maksim Aleksandrovich Shatskikh , is an Uzbek professional footballer who plays for Arsenal Kyiv in the Ukrainian Premier League....
External links
- 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa matches and results at FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
.com - Live Preliminary Draw