World Cup 2010 Qualifying Draw

[Thomp]

Europe:

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


Asia and Oceania:

Group 1: Australia, Iraq, Qatar, China.
Group 2: Oman, Thailand, Bahrain, Japan.
Group 3: North Korea, Jordan, Turkmenistan, South Korea.
Group 4: Lebanon, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia.
Group 5: Syria, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iran.

North America:

Group 1A: USA v the winner of Dominica v Barbados.
Group 1B: Guatemala will play the winner of Turks and Caicos Islands v St Lucia.
Group 1C: Trinidad and Tobago will play the winners of Bermuda v Caymen Islands.
Group 1D: Cuba will play the winner of Aruba v Antigua and Barbuda.

Group 2A: Mexico play the winner of Belize v St Kitts and St Nevis.
Group 2B: Jamaica play the winner of Bahamas v British Virgin Islands.
Group 2C: Honduras play the winner of Dominican Republic v Puerto Rica.
Group 2D: The winner of Canada v St Vincent and the Grenadines gets a bye.

Africa:

Group 1: Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, 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: Liberia, Algeria, Senegal, Gambia.
Group 7: Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Botswana, Madagascar.
Group 8: Morocco, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mauritania.
Group 9: Brkina Faso, Tunisia, Seychelles.
Group 10: Mali, Congo, Sudan, Chad.
Group 11: Togo, Eritrea, Zambia, Swaziland.
Group 12: Epypt, Congo DR, Malawi, iDjibouti.

Tough draw for Wales, but our group is definitely winnable (providing we get a world class coach, get rid of the old and crap players, and freshen up the squad).

[Nuclear Spoon]

St. Vincent and the Grenadines would be a good name for a rock band.

[[murray]]

iDjibouti, the new country, from Apple. Does all the things Djibouti did but comes in a futuristic white casing and has an annoying little dial to select government policy.

[Chris]

Kazakhstan?
Thousands of England Fans singing "throw a Jew down the Well"?

Yes please! :D Poor Scotland.

[Erskien_Parkour]

Scotland will win the World Cup.

I'll beat almost nothing on it.

[Boyinabox]

Group 9: Holland, SCOTLAND, Norway, FYR Macedonia, Iceland


I've never understood why Macedonia puts Former Yugoslav Republic in its name, its not like they enjoyed being in it whilst it was actually a real nation. So why do they mention it?
Is it just designed for foreigners to help them locate it in their mind?

Also, Tanzania sounds like a much better place if you pronounce it "Tan-Zania". :D

[AngryPaul]

Aye. Tan-zah-knee-a is just rubbish.

Before the Euro debacle, England would have jumped at a chance at a group like this. Suddenly everywhere seems like a trikcy place to go. We might not even make second. Oh woe is us.

In terms of Scotland, they can get second if they carry on the way they left off.

[Dingbat]

If we get second, we're out. Our group only has five in.

With things being as they are recently... We might be able to do this.

[AngryPaul]

I heard that the top team goes through, but what about second placed teams? Play-offs surely?

[Thomp]

Top Nine go through, then all the second place teams have playoffs, and the four winners go through to fill the remaining 4 places.

So really, only one team (the winners) will get through group 9.

[Urlosenged]

I thought it was the best 8 second place teams out of the 9 there will be go into the playoffs, disregarding the 2nd place teams' from groups 1-8 results against the bottom team in their group (so most likely knocking 6 points off).

I'm sure I stole that explanation off someone on here, so sorry if it was yours.

[AngryPaul]

Scotland can run Holland close but I think it can all basically be decided on the two meetings. If they can beat them in Hampden and get the results elsewhere they could be in with a shout. Otherwise Holland should make light work of the rest. Norway could be the other threat and that could help/hinder the Scots as they contain Holland/Scotland

[Thomp]

I thought it was the best 8 second place teams out of the 9 there will be go into the playoffs, disregarding the 2nd place teams' from groups 1-8 results against the bottom team in their group (so most likely knocking 6 points off).

I'm sure I stole that explanation off someone on here, so sorry if it was yours.

Could well be that, actually.

[RadioactiveHam]

England have an average group...

Scotland may get through if they keep playing well.

Big disadvantage with only one team going through from it though. :(

[AngryPaul]

Scotland may get through if they keep playing well.England could if they start...

[Hydralisk]

Tough draw for Wales, but our group is definitely winnable (providing we get a world class coach, get rid of the old and crap players, and freshen up the squad). That's generally true for most footy teams Thomp :p

Also, looking at our past encounters, only the dutch are going to be a hard nut to crack. Norway's kinda a medium matchup, the other two are fairly easy I reckon. Scot and England's really got a chance going: Don't like the prospects of N Ire/R.O.I/Wales though :/

[MargateMan]

Hopefully a chance to show that we're still the team we were 2 years ago, and with a new manager we'll be able to (maybe not comfortably) get top of the qualifying group, and then stumble into the Quarter Finals before going out yet again, for once, that'd actually make me pleased! Just hoping 12th isn't where we'll end up in the FIFA rankings for a long time to come...

As for the Scots, if they play like they did in the Euro qualifiers, they could well win that group, they only lost out to the Italians due to the dodgiest ref decision I've seen. (Actually, after yesterday at Upton Park, I might take that back, is he on the Spuds payroll?) As long as one of my nations gets through this time I'll be happy!

[jonffm]

We'll get through. Everyone is saying how it's not an easy group....but there is no such thing in the World Cup anyway...but lets be sensible about it - who would we rather be playing...Croatia or Italy?

[Dingbat]

Nice draw for us. Croatia won't be easy, and nor will Russia, but we should still walk it.

And basstard..what are you going on about? If you got our group, you'd only have a shot for finishing 3rd...so it doesn't really matter.
JonnyFFmaster, January 28th 2006. :p

My dad was misinformed about the process by which playoff teams are chosen - apparently they pool the results from all of the second-placed teams' games against the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th placed members of their group and choose the top 8 of the 9 to go into the playoff draw.

I'm not expecting anything, but our team right now is miles ahead of what we've been in the last few years and I think we certainly have a shot.

[jonffm]

Wasn't what I said true though? As it is this time.

But, glad you went through all the trouble of trawling through last years posts just for me. I feel so loved. :angel:

[Dingbat]

Of course I did; for old times' sake!

Nah, seriously. When I read it I thought 'I bet he said something similar about the last qualifying campaign' :p

In other news; fuck you, Alex McLeish, and I hope Birmingham get relegated.

[jonffm]

Croatia are a good team, don't get me wrong, but when you look at that pot - with the likes of France, Italy, Holland, Spain...they do somewhat look like imposters.

Really, the reason they're top seeds was Englands doing. They're good at home, so they deserved that result...but away - that was one of Englands worst games of all times, I seriously have never seen us play that badly in my lifetime...not even CLOSE...but the game still ended up being pretty close and they let in 2 goals.....AND the 2-0 loss the game before..

Of all the top seeds, Croatia ARE the weakest, and the way we're playing at the moment, they're the only ones we have a shot at beating. In those terms, it's the best draw for us.