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| World Cup contenders hope for seeds of success |
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Wednesday, December 02, 2009
JOHANNESBURG: More than three years after qualifying began, the 204 countries who set out to reach the sporting showpiece have been whittled down to 32 drawn from the six FIFA global federations.
The next defining moment on the road to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa arrives Wednesday morning (today) when the seeds will be announced at a Cape Town media conference.
The 32 qualifiers led by defending champions Italy and officials from world football governing body FIFA are tasked with separating them into four pots of eight.
International rankings, World Cup records and geography are among issues that could be considered ahead of an announcement that can severely raise or lower the chances of a contender.
A complication is that only Europe, which provides 13 qualifiers, can have two teams from the same continent in a group for the June 11-July 11 world football showpiece.
And while the leading football nations are supposed to occupy the first pot, South Africa are certain to be among them despite being the lowest ranked at 86 of the finalists.
This is because Bafana Bafana (The Boys) as hosts automatically secure a place beside international giants like Brazil, World Cup winners a record five times, Italy, Germany and on-song England and Spain.
FIFA insiders suggest Argentina could be among the elite despite securing a ticket to South Africa only in the final round of regional qualifiers by grinding a solitary-goal away victory over Uruguay.
That would leave one top-pot place vacant with France, champions and runners-up in the last three tournaments, Netherlands and Portugal likely contenders.
Another pot is set to be filled exclusively by European teams with two of the above trio joining Denmark, Greece, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Serbia and Slovakia are newcomers to the quadrennial tournament with the former topping a group including France and the latter finishing first in a pool containing Poland and the Czech Republic.
African challengers Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria and Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay from South America could form a pot for the 1700GMT Friday draw at the Cape Town International Conference Centre.
That would leave Australia, Japan, North and South Korea from Asia, Honduras, Mexico and United States from North-Central America and New Zealand from Oceania in the final pot.
Every draw delivers at least one ‘Group of Death’ and placing Brazil with Portugal, France or Netherlands, Chile or Paraguay and Australia or Mexico would certainly fit that bill.
South Africa, with just one win from the last 11 matches, desperately need a ‘Group of Life’ that could be provided by having Denmark, Greece or Switzerland, Uruguay and New Zealand in their mini-league.
Once the lineups are decided, the focus will switch to next year and the opening game at the gleaming new Soccer City in Johannesburg on Friday June 11 between teams one and two from Group A.
The 63 matches that follow will span South Africa, from Polokwane in the northeast to Cape Town in the southwest, culminating in the final in Johannesburg on July 11.
The journey began on August 25, 2007 in Oceania when just 60 supporters turned up to watch Samoa play Vanuatu.
Since then, over 20 million fans have flocked to stadiums. Japan was the first team to book its ticket and Uruguay was the last.
World Cup winners form an exclusive club with just seven members - Brazil (five titles), Italy (four), Germany (three), Argentina and Uruguay (two each) and England and France (one apiece).
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ISSN 1563-9479 
