The World Cup draw will take place in Cape Town on December 4th - in 108 days time.
The search for the best team in the world – to be decided between 11th June and 11th July next summer – will be down to 32 remaining hopefuls who will be drawn into eight groups of four.
Seeds? FIFA have yet to reveal the exact criteria by which the eight heads of the groups will be decided. They have suggested, however, that less importance will be given to their questionable FIFA ranking system.
Recent tournaments records will certainly be factored in, which means working out the eight seeds should not prove too difficult.
Brazil, Germany, Spain, Italy are all certain to be seeded, along with the host nation South Africa. That leaves three others berths, which will surely be taken from Argentina, France, England, Holland, Mexico and the USA.
The draw will make a big difference to everyone’s opinion of who will win the World Cup. From the draw, it’s possible to plot the potential route all the way to the Final in Johannesburg..
Traditionally, there is a ‘group of death’, which may ensure one of the Big Guns takes an early plane home…
The draw will bring into perspective the expectations of the lesser footballing nations, indicating whether they should dream of qualifying beyond the group stage or set a target of simply gaining a win.
It will fuel the dreams of players and fans alike. From the day of the draw, 188 days will remain to the start of the 2010 World Cup.
The countdown will truly be on…
