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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.

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.

Romania finish on winning note

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:35:00 GMT

Romania ended their disappointing South Africa 2010 qualifying campaign with a 3-1 home victory over Group 7's bottom team, the Faroe Islands.

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.

France stroll to book play-off place

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:37:00 GMT

France beat Faroe Islands 5-0 to secure a play-off place, an Andre-Pierre Gignac brace preceding goals from William Gallas, Nicolas Anelka and Karim Benzema.

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.

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.

Faroes stun Lithuania

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:29:00 GMT

Faroe Islands posted their first qualifying win since 2001 against Lithuania, whose faint hopes of reaching South Africa 2010 were all but ended.

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.

Ribery a doubt for Serbia clash

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:04:00 GMT

France could well be without Franck Ribery and Julien Escude for 9 September's crunch encounter in Belgrade after both received knocks against Romania.

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.

Domenech takes the positives

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:37:00 GMT

Raymond Domenech was happy to come away from the Faroe Islands with all three points and hailed the impact of Andre-Pierre Gignac after the 1-0 win.

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.

Gignac nicks victory for France

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:49:00 GMT

France dominated possession throughout against Faroe Islands, but it took a Andre-Pierre Gignac strike to move them five points adrift of Serbia.

Domenech: Ribery may play

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Raymond Domenech has insisted that injured midfielder Franck Ribery could play some part of the match against the Faroes, 'if there is a problem.'

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.

Domenech issues Faroes warning

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:41:00 GMT

France face a tricky task in an away encounter with the Faroe Islands on Wednesday which coach Raymond Domenech describes as a must-win.

Serbia move eight clear

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:25:00 GMT

Goals from Milan Jovanovic and Neven Subotic earned Serbia a 2-0 win away to Faroe Islands that sent them eight points clear atop of Group 7.

England, Serbia edge ever closer

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:20:00 GMT

England took a big step towards next year's finals in South Africa with an emphatic win over Andorra while Serbia and Russia did their hopes no harm.

Mission to join the Dutch

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:56:00 GMT

A crop of European teams could put one hand on a place at South Africa 2010 in midweek, while others will attempt to improve their slim chances.

Vidic ruled out

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:35:00 GMT

Nemanja Vidic has been ruled out of Serbia's qualifier against Faroe Islands on Wednesday, having suffered an ankle injury in their 1-0 win against Austria.

Ambitious Antic aiming high

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:21:00 GMT

Radomir Antic, coach of high-flying Serbia, tells FIFA.com that qualifying for South Africa 2010 will represent just the start for the Beli Orlovi.

Faroe Islands appoint Kerr as coach

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:44:00 GMT

Former Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr has been named as the new coach of the Faroe Islands.

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.

Danilevicius: It's a big surprise

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Lithuania have been the revelation of European qualifying to date. Captain Tomas Danilevicius speaks to FIFA.com about their improbable start.

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.

Romania lose Chivu and Mutu

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:15:00 GMT

Injury means Romania will be without captain Cristian Chivu and Adrian Mutu when they open their quest to qualify for 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.

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.