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==Seeding and draw==
==Seeding and draw==


In September 2009, [[FIFA]] announced that they would be [[Seed (sports)|seeding]] teams for the play-off draw. The eight eventual qualifiers were seeded according to the [[FIFA World Rankings|world rankings]] released on 16 October 2009. The top four teams were placed into one pot, with the bottom four teams placed into a second. A separate draw was conducted between each matchup to decide the host of the first leg.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Key Decisions Reached in Rio |url=http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/bodies/media/newsid=1109930.html |publisher=FIFA |date=29 September 2009 |accessdate=19 November 2009}}</ref>
In September 2009, [[FIFA]] announced that they would be [[Seed (sports)|seeding]] teams for the play-off draw. The eight eventual qualifiers were seeded according to the [[FIFA World Rankings|world rankings]] released on 16 October 2009. The top four teams were placed into one pot, with the bottom four teams placed into a second. A separate draw was conducted between each matchup to decide the host of the first leg.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Key Decisions Reached in Rio |url=http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/bodies/media/newsid=1109930.html |publisher=FIFA |date=29 September 2009 |accessdate=19 November 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091003015843/http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/bodies/media/newsid%3D1109930.html |archivedate=3 October 2009 |df= }}</ref>


===Seeding controversy===
===Seeding controversy===

Revision as of 20:58, 18 June 2017

The UEFA second round was contested by the best eight runners-up from the nine first round groups from the UEFA segment of the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in football. The winners of each of four home and away ties joined the group winners in the World Cup in South Africa. The matches, which are often referred to as 'play-offs', were played on 14 and 18 November 2009. The draw for the ties was held in Zürich on 19 October, with the teams drawn by South African player Steven Pienaar.[1]

Qualification

The eight best runners-up from the UEFA First Round qualified for the play-offs. With one group having one team fewer than the others, matches against the sixth-placed team in the group are not included in this ranking.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Tournament details
Dates20 August 2008 – 18 November 2009
Teams53 (from 1 confederation)
Tournament statistics
Matches played268
Goals scored725 (2.71 per match)
Attendance6,050,105 (22,575 per match)
Top scorer(s)Greece Theofanis Gekas
(10 goals)
← 2006
2014 →
UEFA European Qualifiers
FIFA World Cup
UEFA European Championship

The European zone of qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup saw 53 teams competing for 13 places at the finals in South Africa. The qualification process started on 20 August 2008, nearly two months after the end of UEFA Euro 2008, and ended on 18 November 2009. The qualification process saw the first competitive matches of Montenegro.

Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, and Switzerland qualified in the first round by winning their groups. France, Greece, Portugal, and Slovenia qualified via the second round play-offs.

Format

Teams were drawn into eight groups of six teams and one group of five teams. The nine group winners qualified directly, while the best eight 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.[2]

Seeding

After initially proposing to use a similar system to recent World Cup and European Championship qualification (based on results across the previous two European qualification cycles), the UEFA Executive Committee decided on 27 September 2007 at its meeting in Istanbul that seeding for the qualifiers would be based on FIFA World Rankings, in accordance with the FIFA World Cup regulations (which note that where teams are ranked on "performance" criteria, the FIFA World Rankings must be used).[3]

The November 2007 FIFA World Ranking the most recent at the time of the preliminary draw and used to determine the groups. Initially scheduled for 21 November, FIFA moved the release date of the ranking to 23 November to include the final match days of Euro 2008 qualification.[4]

Pot A
Team Rank
 Italy 3
 Spain 4
 Germany 5
 Czech Republic 6
 France 7
 Portugal 8
 Netherlands 9
 Croatia 10
 Greece 11
Pot B
Team Rank
 England 12
 Romania 13
 Scotland 14
 Turkey 16
 Bulgaria 18
 Russia 22
 Poland 23
 Sweden 24
 Israel 26
Pot C
Team Rank
 Norway 28
 Ukraine 29
 Serbia 30
 Denmark 31
 Northern Ireland 32
 Republic of Ireland 35
 Finland 36
  Switzerland 44
 Belgium 49
Pot D
Team Rank
 Slovakia 50
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 51
 Hungary 52
 Moldova 53
 Wales 58
 Macedonia 59
 Belarus 60
 Lithuania 61
 Cyprus 65
Pot E
Team Rank
 Georgia 77
 Albania 82
 Slovenia 83
 Latvia 88
 Iceland 89
 Armenia 90
 Austria 91
 Kazakhstan 110
 Liechtenstein 122
Pot F
Team Rank
 Azerbaijan 125
 Estonia 128
 Malta 139
 Luxembourg 152
 Montenegro 172
 Andorra 174
 Faroe Islands 195
 San Marino 197

Draw

The draw for the group stage took place in Durban, South Africa on 25 November 2007.[5] During the draw, teams were drawn from the six pots A to F (see above) into the nine groups below, starting with pot F, which filled position 6 in the groups, then continued with pot E filling position 5, pot D in position 4 and so on.[6]

Summary

Table – top row: group winners, second row: group runners-up, third row: others. The winner of each group qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup together with the winners of the play-off. The play-offs took place between the eight best runners-up among all nine groups while the worst group runner-up did not qualify.

  Group winners qualified directly for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
  Eight best runners-up advanced to the second round (play-offs)
  Worst runner-up and all other teams were eliminated after the first round
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Group 7 Group 8 Group 9

Denmark
Switzerland
Slovakia
Germany
Spain
England
Serbia
Italy
Netherlands

Portugal
Greece
Slovenia
Russia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ukraine
France
Republic of Ireland
Norway

Sweden

Hungary

Albania

Malta
Latvia

Israel

Luxembourg

Moldova
Czech Republic

Northern Ireland

Poland

San Marino
Finland

Wales

Azerbaijan

Liechtenstein
Turkey

Belgium

Estonia

Armenia
Croatia

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Andorra
Austria

Lithuania

Romania

Faroe Islands
Bulgaria

Cyprus

Montenegro

Georgia
Scotland

Macedonia

Iceland

First round

Group 1

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Denmark Portugal Sweden Hungary Albania Malta
1  Denmark 10 6 3 1 16 5 +11 21 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 1–1 1–0 0–1 3–0 3–0
2  Portugal 10 5 4 1 17 5 +12 19 Advance to second round 2–3 — 0–0 3–0 0–0 4–0
3  Sweden 10 5 3 2 13 5 +8 18 0–1 0–0 — 2–1 4–1 4–0
4  Hungary 10 5 1 4 10 8 +2 16 0–0 0–1 1–2 — 2–0 3–0
5  Albania 10 1 4 5 6 13 −7 7 1–1 1–2 0–0 0–1 — 3–0
6  Malta 10 0 1 9 0 26 −26 1 0–3 0–4 0–1 0–1 0–0 —
Source: [7]

Group 2

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Switzerland Greece Latvia Israel Luxembourg Moldova
1   Switzerland 10 6 3 1 18 8 +10 21 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–2 2–0
2  Greece 10 6 2 2 20 10 +10 20 Advance to second round 1–2 — 5–2 2–1 2–1 3–0
3  Latvia 10 5 2 3 18 15 +3 17 2–2 0–2 — 1–1 2–0 3–2
4  Israel 10 4 4 2 20 10 +10 16 2–2 1–1 0–1 — 7–0 3–1
5  Luxembourg 10 1 2 7 4 25 −21 5 0–3 0–3 0–4 1–3 — 0–0
6  Moldova 10 0 3 7 6 18 −12 3 0–2 1–1 1–2 1–2 0–0 —
Source: [7]

Group 3

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Slovakia Slovenia Czech Republic Northern Ireland Poland San Marino
1  Slovakia 10 7 1 2 22 10 +12 22 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 0–2 2–2 2–1 2–1 7–0
2  Slovenia 10 6 2 2 18 4 +14 20 Advance to second round 2–1 — 0–0 2–0 3–0 5–0
3  Czech Republic 10 4 4 2 17 6 +11 16 1–2 1–0 — 0–0 2–0 7–0
4  Northern Ireland 10 4 3 3 13 9 +4 15 0–2 1–0 0–0 — 3–2 4–0
5  Poland 10 3 2 5 19 14 +5 11 0–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 — 10–0
6  San Marino 10 0 0 10 1 47 −46 0 1–3 0–3 0–3 0–3 0–2 —
Source: [7]

Group 4

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Germany Russia Finland Wales Azerbaijan Liechtenstein
1  Germany 10 8 2 0 26 5 +21 26 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 2–1 1–1 1–0 4–0 4–0
2  Russia 10 7 1 2 19 6 +13 22 Advance to second round 0–1 — 3–0 2–1 2–0 3–0
3  Finland 10 5 3 2 14 14 0 18 3–3 0–3 — 2–1 1–0 2–1
4  Wales 10 4 0 6 9 12 −3 12 0–2 1–3 0–2 — 1–0 2–0
5  Azerbaijan 10 1 2 7 4 14 −10 5 0–2 1–1 1–2 0–1 — 0–0
6  Liechtenstein 10 0 2 8 2 23 −21 2 0–6 0–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 —
Source: [7]

Group 5

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Spain Bosnia and Herzegovina Turkey Belgium Estonia Armenia
1  Spain 10 10 0 0 28 5 +23 30 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 1–0 1–0 5–0 3–0 4–0
2  Bosnia and Herzegovina 10 6 1 3 25 13 +12 19 Advance to second round 2–5 — 1–1 2–1 7–0 4–1
3  Turkey 10 4 3 3 13 10 +3 15 1–2 2–1 — 1–1 4–2 2–0
4  Belgium 10 3 1 6 13 20 −7 10 1–2 2–4 2–0 — 3–2 2–0
5  Estonia 10 2 2 6 9 24 −15 8 0–3 0–2 0–0 2–0 — 1–0
6  Armenia 10 1 1 8 6 22 −16 4 1–2 0–2 0–2 2–1 2–2 —
Source: [7]

Group 6

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification England Ukraine Croatia Belarus Kazakhstan Andorra
1  England 10 9 0 1 34 6 +28 27 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 2–1 5–1 3–0 5–1 6–0
2  Ukraine 10 6 3 1 21 6 +15 21 Advance to second round 1–0 — 0–0 1–0 2–1 5–0
3  Croatia 10 6 2 2 19 13 +6 20 1–4 2–2 — 1–0 3–0 4–0
4  Belarus 10 4 1 5 19 14 +5 13 1–3 0–0 1–3 — 4–0 5–1
5  Kazakhstan 10 2 0 8 11 29 −18 6 0–4 1–3 1–2 1–5 — 3–0
6  Andorra 10 0 0 10 3 39 −36 0 0–2 0–6 0–2 1–3 1–3 —
Source: [7]

Group 7

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Serbia France Austria Lithuania Romania Faroe Islands
1  Serbia 10 7 1 2 22 8 +14 22 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 1–1 1–0 3–0 5–0 2–0
2  France 10 6 3 1 18 9 +9 21 Advance to second round 2–1 — 3–1 1–0 1–1 5–0
3  Austria 10 4 2 4 14 15 −1 14 1–3 3–1 — 2–1 2–1 3–1
4  Lithuania 10 4 0 6 10 11 −1 12 2–1 0–1 2–0 — 0–1 1–0
5  Romania 10 3 3 4 12 18 −6 12 2–3 2–2 1–1 0–3 — 3–1
6  Faroe Islands 10 1 1 8 5 20 −15 4 0–2 0–1 1–1 2–1 0–1 —
Source: [7]

Group 8

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Italy Republic of Ireland Bulgaria Cyprus Montenegro Georgia (country)
1  Italy 10 7 3 0 18 7 +11 24 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 1–1 2–0 3–2 2–1 2–0
2  Republic of Ireland 10 4 6 0 12 8 +4 18 Advance to second round 2–2 — 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–1
3  Bulgaria 10 3 5 2 17 13 +4 14 0–0 1–1 — 2–0 4–1 6–2
4  Cyprus 10 2 3 5 14 16 −2 9 1–2 1–2 4–1 — 2–2 2–1
5  Montenegro 10 1 6 3 9 14 −5 9 0–2 0–0 2–2 1–1 — 2–1
6  Georgia 10 0 3 7 7 19 −12 3 0–2 1–2 0–0 1–1 0–0 —
Source: [7]

Group 9

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 9
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Netherlands Norway Scotland North Macedonia Iceland
1  Netherlands 8 8 0 0 17 2 +15 24 Qualification to 2010 FIFA World Cup — 2–0 3–0 4–0 2–0
2  Norway 8 2 4 2 9 7 +2 10 0–1 — 4–0 2–1 2–2
3  Scotland 8 3 1 4 6 11 −5 10 0–1 0–0 — 2–0 2–1
4  Macedonia 8 2 1 5 5 11 −6 7 1–2 0–0 1–0 — 2–0
5  Iceland 8 1 2 5 7 13 −6 5 1–2 1–1 1–2 1–0 —
Source: [7]

Ranking of second placed teams

Because one group had one team fewer than the others, matches against the sixth placed team in each group were not included in this ranking. As a result, eight matches played by each team counted for the purposes of the second placed table. The UEFA second round was contested by the best eight runners-up from the nine first round groups from the UEFA segment of the qualification tournament for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in football. The winners of each of four home and away ties joined the group winners in the World Cup in South Africa. The matches, which are often referred to as 'play-offs', were played on 14 and 18 November 2009. The draw for the ties was held in Zürich on 19 October, with the teams drawn by South African player Steven Pienaar.[8]

Qualification

The eight best runners-up from the UEFA First Round qualified for the play-offs. With one group having one team fewer than the others, matches against the sixth-placed team in the group are not included in this ranking. Template loop detected: Template:2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group Stage (2nd place)

Seeding and draw

In September 2009, FIFA announced that they would be seeding teams for the play-off draw. The eight eventual qualifiers were seeded according to the world rankings released on 16 October 2009. The top four teams were placed into one pot, with the bottom four teams placed into a second. A separate draw was conducted between each matchup to decide the host of the first leg.[9]

Seeding controversy

Seeding using FIFA ranks was used at a similar stage in the 2006 qualification. However, it was claimed that FIFA had indicated that there would be no seeding this time.[10] At the time of the decision, countries in play-off positions included Russia, France and Portugal, and Germany also had not yet qualified (their last remaining match was away to Russia). The lack of a decision on seeding until late in the tournament led some to suggest that FIFA were waiting to see which teams were in the play-offs before declaring the rules of the tournament. Commenting on this matter, Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given said:

It’s totally unfair on us smaller nations. If they say that before a ball is kicked then at least you know the picture, you know exactly where you stand but to change it now is absolutely ridiculous and I don’t think it’s right at all.[11]

Sports Illustrated's Gabriele Marcotti gave the opinion that "FIFA is pretty much changing the rules halfway through the qualifying tournament.[12]

Seedings

The eight teams were seeded according to the FIFA World Rankings released on 16 October (shown in parentheses in the table below).

Pot 1 Pot 2

 France (9)
 Portugal (10)
 Russia (12)
 Greece (16)

 Ukraine (22)
 Republic of Ireland (34)
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (42)
 Slovenia (49)

Matches

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Republic of Ireland  1–2  France 0–1 1–1 (aet)
Portugal  2–0  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–0 1–0
Greece  1–0  Ukraine 0–0 1–0
Russia  2–2 (a)  Slovenia 2–1 0–1
Main article: 2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches

Republic of Ireland 0–1 France
Report Anelka 72'
Attendance: 74,103
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

France 1–1 (a.e.t.) Republic of Ireland
Gallas 103' Report Keane 32'
Attendance: 79,145

France won 2–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Ireland officially asked FIFA for the second leg to be replayed after Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball twice during the build-up to the French goal. This request was denied.[13]

Portugal 1–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bruno Alves 31' Report
Attendance: 60,588

Bosnia and Herzegovina 0–1 Portugal
Report Raul Meireles 56'
Attendance: 15,000

Portugal won 2–0 on aggregate and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Greece 0–0 Ukraine
Report
Attendance: 39,045

Ukraine 0–1 Greece
Report Salpingidis 31'
Attendance: 31,643

Greece won 1–0 on aggregate and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Russia 2–1 Slovenia
Bilyaletdinov 40', 52' Report Pečnik 88'
Attendance: 71,600

Slovenia 1–0 Russia
Dedić 44' Report
Attendance: 12,510
Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)

2–2 on aggregate; Slovenia qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on the away goals rule.
After the game Russian fans followed the Republic of Ireland's lead. They demanded a replay of their World Cup qualification play-off against Slovenia on the official site of FIFA.[14] However, there was not any reaction from FIFA on this event.

References

  1. ^ "Republic face France in play-offs". BBC Sport. 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "EXCO unveils World Cup programme". UEFA.com. Geneva: Union of European Football Associations. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  3. ^ "All clear for December EURO draw". UEFA.com. Geneva: Union of European Football Associations. 27 September 2007. Archived from the original on 3 February 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  4. ^ "Next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking on Friday 23 November 2007". FIFA.com. Zurich: Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 12 November 2007. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  5. ^ "Preliminary draw for the 2010 World Cup". FIFA.com. Zurich: Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  6. ^ "Preliminary Draw Information" (PDF). FIFA.com. Zurich: Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 22 November 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) 2010, football - table and standings". soccer365.me. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Republic face France in play-offs". BBC Sport. 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 23 October 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Key Decisions Reached in Rio". FIFA. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Fifa to seed countries for play-offs". The Irish Times. September 30, 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  11. ^ "Given frustrated by Fifa seeding". The Irish Times. October 7, 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  12. ^ Marcotti, Gabriel (October 8, 2009). "Is FIFA giving special treatment?". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Irish 'cheated' by Henry handball". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  14. ^ Now Russia try call for play-off replay over ref blunders and 'knife attack'

Second round

Main article: 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round

The UEFA second round (often referred to as the play off stage) was contested by the best eight runners up from the nine first round groups. The winners of each of four home and away ties joined the group winners in the World Cup finals in South Africa. Norway, with 10 points, was ranked 9th so failed to qualify for the second round.

Seeding and draw

The eight teams were seeded according to the FIFA World Rankings released on 16 October (shown in parentheses in the table below). The draw for the ties was held in Zürich on 19 October, with the top four teams seeded into one pot and the bottom four teams seeded into a second. A separate draw decided the host of the first leg.[1]

Pot 1 (seeded)
Team Pos
 France 9
 Portugal 10
 Russia 12
 Greece 16
Pot 2 (unseeded)
Team Pos
 Ukraine 22
 Republic of Ireland 34
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 42
 Slovenia 49

Matches

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Republic of Ireland  1–2  France 0–1 1–1 (aet)
Portugal  2–0  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–0 1–0
Greece  1–0  Ukraine 0–0 1–0
Russia  2–2 (a)  Slovenia 2–1 0–1

Qualified teams

The following 13 teams from UEFA qualified for the final tournament.

Team Qualified as Qualified on Previous appearances in FIFA World Cup1
 Denmark Group 1 winners 10 October 2009 3 (1986, 1998, 2002)
  Switzerland Group 2 winners 14 October 2009 8 (1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1994, 2006)
 Slovakia Group 3 winners 14 October 2009 8 (19344, 19384, 19544, 19584, 19624, 19704, 19824, 19904)
 Germany Group 4 winners 10 October 2009 16 (1934, 1938, 19542, 19582, 19622, 19662, 19702, 19742, 19782, 19822, 19862, 19902, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
 Spain Group 5 winners 9 September 2009 12 (1934, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
 England Group 6 winners 9 September 2009 12 (1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998, 2002, 2006)
 Serbia Group 7 winners 10 October 2009 10 (19303, 19503, 19543, 19583, 19623, 19743, 19823, 19903, 19983, 20063)
 Italy Group 8 winners 10 October 2009 16 (1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
 Netherlands Group 9 winners 6 June 2009 8 (1934, 1938, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2006)
 Greece Second round (play-off) winners 18 November 2009 1 (1994)
 Slovenia Second round (play-off) winners 18 November 2009 1 (2002)
 Portugal Second round (play-off) winners 18 November 2009 4 (1966, 1986, 2002, 2006)
 France Second round (play-off) winners 18 November 2009 12 (1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1998, 2002, 2006)
1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.
2 Competed as West Germany. A separate team for East Germany also participated in qualifications during this time, having only competed in 1974.
3 From 1930 to 1998, Serbia competed together with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia as part of Yugoslavia, while in 2006 as Serbia and Montenegro together with Montenegro.
4 From 1934 to 1990, Slovakia competed as Czechoslovakia.

Top goalscorers

There were 725 goals scored in 268 matches, for an average of 2.71 goals per match.

10 goals

9 goals

7 goals

6 goals

Below are full goalscorer lists for all groups and the play-off rounds:

References

  1. ^ "Key Decisions Reached in Rio". FIFA.com. Rio de Janeiro: Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2009.

Seeding and draw

In September 2009, FIFA announced that they would be seeding teams for the play-off draw. The eight eventual qualifiers were seeded according to the world rankings released on 16 October 2009. The top four teams were placed into one pot, with the bottom four teams placed into a second. A separate draw was conducted between each matchup to decide the host of the first leg.[1]

Seeding controversy

Seeding using FIFA ranks was used at a similar stage in the 2006 qualification. However, it was claimed that FIFA had indicated that there would be no seeding this time.[2] At the time of the decision, countries in play-off positions included Russia, France and Portugal, and Germany also had not yet qualified (their last remaining match was away to Russia). The lack of a decision on seeding until late in the tournament led some to suggest that FIFA were waiting to see which teams were in the play-offs before declaring the rules of the tournament. Commenting on this matter, Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given said:

It’s totally unfair on us smaller nations. If they say that before a ball is kicked then at least you know the picture, you know exactly where you stand but to change it now is absolutely ridiculous and I don’t think it’s right at all.[3]

Sports Illustrated's Gabriele Marcotti gave the opinion that "FIFA is pretty much changing the rules halfway through the qualifying tournament.[4]

Seedings

The eight teams were seeded according to the FIFA World Rankings released on 16 October (shown in parentheses in the table below).

Pot 1 Pot 2

 France (9)
 Portugal (10)
 Russia (12)
 Greece (16)

 Ukraine (22)
 Republic of Ireland (34)
 Bosnia and Herzegovina (42)
 Slovenia (49)

Matches

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Republic of Ireland  1–2  France 0–1 1–1 (aet)
Portugal  2–0  Bosnia and Herzegovina 1–0 1–0
Greece  1–0  Ukraine 0–0 1–0
Russia  2–2 (a)  Slovenia 2–1 0–1
Main article: 2009 Republic of Ireland v France football matches

Republic of Ireland 0–1 France
Report Anelka 72'
Attendance: 74,103
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

France 1–1 (a.e.t.) Republic of Ireland
Gallas 103' Report Keane 32'
Attendance: 79,145

France won 2–1 on aggregate and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Ireland officially asked FIFA for the second leg to be replayed after Thierry Henry clearly handled the ball twice during the build-up to the French goal. This request was denied.[5]

Portugal 1–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bruno Alves 31' Report
Attendance: 60,588

Bosnia and Herzegovina 0–1 Portugal
Report Raul Meireles 56'
Attendance: 15,000

Portugal won 2–0 on aggregate and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Greece 0–0 Ukraine
Report
Attendance: 39,045

Ukraine 0–1 Greece
Report Salpingidis 31'
Attendance: 31,643

Greece won 1–0 on aggregate and qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Russia 2–1 Slovenia
Bilyaletdinov 40', 52' Report Pečnik 88'
Attendance: 71,600

Slovenia 1–0 Russia
Dedić 44' Report
Attendance: 12,510
Referee: Terje Hauge (Norway)

2–2 on aggregate; Slovenia qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup on the away goals rule.
After the game Russian fans followed the Republic of Ireland's lead. They demanded a replay of their World Cup qualification play-off against Slovenia on the official site of FIFA.[6] However, there was not any reaction from FIFA on this event.

References

  1. ^ "Key Decisions Reached in Rio". FIFA. 29 September 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Fifa to seed countries for play-offs". The Irish Times. September 30, 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  3. ^ "Given frustrated by Fifa seeding". The Irish Times. October 7, 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  4. ^ Marcotti, Gabriel (October 8, 2009). "Is FIFA giving special treatment?". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 19 November 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Irish 'cheated' by Henry handball". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 20 November 2009. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
  6. ^ Now Russia try call for play-off replay over ref blunders and 'knife attack'
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