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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.

Olsen: It could have been worse

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 17:16:00 GMT

"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.

Trio targeting top spot

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:28:00 GMT

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.

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.

Lippi: Now the work begins

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:56:00 GMT

Marcello Lippi has said the work begins now for Italy's defence of their title after finishing their qualification campaign with a surprising fightback.

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.

Gilardino late show rescues Italy

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:24:00 GMT

Italy trailed 2-0 at home to Cyprus, but Alberto Gilardino scored three times in the last 15 minutes to complete a 3-2 victory for the world champions.

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.

Unconvincing, but ominous Italy

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:57:00 GMT

Italy have qualified for South Africa 2010 and will start the competition amongst the favourites, but this was far from a comfortable cruise to the finals.

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.

Charalambides brace as Cyprus cruise

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:08:00 GMT

Bulgaria's slim hopes of clinching a South Africa 2010 play-off place were ended as Cyprus emerged victorious in their Group 8 qualifier in Larnaca.

Gattuso back for Italy

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:22:00 GMT

Italy coach Marcello Lippi has named his 24-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa qualifiers with the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus.

Montenegro rue Cyprus equaliser

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:31:00 GMT

Montenegro remain without a win in Group 8 of the European Zone after letting a second-half lead slip away against Cyprus.

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.

Keane eyeing Italian showdown

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:35:00 GMT

With Ireland and Italy battling fiercely for first place in Group 8, Republic striker Robbie Keane has already turned his focus to 10 October's vital qualifier in Dublin.

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.

Trapattoni's sights set on Italy

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:07:00 GMT

Giovanni Trapattoni turned his attention to a mouth-watering qualifying clash against his native Italy after Republic of Ireland won 2-1 in Cyprus.

Keane header sinks Cyprus

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:48:00 GMT

Republic of Ireland eked out a 2-1 win in Cyprus, a late Robbie Keane header keeping Giovanni Trapattoni's side second in Group 8 above Bulgaria.

Keane confident of beating Cyprus

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:47:00 GMT

Robbie Keane has warned Cyprus that Republic of Ireland will come out fighting as they close in on a place at South Africa 2010.

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.

Andrews focused on Cyprus showdown

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:58:00 GMT

Republic of Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews is hoping to take a significant step towards FIFA World Cup qualification in Cyprus on Saturday.

Same again for Trapattoni

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:35:00 GMT

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni has named the same 24-man squad he picked for the friendly defeat to Australia earlier this month.

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.

Montenegro fight back in thriller

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:49:00 GMT

A Dejan Damjanovic brace gave Montenegro a share of the spoils as Cyprus missed the chance to reignite their hopes of FIFA World Cup qualification.

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.

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.

Stoilov named as new Bulgaria coach

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:17:00 GMT

Litex Lovech coach Stanimir Stoilov was on Friday handed the job of trying to guide struggling Bulgaria into the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals.

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.

FIFA gives green light to Georgia

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:19:00 GMT

FIFA has confirmed that Georgia's next two home qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa will take place in Tbilisi.

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.

Italy scrape past Cyprus

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:52:00 GMT

A last-minute goal from Antonio Di Natale secured a 2-1 victory over Cyprus for holders Italy in Marcello Lippi's first competitive game since returning.

Cyprus looking for an upset

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:18:00 GMT

Lowly Cyprus are confident of causing a major upset when they kick off against world champions Italy in their Group 8 qualifier on Saturday.

Italy aim to recapture spirit of Berlin

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Back in the Italian hot seat after two years away, Marcello Lippi must now guide the Nazionale safely through to South Africa 2010.

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.

Donadoni (ITA): They're tough opponents

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:38:00 GMT

Roberto Donadoni, Italy (Coach): "Bulgaria, Ireland, Georgia, Montenegro don't have a great football tradition but they are difficult opponents. On paper Bulgaria should be the one to push us closest for qualification."

Italian job looks straightforward

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:35:46 GMT

Italy, the FIFA World Cup holders, start out on the long road in defence of their crown in a section which includes Bulgaria and Republic of Ireland.

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.