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.

US edge Turkey for happy send-off

Sat, 29 May 2010 21:31:00 GMT

Goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey gave the US a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Turkey as the team prepare to depart for South Africa.

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.

Terim signs off with Turkey win

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:18:00 GMT

Fatih Terim's second reign as Turkey boss came to an end with a comfortable, if unspectacular, ten-man victory over Group 5's basement side Armenia.

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.

Mpenza double downs Turkey

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:43:00 GMT

Belgium moved to within two points of Turkey in Group 5 with an Emile Mpenza-inspired 2-0 win over the Turks in Brussels.

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.

Advocaat assumes Belgium role

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:18:00 GMT

Dick Advocaat will take over as Belgium coach three months early and will be in charge for their next South Africa 2010 qualifier against Turkey.

Turkey hoping for a miracle

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:35:00 GMT

Turkey have been left praying for a miracle if they are to reach South Africa 2010, although coach Fatih Terim insists he will not be forced out.

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.

Salihovic grabs Bosnians crucial point

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:56:00 GMT

Sejad Salihovic's first-half equaliser secured Bosnia-Herzegovina a 1-1 draw at home to Turkey that kept them four points above their opponents in the race for the Group 5 runners-up spot.

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.

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.

Qualifying unearths new gems

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:04:00 GMT

Several sides have changed massively since 2006, with old heroes replaced by new stars. FIFA.com looks at some of the new boys making their mark.

Big guns fire as Poland cut loose

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:16:00 GMT

Spain, England and the Netherlands all won to move closer to a place in South Africa, while Poland scored a perfect ten against San Marino.

Spain triumph in Turkey

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:59:00 GMT

Albert Riera and Xabi Alonso scored for Spain as the European champions maintained their 100 per cent record with a 2-1 victory away to Turkey.

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.

Torres: Turkey have a great team

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:34:00 GMT

Fernando Torres has warned his team-mates not to underestimate Turkey, who he believes will give Spain another tough game on Wednesday.

Turan: I'm not a star

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 08:19:00 GMT

Turkey star Arda Turan tells FIFA.com of his ambition to move to one of Europe's major leagues and qualify for South Africa 2010.

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.

Spain brace for Turk passion

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:56:00 GMT

FIFA.com chats exclusively to Iker Casillas and Mehmet Aurelio ahead of the European qualifying double header between Spain and Turkey.

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.

Riera wary of 'aggressive' Turkey

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:45:00 GMT

Albert Riera has warned his Spain team-mates that 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ qualifying opponents Turkey are a "very aggressive" team.

Mata in for Iniesta

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:23:00 GMT

Vicente Del Bosque has replaced Barcelona's injured Andres Iniesta with uncapped Valencia winger Juan Mata for the double header against Turkey.

Lopez celebrates first call-up

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:59:00 GMT

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has handed Villarreal keeper Diego Lopez his first call-up for the forthcoming qualifying double header against Turkey.

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.

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.

Turkey secure Terim extension

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:12:00 GMT

Fatih Terim will lead Turkey's bid to reach South Africa 2010 after agreeing to stay on as national team coach until 2012, the TFF has announced.

Fenerbahce experience will help Low

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:16:00 GMT

Germany coach Joachim Low says he knows all about the passion and never-say-die spirit of Turkey ahead of Wednesday's EURO 2008 semi-final.

Turkey's heroics take their toll

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 12:34:00 GMT

Turkey, decimated by injuries and suspensions, face a race against time to patch up their war-weary troops for Wednesday's EURO 2008 semi-final.

Who will reach the EURO semis?

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:17:00 GMT

The line-up for the EURO 2008 quarter-finals will become known on Wednesday, but which four sides do you think will reach the semi-finals?

Emperor's delight at Houdini act

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:50:00 GMT

Turkey coach Fatih Terim praised his side's never-say-die spirit after they came from 2-0 down to defeat the Czechs in their EURO group decider.

Terim: Arda can be a worldbeater

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:36:00 GMT

Turkey coach Fatih Terim has predicted a bright future for Arda Turan, the matchwinner in Turkey's tight EURO 2008 match against Switzerland.

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.

England-Croatia topping the bill

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:00:00 GMT

The latest survey of FIFA.com users saw England versus Croatia chosen as the most eagerly anticipated match-up from the Preliminary draw.

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.