FIFA.com - News

Van Marwijk: Turkey the biggest danger

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 20:35:00 GMT

"We’re going to be facing three sides – Turkey, Hungary and Romania – with different styles. They’ll be our main rivals, with Turkey looking like the biggest danger in terms of beating us to top spot." Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk

Rocky road for the Netherlands

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:08:00 GMT

Favourites in a group featuring “four genuine football nations” according to coach Bert van Marwijk, the Netherlands cannot expect to have everything their own way.

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.

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.

Belgium humbled in Estonia

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:51:00 GMT

Estonia rounded off their Group 5 campaign in style, cruising to a comfortable 2-0 win over Dick Advocaat's lacklustre Belgium side.

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.

Bosnia-Herzegovina set for playoffs

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:51:00 GMT

Goals from Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic ensured Bosnia-Herzegovina will finish second in Group 5 and progress to the play-offs for a place in South Africa.

European qualifiers preview

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:24:00 GMT

Ten tickets to South Africa remain up for grabs in Europe, where crucial games are set to unfold in Athens, Copenhagen, Dublin, Lisbon and Moscow.

Misimovic: I'm sure we'll do it

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:56:00 GMT

FIFA.com speaks to Zvjezdan Misimovic, whose fine form has been key to Bosnia-Herzegovina resting on the verge on securing a play-off berth.

Spanish eyes on South African prize

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:17:00 GMT

Spain have flawlessly booked their passage to South Africa 2010, where they aim to make amends for the disappointment of June 2009.

Job done for Del Bosque

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:17:00 GMT

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque reflected on a ‘good day' for his side after seeing them book their place at the South Africa 2010 finals.

England, Spain cruise through

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:02:00 GMT

England and Spain sealed tickets to South Africa 2010 in style, while Portugal threw themselves a lifeline and Slovakia sprinted towards qualification.

Spain secure place in South Africa

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:22:00 GMT

Spain secured their place at next year's world finals by seeing off Estonia in Merida with goals from Cesc Fabregas, Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata.

Del Bosque aims to make sure

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:34:00 GMT

Vicente del Bosque is hoping Spain can continue their unblemished record in Group 5 and confirm their place at next year's FIFA World Cup.

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.

Turkey set up Bosnia clash

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:48:00 GMT

Turkey overpowered Estonia 4-2 to keep alive their South Africa 2010 hopes and set up a titanic contest against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday.

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.

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.

Alonso ready for Spain chance

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:32:00 GMT

Xabi Alonso believes he can effectively co-exist alongside Xavi in Spain's midfield, while team-mate Sergi Busquets has hailed Vicente Del Bosque.

Turkey target mission improbable

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:47:00 GMT

With Bosnia-Herzegovina in line to finish second in Group 5, Turkey need six points from a vital double-header against Estonia and the Bosnians.

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.

Villa: Spain can still improve

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 08:34:00 GMT

Valencia and Spain striker David Villa talks to FIFA.com about EURO 2008, South Africa 2010, Vicente Del Bosque, Cesc Fabregas and Raul.

Poulsen: Leaving a legacy

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:28:00 GMT

Danish coach Jan Poulsen is eager to provide Armenia with a solid foundation on which to build in future years, as he explains to FIFA.com.

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?

Spain make it three out of three

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:27:00 GMT

Spain cruised to a 3-0 win over Estonia to maintain their 100 per cent record after three matches in the FIFA World Cup qualifying Group 5.

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.

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.

Draw settles disputes

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 15:53:00 GMT

The fixture list draw of Groups 2 and 5 of the European preliminary competition for South Africa 2010 was conducted on Wednesday.

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.

Villar-Llona (ESP): We need to earn our ticket

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:57:00 GMT

Angel Maria Villar-Llona: "The only thing that will count at the end of the day is earning our ticket to the World Cup."

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.