World Cup 2010 Qualifying Groups: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America

World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw & Groups: Europe

Europe will have 13 slots for the 2010 World Cup. 53 teams will compete for the slots from 9 groups.

Second stage

The best eight best runners-up* will be drawn against each other for four play-off matches on a home-and-away basis. The four play-off winners qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

* determined on the basis of the number of points won whereby the bottom-placed team in the groups involving six teams is not taken into account

November 14 2009

Ireland 0 France 1
A second half Nicolas Anelka goal puts France in pole position to advance with the second leg in Paris.

Greece 0 Ukraine 0
A stalemate in Athens means there is all to play for in Kiev but Ukraine must be favorites at home.

Portugal 1 Bosnia-Hercegovina 0
A first Bruno Alves goal means the odds are in Portugal's favor to overcome the minnows - but there is still all to play for after Portugal failed to add to their score in the second half.

Russia 2 Slovenia 1
A brace by Everton's Diniyar Bilyaletdinov either side of half-time seemed to have secured Russia's progress to its 10th appeareance in World Cup finals, but a late header from substitute Nejc Pecnik gives Slovenia a chance in the return leg in Maribor on Wednesday.

PRELIMINARY COMPETITION

Stage One

All 53 PMAs (Participating Member Associations) will contest Stage One. The stage consists of 8, round robin, home-and-away groups of 6 teams as well as 1 round robin, home and-away group of 5 teams. The 8 best group runners-up advance to Stage Two. The group winners qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

Stage Two

The 8 best Stage One group runners-up will contest Stage Two. The teams will be paired into 4 home-and-away series. The winners qualify for the FIFA World Cup.

PRELIMINARY DRAW

Stage to be Drawn

Stage One will be drawn at the Preliminary Draw in Durban, South Africa.

Draw Format

The 53 Stage One PMAs will be allocated 6 pots (5 pots of 9 teams, 1 pot of 8 teams) based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking of November 2007. The top 9 teams will constitute Pot A; the next 9 teams Pot B; and so on until Pot F which will contain the 8 lowest ranked teams.

The teams will be drawn into 8 groups of 6 teams and 1 group of 5 teams for Stage One.

The draw starts with Pot F and ends with Pot A. Each pot is completely emptied before moving on to the next pot.

The teams in Pot F are placed in position 6 (of Groups 1 to 8); the teams in Pot E in position 5; the teams in Pot D in position 4; the teams in Pot C in position 3; the teams from Pot B in position 2; and the teams from Pot A in position 1.

Groups are filled starting with Group 1 and ending with Group 9 (Group 8 in the case of Pot F).

European Zone

First stage

Begins in August 2008 and is played as a league system on a home-and-away basis involving nine groups (eight groups of six teams, and one group of five teams). The nine group winners qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

World Cup 2010 Qualifying Groups: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America

World Cup 2010

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