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.
"Things could have turned worse for us, even though getting Cyprus and Iceland out of pots five and six will make it a tricky group," Egil Olsen, Norway coach.
The race for first place promises to be an enthralling tussle as Group E pits together three sides – Norway, Slovenia and Switzerland – in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking top 30.
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.
Marcello Lippi has said the work begins now for Italy's defence of their title after finishing their qualification campaign with a surprising fightback.
Switzerland and Slovakia seized Europe's last two automatic berths in South Africa, while Portugal, Greece, Slovenia and Ukraine made the play-offs.
