FIFA.com - News

European qualifying fixtures announced

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:52:00 GMT

All but two of the Groups in European Zone qualifying for Brazil 2014 have had their fixtures finalised, with England, France, Italy and Spain starting out away to Moldova, Finland, Bulgaria and Georgia respectively.

Stange: Don't take Belarus lightly

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:21:00 GMT

FIFA.com hears from Bernd Stange, the German coach currently masterminding the meteoric rise of a Belarus side currently challenging France for a place at UEFA EURO 2012.

Del Bosque: We can’t focus just on France

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 16:12:00 GMT

“I’m not euphoric but I’m not sad either. We need to accept it because that’s the way fate wanted it, and we’ll live with the consequences,” Vicente del Bosque, Spain coach.

Champions draw early French test

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:28:00 GMT

On the road to Brazil 2014, all eyes will be on the heavyweight battle between France and Spain in qualifying Group I of the European region, while Belarus, Georgia and Finland complete the section.

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.

Del Bosque warns against French focus

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 23:01:00 GMT

Holders Spain were handed a daunting opponent in France at Saturday's Preliminary Draw but their coach Vicente del Bosque told FIFA.com that his world champions would be wrong to focus just on the French in Group I.

Belarus surprise Korea Republic

Sun, 30 May 2010 20:32:00 GMT

Korea Republic's preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup took a jolt as they slumped to 1-0 defeat against non-qualifiers Belarus.

Capello impressed by super-sub Becks

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:40:00 GMT

England coach Fabio Capello noted David Beckham's ability to come off the bench and influence matches after some inspirational play in a win over Belarus.

Crouch gives Capello pause

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:49:00 GMT

Tottenham Hotspur striker Peter Crouch is hoping he has given Fabio Capello a selection headache after continuing his prolific goalscoring run for England.

Beckham indicates 2010 desire

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:04:00 GMT

David Beckham reiterated his desire to be part of South Africa 2010 next summer after an eye-catching cameo in England's 3-0 win over Belarus.

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.

Crouch at the double for England

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:18:00 GMT

Peter Crouch scored a brace to boost his chances of a place at South Africa 2010 as England ended their qualifying campaign by beating Belarus 3-0.

Terry: Still room for improvement

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:36:00 GMT

England captain John Terry believes his side have the ability to improve by "another 20 or 30 per cent" in the build-up to South Africa 2010.

Lampard: Rooney injury a good opportunity

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:37:00 GMT

England midfielder Frank Lampard believes Wayne Rooney's injury gives other players the chance to shine in the final FIFA World Cup qualifier against Belarus.

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.

Rooney to miss Belarus clash

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:08:00 GMT

The Manchester United man has been ruled out of England's final South Africa 2010 qualifier on Wednesday with a calf strain.

England call on Foster

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:27:00 GMT

Ben Foster has been called into the England squad for Wednesday's South Africa 2010 qualifier against Belarus in place of the suspended Robert Green.

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.

Kalachev proves coach Stange right

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:17:00 GMT

Belarus completed their home fixtures in 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa qualifying Group 6 with a comprehensive defeat of Kazakhstan in Brest.

Walcott not among England squad

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:04:00 GMT

Fabio Capello has not recalled Theo Walcott to the England fold, but selected Gabriel Agbonlahor, Rio Ferdinand and David James for the next qualifiers.

Belarus dent Ukraine chances

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:48:00 GMT

Ukraine were held to a goalless draw in an entertaining game in Belarus, diminishing their hopes of achieving a top-two finish in their section.

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.

Croatia keep hopes alive

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:24:00 GMT

Ivan Rakitic was the hero as Croatia secured a win over Belarus to pull away from Ukraine and move four points adrift of leaders England in Group 6.

Bilic: We'll miss Modric

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:56:00 GMT

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has admitted that Luka Modric is a huge loss ahead of their upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying double header.

Ronaldo faces World Cup heartbreak

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:41:00 GMT

A massive week of FIFA World Cup qualifying matches loom in Europe with Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team facing the prospect of elimination.

Ukraine seek goals and glory

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:36:00 GMT

With Ukraine three points behind Croatia with a game in hand, Alexei Mikhailichenko's team are still very much in the race for a play-off place.

Stange names Belarus squad

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:13:00 GMT

Belarus coach Bernd Stange has named his squad for their South Africa 2010 qualifiers against Croatia in Zagreb and Ukraine in Minsk.

Olic inspires Croatia win

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:01:00 GMT

Ivica Olic grabbed a double as Croatia kept in touch with England with a vital 3-1 qualifying win over Belarus in European Zone Group 6.

Big guns deliver as Norway dazzle

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Norway were the day's big winners with a 4-0 victory over Scotland, while Germany and France both edged closer to a place at South Africa 2010.

Simunic: Victory is crucial

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:37:00 GMT

Croatia defender Josip Simunic talks to FIFA.com about the need to beat Belarus home and away before he can start dreaming of South Africa.

Race resumes in Europe

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:09:00 GMT

Norway and Belarus will host Scotland and Croatia respectively amid high stakes, while France and Germany can ill-afford to stumble on their travels.

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.

Five-star Belarus stay in touch

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:32:00 GMT

Two goals apiece from Gennady Bliznyuk and Sergey Kornilenko eased Belarus to a 5-1 European Zone Group 6 qualifying victory over Andorra in Grodno.

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.

Hleb: Belarus are getting better

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:09:00 GMT

Barcelona and Belarus midfielder Aleksandr Hleb speaks exclusively to FIFA.com about his hopes for club and country over the next 12 months.

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.

Stork takes over Kazakhstan

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:17:00 GMT

Berndt Stork was appointed Kazakhstan new national coach on Friday, the country football federation's press service announced.

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.

England call up late replacements

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:02:00 GMT

England have been forced to call up two late, uncapped reserves for their South Africa 2010 qualifier against Belarus on Wednesday.

Gerrard: I'm desperate to play well

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:28:00 GMT

Steven Gerrard admits he has been below his best for his country, but he remains determined to prove himself as England target 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?

England to rejig defence

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:27:00 GMT

England will have to deal with defensive absences in Belarus on Wednesday, while Germany sweat over the fitness of Michael Ballack.

Terry and Cole ruled out

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:43:00 GMT

John Terry and Ashley Cole have been ruled out of England's game in Belarus, leaving coach Fabio Capello with some decisions to make.

Ferdinand: England must win in Belarus

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 18:14:00 GMT

England stand-in captain Rio Ferdinand says that England cannot afford to lose Wednesday's FIFA World Cup qualifier against Belarus.

Capello: Tougher test ahead

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:26:00 GMT

Fabio Capello has sounded a note of warning ahead of England's trip to Belarus on Wednesday, after an unimpressive win over Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan sack Pijpers

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:08:00 GMT

It was announced today that Kazakhstan's Dutch coach, 49-year-old Arno Pijpers, has been relieved of his duties by the country's FA.

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.

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.

Beckham (ENG): A chance to get our own back

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:28:00 GMT

David Beckham: "It's a group with some very tough teams in there and obviously Croatia's in there again and we have to try to get our own back."