FIFA.com - News

Harnik: Austria should follow Swiss model

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:11:00 GMT

He may have been born and raised in Germany, but Martin Harnik's international allegiance is all Austria. FIFA.com spoke exclusively to the Stuttgart striker.

Low: We haven't got an easy group

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:13:00 GMT

"We haven't got an easy group. Sweden and Ireland always do very well in qualifying," Joachim Low, Germany coach

Reunion for old friends and foes

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:20:00 GMT

Perennial qualifiers Germany will be expected to dominate Group C of European qualifying, although Sweden, Republic of Ireland and Austria will all be confident of making an impression.

Drama and derbies await in Europe

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 00:37:00 GMT

The draw for the European zone yielded some potentially thrilling sections, with local rivalries set to be stirred and the world champions left to do battle with another winner of football's ultimate prize.

French spirit boosts Domenech

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:56:00 GMT

Raymond Domenech has praised his France players for the spirit they showed in the 3-1 win over Austria, and urged them to take it into the play-offs.

Celebrations for Swiss, Slovaks

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:42:00 GMT

Switzerland and Slovakia seized Europe's last two automatic berths in South Africa, while Portugal, Greece, Slovenia and Ukraine made the play-offs.

France impress against Austria

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:36:00 GMT

Goals from Karim Benzema, Thierry Henry and Andre-Pierre Gignac gave France a morale-boosting 3-1 win over Austria ahead of their forthcoming play-off.

Two tickets on offer in Europe

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:09:00 GMT

Switzerland, Greece, Slovakia and Slovenia head into Wednesday's final qualifiers hoping to claim the two remaining direct tickets to South Africa.

European quartet stamp tickets

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:46:00 GMT

Italy, Germany, Denmark and Serbia all sealed their places at South Africa 2010 with positive results during Saturday's nervy round of qualifiers.

Wallner on the spot for Austria

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:58:00 GMT

Roman Wallner converted a penalty ten minutes from time as Austria defeated Lithuania in Innsbruck to secure a third-placed finish in FIFA World Cup™ European qualifying Group 7.

Domenech calls on Douchez

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Yoann Gourcuff will miss France's qualifiers against Faroe Islands and Austria through injury, but goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez has been called up.

Schiemer equaliser punishes Romania

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:05:00 GMT

Romania's slim hopes of finishing runners-up in Group 7 were effectively ended by a 1-1 draw at home to Austria, who threw themselves a lifeline.

England and Serbia on the verge

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:54:00 GMT

England and Serbia will have the chance to reach South Africa 2010 in midweek, while Denmark, Slovakia and Spain could also secure qualification.

Swedes surge as France flounder

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:32:00 GMT

Sweden gave some much-needed impetus to their qualification hopes with a win over Hungary, while France could only draw with Romania at home.

Janko at the double for Austria

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:44:00 GMT

Marc Janko scored twice as Austria kept alive their slim FIFA World Cup qualification hopes with a 3-1 victory over the Faroe Islands in Graz.

Safe passage for Netherlands

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:56:00 GMT

The Netherlands became the first European side to book passage to South Africa as England, Serbia, Denmark and Slovakia moved closer to the finals.

Milijas stretches Serbia's lead

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:22:00 GMT

Serbia stretched their lead at the top of European Zone Group 7 with a narrow 1-0 win over Austria in Belgrade.

Dutch close in as neighbours clash

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:57:00 GMT

In Europe, the Netherlands know that a win in Iceland will guarantee a spot in South Africa, while Sweden square up to Nordic neighbours Demark.

Romanian defender Contra retires

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:18:00 GMT

Cosmin Contra has announced his international retirement in the wake of Romania's defeat to Austria in 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa qualifying.

Mutu out for Romania

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:56:00 GMT

Adrian Mutu has been ruled out of Romania's 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa qualifier against Austria, the Romanian Football Federation have announced.

Flawless trio aim for more

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:38:00 GMT

Spain, England and Netherlands have won all their games to date and are out to consolidate their leads on matchday six in the European Zone.

Austria and Bruckner part ways

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:34:00 GMT

Karel Bruckner has left his position as coach of the Austrian national team, the Austrian football federation (OFB) announced.

Domenech's 2010 target

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:21:00 GMT

France coach Raymond Domenech has only one New Year's resolution - being spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing his first 11.

Determining Europe's runners-up

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:17:00 GMT

FIFA has revealed the criteria that will determine the eight best runners-up in the group phase of European Zone qualifying for South Africa 2010.

Fearsome foursome lead the way

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:10:00 GMT

Four teams have maintained a perfect record on the first three matchdays of European qualifying for South Africa 2010. Can they keep it up?

Fast starters eye nine from nine

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:09:00 GMT

England, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Ukraine and Spain will hope to make it three wins in a row, but the pressure is on Croatia, France and Portugal.

Mixed bag for new coaches

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:22:00 GMT

Seven renowned coaches took charge of new teams as qualifying got underway in Europe, with two more returning to former stamping grounds.

Trebles steal the headlines

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:24:00 GMT

Theo Walcott scored a hat-trick to inspire England to a 4-1 win in Croatia, while Miroslav Klose's treble saved Germany from defeat in Finland.

All eyes on Zagreb

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:24:00 GMT

England face a tough test against bogey side Croatia in the pick of Wednesday evening's FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in Europe.

Big guns fail to convince

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 00:07:00 GMT

England and Italy struggled to victory over minnows, Austria upset France, and Romania and Scotland fell to surprise defeats on their openers.

Austria humble Les Bleus

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:04:00 GMT

France went down to a shock 3-1 defeat Austria as the 2006 finalists got their their 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign off to the worst possible start.

Evra: I'll give 300 percent

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 01:59:00 GMT

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra says he will give "300 percent" effort to propel France to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa.

Nasri hungry for redemption

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:39:00 GMT

Arsenal and France star Samir Nasri is determined to put the disappointment of EURO 2008 behind him in France's upcoming qualifiers.

FIFA.com users name top qualifier

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:39:00 GMT

There are some titanic FIFA World Cup qualifying clashes this weekend. FIFA.com users are particularly relishing the duel in Buenos Aires.

Ben Arfa out of France squad

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:48:00 GMT

A groin strain has forced Hatem Ben Arfa to withdraw from the France squad which will take on Austria and Serbia in South Africa 2010 qualifying.

Hopefuls begin qualifying trail

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:42:00 GMT

FIFA.com focuses on three European teams who are bidding to make their first FIFA World Cup finals appearance at South Africa 2010.

Ballack: We're the underdogs

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:36:00 GMT

Germany's match-winner Michael Ballack claimed that his side would be underdogs against Portugal in the quarter-finals of EURO 2008.

Beenhakker furious over late penalty

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:03:00 GMT

Poland coach Leo Beenhakker has described the penalty decision which allowed Austria to draw 1-1 with his team as "totally unjustified".

Croatia through, Austria survive

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:35:00 GMT

Croatia have guaranteed a place in the UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals, while co-hosts Austria have kept their dreams of progressing alive.

European qualifiers taking shape

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 12:00:00 GMT

The European teams have been busy drawing up a fixture list, with the matchdays for Groups 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 now set in stone.

Domenech (FRA): Not a straightforward group

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:46:00 GMT

Raymond Domenech: "It's not a straightforward group. Only first place will guarantee qualification. The away fixtures will be tricky to organise and the games themselves will be every bit as difficult."

France to face eastern challenge

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:12:00 GMT

France, runners-up at Germany 2006, will begin their challenge for the 2010 crown in a group in which difficult challenges are likely to be posed.

Europe stirs preliminary passions

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 12:39:00 GMT

In our feature examining the history of FIFA World Cup preliminaries, FIFA.com reflects on Europe's most memorable and dramatic qualifiers.