The field for the 2010 World Cup is gradually taking shape. Twenty-three teams are in, and the final nine for the finals in South Africa will be known by Nov. 18.
So far there have been no major upsets, and most of the usual suspects - Italy, Germany, Brazil, Argentina and England - have booked their places. Of the seven teams that have won soccer’s biggest prize, only France and Uruguay have not qualified and must go through the playoff process. France has a tough draw against Ireland; Uruguay needs to get past Costa Rica.
Along with host South Africa, the qualifiers so far are Ghana, Ivory Coast, Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, the United States, Mexico, and Honduras.
In the other European playoff games, Portugal meets Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia tackles Slovenia and Greece plays Ukraine.
There will be some notable absences. Croatia, which came in third in 1998, is out. So is Sweden (runner-up in 1958) and star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. And Nigeria, with a slew of talent, is in danger.
North Korea is an interesting entrant. In 1966, the team beat Italy in a famous upset in its only appearance in the event.
The early favorites are Brazil, Spain, Germany and Italy. England, under coach Fabio Capello, cannot be counted out; neither can Argentina and coach Diego Maradona. England scored the most goals in qualifying in Europe, posting 34 in 10 games. The Netherlands, Serbia and Ghana all have the talent to reach the championship match.
The outlook for the United States is not so good: The odds of an American title are as long as 125-1.
With three berths from Africa still to be claimed, interesting developments are taking place in Group C, where Algeria and Egypt could finish tied on points - and tied on all five tiebreakers if Egypt wins 2-0 at home Nov. 14. Lots could be drawn to decide the group winner.
Meanwhile, Tunisia could shut out Nigeria in Group B if it wins at Mozambique. Cameroon should take Group A over Gabon as long as it doesn’t slip up at Morocco. An African team still has yet to crack the semifinals of the World Cup.
In Asia, New Zealand looks to be favored over Bahrain in that playoff series after earning a scoreless tie on the road. But Bahrain, which is looking for its first World Cup trip, has proved to be a good road team, too.
Jones cleared - FIFA said midfielder Jermaine Jones can play for the U.S. team. Jones is a dual citizen of the United States and Germany; he previously played for Germany at the international level. He plays for FC Schalke in the Bundesliga but has been sidelined with a left leg injury for several months.
Tyler to ESPN - In a stroke of genius, ESPN hired legendary British soccer announcer Martin Tyler to be its lead play-by-play voice for the World Cup. Tyler is one of the best soccer voices out there.
If it’s not Scottish… - What has happened to Scottish soccer? Glasgow Rangers was beaten 4-1 at home by Romanian minnows Unirea Urziceni in the Champions League this week. At the same time, Russian clubs are rising; Rubin Kazan pulled off a stunning 2-1 win at European champion Barcelona.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.