SOCCER
Ntuthuko Maphumulo
Africa’s contingent for next year’s World Cup in Korea and Japan has already been decided with South Africa, Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon and Tunisia to represent the continent but most other regions are still fighting it out to decide who will attend the showpiece.
Europe and South America, the only two continents to have produced winners of the event, take the lion’s share of the berths 18 or 19 of the 30 places available once you discount the co-hosts’s places.
Europe where Sweden, Poland and Spain have already qualified is guaranteed 14 representatives, with a possible 15th coming through a play-off against an Asian nation. Europe has one further round of qualifying before the nine group winners and play-off participants are decided.
South American countries have the best odds of getting to the finals: four of the 10 nations get through. But the quality of the opposition is very high. Those 10 countries have won eight of the 16 World Cups to date.
Argentina have already booked a ticket to the finals and they are followed by Paraguay, Ecuador, and Brazil. The Brazilians are struggling, with Uruguay hot on their heels.
Asia provides two or three teams, excluding the hosts, while Oceania has one guaranteed place and another available through play-offs.
In North and Central America, including the Caribbean, three countries qualify from a group currently led by Costa Rica followed by Honduras, Mexico and the United States.
Once the draw is made on December 1, national coaches will be under huge pressure to pick a squad to win the big prize and various styles of football will be on display.
If the Germans qualify, expect perfect football; the Spaniards will bring flair, passion and skill; the Italians will be tough; the English will be fast; the Africans will bring flair and the Brazilians if they qualify will bring the samba.
The five African countries that qualified for the World Cup will use the African Cup of Nations to prepare. Those countries that did not qualify for Korea and Japan will be out to prove a point in Mali in January and February.