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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.

Capello: England need to be careful

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:32:00 GMT

"England need to be careful, this will not be easy. We’ve seen already the strength of Ukraine and Montenegro," Fabio Capello, England manager.

Familiar foes await England

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:59:00 GMT

Ukraine, Poland and Montenegro, all of whom have taken points off England in previous qualifying campaigns, are once again preparing to challenge the Three Lions in Group H.

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.

Serbia's frustrating run continues

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:29:00 GMT

Serbia's miserable spell in Austria continued as they were held to a goalless draw by Poland on Wednesday night as they head towards the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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.

Slovakia eke out historic victory

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:24:00 GMT

Slovakia won 1-0 away to Poland to secure first place in Group 3 and a berth at the FIFA World Cup for the first time since gaining independence.

Mucha: We'll give it everything

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:17:00 GMT

FIFA.com catches up with goalkeeper Jan Mucha to discuss the biggest match in Slovakia's history in Poland, the nation he has called home since 2005.

Vittek: Slovakia will qualify

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:06:00 GMT

Slovakia captain Robert Vittek has vowed that "qualification will be ours" after suffering a setback in their South Africa 2010 bid against Slovenia.

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.

Czech hopes sink despite Poland win

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:40:00 GMT

The Czech Republic beat Poland through goals from Tomas Necid and Jaroslav Plasil but it was a hollow victory as Slovenia's win in Slovakia left them needing a small miracle to keep their FIFA World Cup™ dreams alive.

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.

Dudek back for Pole duty

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:27:00 GMT

Real Madrid goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek has been recalled by struggling Poland for their two remaining 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Beenhakker sacked in Poland

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:24:00 GMT

Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker was sacked as Poland coach after their struggles in South Africa 2010 qualifying, FA chief Grzegorz Lato said.

Slovenia still harbour hopes

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:37:00 GMT

Slovenia kept alive their slim hopes of topping Group 3 with a convincing victory over Poland which leaves them five points behind Slovakia.

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.

Goal-hero Lafferty a doubt for Slovakia

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:09:00 GMT

Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty, a scorer in 5 September's 1-1 draw in Poland in European Zone Group 3, may miss Wednesday's vital clash in Belfast.

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.

Mixed emotions for Worthington

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington admitted to some regret despite claiming a creditable 1-1 draw away to Poland.

Lewandowski rescues Poland

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:04:00 GMT

Kyle Lafferty had Northern Ireland daring to dream of victory at the Slaski Stadium, but instead they had to settle for a point against Poland.

Obraniak in his element

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:40:00 GMT

Ludovic Obranic might only be able to speak French, but he is determined to let his fancy footwork do the talking when playing for Poland.

Evans: Healy is a hero

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:49:00 GMT

Jonny Evans has backed under-fire striker David Healy to deliver for Northern Ireland, and spoken about their chances of qualifying from Group 3.

Evans back in training

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:48:00 GMT

Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington received a boost when Jonny Evans joined the squad in training today.

Slovaks shock the Czechs

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:41:00 GMT

Slovakia shook off neighbours and arch-rivals Czech Republic with a 2-1 win in a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Prague on Wednesday evening.

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.

Poland drop keeper Boruc

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:31:00 GMT

Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc has been dropped from the side and allowed to return to Glasgow after a nightmare display against Northern Ireland.

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.

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.

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.

Europe up and running

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:01:00 GMT

England needed two-goal hero Joe Cole to beat Andorra on a day when France lost to Austria and Italy needed a little luck to beat Cyprus.

Beenhakker: We weren't good enough

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:45:00 GMT

Poland just weren't up to the task of achieving anything at their first EURO championships, coach Leo Beenhakker admitted following his side's exit.

Beenhakker furious over late penalty

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:03:00 GMT

Poland coach Leo Beenhakker has described the penalty decision which allowed Austria to draw 1-1 with his team as "totally unjustified".

Croatia through, Austria survive

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:35:00 GMT

Croatia have guaranteed a place in the UEFA EURO 2008 quarter-finals, while co-hosts Austria have kept their dreams of progressing alive.

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.

Worthington (NIR): Plenty to look forward to

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:24:00 GMT

Nigel Worthington: "I would rather have the group this way than have three to four easy ones and one difficult one. It's very interesting and there's plenty to look forward to."

Czechs face old friends

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:52:00 GMT

On paper Group 3 looks one of the most evenly balanced in the European qualifying round, although Czech Republic will start as favourites.

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.

Dispirited Poles pin hopes on brighter future

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

In a repeat of their early exit in 2002, Poland failed to survive the group stage in Germany. The overriding emotions are disappointment, frustration and despair, although a glimmer of hope still remains for the nation which finished third in 1974 and 1982.

Germany 2006: The final ranking

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The top four at the 2006 FIFA World Cup needs no explanation but which teams finished fifth and 25th? See how FIFA ranked the 32 finalists on their performances in Germany.

Goals promised if third-place tradition continues

Sat, 08 Jul 2006 15:07:00 GMT

Traditionally there are always goals in the match for third place with an average of nearly four per game over the 15 previous editions. Four years ago the fixture produced the FIFA World Cup's fastest-ever goal.

Poland riding high after warm-up win

Sat, 08 Jul 2006 14:59:00 GMT

Poland turned a corner with Saturday's 1-0 warm-up win over fellow FIFA World Cup finalists Croatia, says striker Maciej Zurawski.

Boruc likely to start

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 03:28:00 GMT

Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc looks likely to start Poland's FIFA World Cup opener against Ecuador on Friday.

Group A: Opening Match excites Guimaraes

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 15:37:00 GMT

Costa Rica coach Alexandre Guimaraes described the prospect of an Opening Match against hosts Germany as "the biggest in our history". All the reaction from Germany, Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador.

Cultures clash in friendly battle

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 19:36:00 GMT

FIFAworldcup.com runs an analytical eye over what the nine FIFA World Cup participants in action today hope to gain from the warm-up matches they have organised.

Hedwiges Maduro 50x50

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 17:21:00 GMT

Hedwiges Maduro 50x50

Disciplinary Summary & Preview for matches on 25 June 2006 (match no. 51-52)

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 11:08:00 GMT

Disciplinary Summary & Preview for matches on 24 June 2006 (match no. 51-52)

Germany build confidence, Ecuador impress

Fri, 23 Jun 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Germany, who seemed to get better with every match, and Ecuador, impressive in their first two outings before stumbling against the hosts, secured the qualifying places in Group A. FIFAworldcup.com reviews the action.