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.

Cech: The draw was very kind to Slovakia

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:31:00 GMT

Marek Cech speaks to FIFA.com about Slovakia’s qualification campaigns for UEFA EURO 2012 and Brazil 2014, life at West Bromwich Albion and his ambitions for the future.

Santos: A good draw for us

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:14:00 GMT

"I have to admit that the draw was a good one for us considering the teams which have been drawn together in other groups,” Greece coach Fernando Santos.

All to play for in Group G

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 17:25:00 GMT

Group G includes three serious candidates for an automatic berth at the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014: two-time participants Greece, Slovakia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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.

Toshack: I'm pleased with the result

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:39:00 GMT

Wales coach John Toshack has revealed his satisfaction at their 2-0 win in Liechtenstein, and praised strike duo Jermaine Easter and Simon Church.

Wales bow out in style

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:32:00 GMT

Goals from David Vaughan and Aaron Ramsey earned Wales a 2-0 success away to Liechtenstein in a match between sides playing only for pride.

Hiddink eyes fitting finish

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:38:00 GMT

Russia coach Guus Hiddink says that playing for pride should be motivation enough when his side negotiate their final qualifier in Azerbaijan.

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.

Azerbaijan claim first away win

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:22:00 GMT

Azerbaijan moved off the bottom of South Africa 2010 qualifying Group 4 courtesy of their first ever away win at the expense of Liechtenstein in Vaduz.

Finnish hopes end in Vaduz

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:37:00 GMT

Despite taking a 73rd-minute lead, Finland were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw in Liechtenstein that ended their qualification chances.

No room for error in Group 4

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:21:00 GMT

Germany and Russia will hope to avoid any costly slip-ups when they meet Azerbaijan and Wales respectively in FIFA World Cup qualifying action.

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.

Pavlyuchenko sinks Liechtenstein

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:27:00 GMT

Two Roman Pavlyuchenko penalties helped Russia canter to a 3-0 win over Liechtenstein that lifted them one point behind Group 4 leaders Germany.

Arshavin and Zhirkov set to miss out

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:45:00 GMT

Andrey Arshavin and Yuri Zhirkov look set to miss Russia's vital 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa qualifier against Liechtenstein tomorrow night.

Big names face decisive duels

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 08:06:00 GMT

Portugal, Sweden, France and Czech Republic are all under pressure to claim maximum points as they limber up for vital FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

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.

Finland comeback undoes Liechtenstein

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:15:00 GMT

Finland kept alive their hopes of finishing second in the European Zone's Group 4 by coming from behind to claim a 2-1 victory over Liechtenstein.

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.

Jansen leaves Germany squad

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:13:00 GMT

Germany midfielder Marcell Jansen has been ruled out of their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Wales at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium with the flu.

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.

Spain, Netherlands edge closer

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:40:00 GMT

Big guns Spain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands all scored maximum points in a huge night of FIFA World Cup qualifying in Europe.

Ballack inspires Germany win

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:24:00 GMT

Michael Ballack led the charge as Germany opened up a four-point lead over Russia with a convincing 4-0 win against Liechtenstein.

Points to make in Europe

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:14:00 GMT

FIFA.com looks ahead to the latest set of European Zone qualifiers, which include crucial games in a wide open Group 1, and tests for some big names.

Italy and France sight South Africa

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:09:00 GMT

FIFA World Cup winners Italy and runners-up France can take a giant stride towards South Africa 2010 qualification with wins in their upcoming matches.

Low shows faith in duo

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:40:00 GMT

Joachim Low has said that he is set to recall goalkeeper Robert Enke and striker Mario Gomez for Saturday's qualifier against Liechtenstein.

Podolski earns Germany recall

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:54:00 GMT

Bayern Munich forward Lukas Podolski has been recalled to the Germany squad for FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Wales.

Adler eyes qualifying success

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:12:00 GMT

German goalkeeper Rene Adler is hoping to follow in the likes of Kahn, Maier and Illgner's footsteps and be his country's No1 at a FIFA World Cup.

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.

Wales toil to Liechtenstein win

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:09:00 GMT

Wales struggled to clinch a 2-0 victory over minnows Liechtenstein on Saturday to keep their hopes of reaching South Africa 2010 alive.

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.

Toshack welcomes back stars

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:47:00 GMT

Wales manager John Toshack has recalled Craig Bellamy and James Collins for October's qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Germany.

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.

Low praises Germany's six appeal

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:07:00 GMT

Joachim Low highlighted Germany's offensive strengths after their 6-0 win over a "defence-minded" Liechtenstein in their opening FIFA World Cup qualifier.

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.

Podolski helps Germany stroll

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:18:00 GMT

Lukas Podolski scored Germany's first two goals as they opened up their South Africa 2010 qualifying campaign with a 6-0 defeat of Liechtenstein.

Low promises first-up wins

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:48:00 GMT

Germany coach Joachim Low has promised that his team will take a maximum six points from their two opening South Africa 2010 qualifiers.

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.

Low (GER): Our aim is to finish first

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:43:00 GMT

Joachim Low: "It's an interesting group. With all respect to the other teams, our aim has got to be to finish first and qualify for the World Cup directly."

Germany and Russia start as favourites

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:57:00 GMT

Germany and Russia are the favourites in European qualifying Group 4, although both teams must overcome one or two tricky hurdles.

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.