England 4 - Croatia 1; Denmark 3 - Portugal 2; France over Serbia; Slovenia over Slovakia

Czech Republic at Northern Ireland
Malta at Albania
Slovakia at Slovenia (2-3)

"We conceded one goal through silliness but I think we can all be pleased. I have been predicting this for a while now and I'm sure we have even more to show." -Matjaz Kek, coach of Slovenia

Georgia at Italy

"We wanted to win in a way that would please us but Georgia made it difficult for us." -Daniele de Rossi, Italy midfielder

Denmark at Portugal

"It's bad to lose this way, we had the game under control, but in football a team that doesn't score sometimes gets punished unfairly." -Carlos Queiroz, coach of Portugal

England at Croatia (/Robert Kovač 62)

"We just start. It is the second game. It is a good performance, a good result, but it is nothing. Only one victory, not more." -Fabio Capello, coach of England

Serbia at France
Armenia at Spain

"It wasn't an easy game, we had to work very hard. We are delighted with the results of the last two games as it was important to win these first two matches at home." -Joan Capdevila, Spain

Goal scorers:
Albania: Dallku 45+1, 90; Duro 84

Slovenia: Nokarovič 22, 82

Slovakia: Jakubko 83

Italy: de Rossi 17, 89

Denmark: Bendtner 84; Poulsen 90; Jensen 90+2

Portugal: Nani 42; Deco 86 PK

England: Walcott 26, 59, 82; Rooney 63

Croatia: Mandžukić 78

France: Henry 53; Anelka 63

Serbia: Ivanović 75

Spain: Capdevila 7; Villa 16, 79; Senna 83

Luxembourg 2 - Switzerland 1; Sweden, Scotland, Lithuania win

Estonia at Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hungary at Sweden
Greece at Latvia
Luxembourg at Switzerland (first win in 36 for LUX, 6-3)
Poland at San Marino (0-4)

"Our initial performance was not up to par but we needed this win, regardless of style." -Mariusz Jop, Poland defender

Netherlands at Macedonia (3-2)

"I'm satisfied with the three points as I expected it would not be easy to win here." -Bert van Marwijk, coach of Netherlands

Austria at Lithuania (4-1)
Scotland at Iceland (Stephen McManus 75/)

Goal scorers:
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Misimović 25, 30, 56 PK; Muslimović 50; Džeko 60, 73; Ibričić 88

Sweden: Källström 55; Holmén 64

Hungary: Rudolf 90+3

Greece: Gekas 10, 49

Luxembourg: Strasser 27; Leweck 87

Switzerland: Nkufo 43

Poland: Smolarek 36; Lewandowski 66

Netherlands: Heitinga 445; Van der Vaart 59

Macedonia: Pandev 77 PK

Lithuania: Danilevičius 52, 58

Scotland: Broadfoot 18; Robson 59

Iceland: Guðjohnsen 77 PK

Germany 3 - Finland 3; Turkey 1 - Belgium 1; Russia win

Wales at Russia (4-0, rain)
Ukraine at Kazakhstan (1-3)
Liechtenstein at Azerbaijan
Romania at Faroe Islands (Sorin Ghionea sub in 18, red 50/)
Belarus at Andorra (2-3)
Ireland at Montenegro

"I think the result is fair. I knew before the game that the opponent was very, very hard." Giovanni Trapattoni, coach of Ireland

Liechtenstein at Azerbaijan
Belgium at Turkey (4-2)
Germany at Finland
Israel at Moldova (/Victor Golovatenco 64)

Goal scorers:
Russia: Pavlyuchenko 22 PK; Progebnyak 81

Wales: Ledley 67

Ukraine: Nazarenko 45, 80; Shevchenko 54

Kazakhstan: Ostapenko 68

Romania: Cociş 59

Belarus: Verkhovtsov 36; Rodionov 78; Hleb 89

Andorra: Pujol 66

Belgium: Sonck 31

Turkey: Belözoğlu 74 PK

Finland: J. Johansson 33; Vayrynen 43; Sjolund 53

Germany: Klose 38, 45, 83

Israel: Golan 39; Sabah 45

Moldova: Picusciac 1

Austria 3 - France 1; Italy 2 - Cyprus 1; Spain win

Estonia showed up in Liege to face a Belgium side that had seen its U-23 team make the recent Olympic semifinals. What ensued was a very entertaining match. The Belgians took the first score five minutes before the half ended, but it was the second half that was a goal frenzy. Estonia equalized before the hour. With fifteen minutes to go, the Belgians turned their level of play in an upward direction and knocked home two more goals for a 3-1 lead. Estonia pulled a second back in stoppage time, but that did not prevent them from a loss. Belgium won 3-2.

Germany visited low-ranking Liechtenstein, but they took nothing for granted, especially after only scoring once in the opening forty-five minutes. Five more goals rained in Vaduz for the Germans, and they took the encounter 6-0.

"Liechtenstein started strongly, but it was good for our confidence to know we can play well against defence-minded opposition." -Joachim Löw, coach of Germany

France paid Austria a visit in Vienna. Both teams were looking to improve upon rather disappointing Euro2008 campaigns. The Austrians capitalized on an own goal by France within ten minutes, and they put up a second goal toward the end of the first half. The French attempted to regroup and indeed, they scored a goal in the middle of the second half. Their silly play, however, again came back to bite them as they conceded a penalty when they tripped Austria's Marc Janko. Austria struck from the spot and won the match in upset fashion, 3-1. In a group also featuring Serbia, Romania, and Lithuania, the French have dug themselves an unseemingly hole to begin their campaign.

Italy visited Larnaca to take on Cyprus. Antonio di Natale was the savior on this night for the Italians, who needed a great deal of luck to hold off the constant attacks of the Cypriots. di Natale struck before ten minutes had elapsed, but Cyprus tied the match at the half hour, leaving both teams pondering their situation at the half. Nobody could score again until di Natale saved the defending World Cup champions with a stoppage-time killer. The 2-1 did not come without a hefty price for the Italians; they lost Gennaro Gattuso, Fabio Grosso, and Alessandro Gamberini to injury.

Bosnia at Herzegovina visited the world's top-ranked side in Spain, and they gave the Spaniards all that they cared to handle on this night. Spain drew a penalty opportunity in the first half, but star striker David Villa missed on his try, so the sides were still knotted at zero after the first period. Villa made amends for the miss in the second half, scoring during the run of play and forcing the Bosnians to play offensively. Spain were able to hold off the attacks and looked as though they would score a second, but they had to settle for a 1-0 victory at home.

Chad faced off with Sudan in Cairo, Egypt, the first of two encounters the teams will have over the next four days in that city. Sudan took three yellow cards, but that was not enough for them to stave off Chad on this night. Chad took the lead midway through the first period, but Sudan finally drew level with under one quarter of an hour remaining in the match. The neighbors and bitter rivals looked ready to share the points, but Chad quickly answered the equalizer with a second goal five minutes later, and they held off Sudan for the 2-1 victory. Anything less than a win for Sudan in the second match will eliminate them officially, but Chad too need the victory or they are almost certain to succumb to elimination fever as well.

Goal scorers:

Germany: Podolski 21, 48; Rolfes 65; Schweinsteiger 66; Hitzlsperger 76; Westermann 87

Belgium: Sonck 40, 80; Defour 75

Estonia: Zenjov 57; Oper 90+3

Austria: Mexès 8 OG (France); Aufhauser 41; Ivanschitz 72 PK

France: Govou 61

Italy: di Natale 8, 90+2

Cyprus: Aloneftis 29

Spain: Villa 57

Chad: Mbaiam 28; S. Hassan 82

Sudan: Kamal 77

Lithuania 3 - Romania 0; Switzerland 2 - Israel 2; Denmark tie

Denmark visited Hungary in a match that was essential for both teams considering they are both in a group containing Portugal and Sweden. Crossbars were hit, but no goals were tallied either way, and the only evidence that the teams played were the seven yellows awarded, four of them to Hungary.

Switzerland went to Ramat Gan to take on dangerous Israel without the aid of their two stars Philippe Senderos and Alexander Frei. They nonetheless were the better team, taking a lead at the stroke of halftime on a superb free kick. The made it 2-0 with an opportunistic goal in the next half. The game appeared to be over with twenty minutes to go, but the Israelis had other thoughts. Two goals, including a stoppage time equalizer, sent the game to a shocking 2-2 conclusion. The two coaches spoke after the match.

"One of the great things about this team is that there is a new spirit, ambition, not giving up even when they were 2-0 down. They showed great cohesion and we showed a lot of character."-Dror Kashtan, coach of Israel

"I am sorry that we were not able to maintain our lead. We dominated much of the match but still we gave balls away in the midfield and our opponents managed to take the advantage." -Ottmar Kitzfeld, coach of Switzerland

Portugal were expected to make quick work of Malta. Malta, however, scored the first goal of the match, but unfortunately it was into their own net. The 1-0 lead stuck until the second half began, when the powerful Portuguese added three more for a 4-0 victory and three points.

England went to Barcelona, Spain, with little worries about their Andorran opponents. Perhaps they should have proceeded with more intensity. The scoreless first half had their fans stunned silent, but luckily for them Joe Cole came to play, and he produced two quick second-half scores to give England a fairly unconvincing 2-0 victory. Nevertheless, three points are three points.

"People think that this should be an easy game, but they got 10 men behind the ball and made it difficult on a very sticky pitch. I was told by the coach to make something happen because the game needed a little spark and we got the job done." -Joe Cole

Lithuania traveled to Cluj to take on a depleted Romania squad, a squad lacking Christian Chivu, Adrian Mutu, Razvan Rat, Florentine Petre, and George Ogararu. Their absences clearly drained the Romanian side, but the Lithuanians were not about to show mercy. Lithuania brought physicality, drawing four yellows to Romania's two. More importantly, they brought the goals, one in first and two in the second, garnering all three points in a massive 3-0 road victory.

Bulgaria were the unlucky crew who drew Montenegro in Montenegro's first ever home qualifying match. The Bulgarians shut the home crowd down after scoring first in the historic match, and the early goal gave them a 1-0 lead at the break. The Montenegrins were not about to go quietly; in fact, they struck once midway through the final period and then again on a converted free kick. Bulgaria had their prayers answered with a stoppage time goal, so they salvaged one point from the 2-2 road draw.

Greece went to Luxembourg in the hopes that a quick three points could help erase their Euro2008 embarassment. The Luxembourgish put themselves in the book six times through yellow cards, but the Greeks put themselves on the scoreboard three times for a 3-0 victory. Their first two goals came in the opening period.

Kazakhstan took their first-place status into Croatia, but any illusions the Kazakhs had about their chances were quickly erased by two first-half goals from the Croats. Croatia coasted in the second period but found yet another goal for a final tally of 3-0. Croatia host England on Wednesday in that day's most anticipated qualifier.

Faroe Islands looked to their match against Serbia as an opportunity for an upset. Serbia looked at the match as a three-point opportunity. Serbia had little going offensively, but an own goal gave the Serbs a 1-0 lead around the half-hour mark that would hold until the final three minutes of the match. The Faroe Islands lost Jonas Tórnaes to a red card in the eighty-fourth minute, and the Serbs finally scored a goal soon afterwards to make the final scoreline read 2-0. The Serbs must be breathing sighs of relief following the victory.

Goal scorers:
Switzerland: Yakin 45; Kufo 56

Israel: Benahoun 73; Sahar 90

Portugal: Said 25 OG (Malta); Almeida 6; Simão 71; Nani 78

England: J. Cole 49, 55

Lithuania: Stankevičius 33; Mikoliūnas 70; Kalonas 86

Bulgaria: Petrov 11; Georgiev 90+2

Montenegro: Vučinić 62; Jovetić 81 PK

Greece: Torosidis 36; Gekas 45; Charisteas 77 PK

Croatia: Kovač 13; Modrić 36; Petrić 79

Serbia: Jacobsen 31 OG (Faroe Islands); Žigić 88

Sweden, Norway draw; Cameroon, Tunisia, Burkina Faso advance; Ukraine win

Equatorial Guinea looked for a win in Freetown, but Sierra Leone were not about to let their opportunity to pass South Africa in the group go by the wayside. The grabbed the first goal at the half-hour mark, and a goal with ten minutes to go in the second half gave them an insurmountable 2-0 lead. A stoppage time goal by Equatorial Guinea was not enough, and Sierra Leone have themselves a 2-1 lead, seven points, and a great chance to move onto Round Two.

Liberia went to Banjul to keep their faint hopes of qualification from dying, but Gambia sent Liberia packing for good. Two goals within the first half hour ended Liberian hopes, and a third goal sent the visitors home soundly defeated. The 3-0 win gives Gambia eight points and a tie for second place with an edge in goal differential over Sénégal. Gambia need a result in their upcoming match in Sénégal to have a chance to advance. More than likely, a tie will see them through to Round Two.

Cameroon went to Praia in hopes of snatching the Group A title from Cape Verde. Things did not appear too auspicious for the Cameroonians after surrendering a goal near the end of the first period and entering the break down one goal. Cameroon continued to fight, however, and two goals before the midpoint of the second period brought the Cameroonians to the promised land by virtue of a 2-1 victory and the Group A title. Cape Verde now face a must-win fixture in Tanzania to retain hope of qualifying for Round Two.

Rwanda visited Mauritania holding nine points through four matches. They had a date with winless and pointless Mauritania, but it appeared to be destined for a scoreless tie until the Rwandans clinched the away victory with a goal with nine minutes left in regulation. Rwanda's twelve points appear to be enough to advance, but Morocco and Ethiopia's match was postponed, so Rwanda have not yet advanced completely out of Group H. Alexandre Song was red-carded for picking up two yellows in the final minutes of the game, including his second in stoppage time, but he will only miss Cameroon's unimportant qualifier against Mauritius in October.

"There's no point in lying, we're in danger. Even though we've won our last three games, the defeat at home to Burkina Faso hurt us badly. Our qualification depends entirely on the match over there." - Karim Haggui, Tunisia

Tunisia went to Ouagadougou to face their nemesis Burkina Faso. Alas, the game did not deliver the interest that it had been tabbed to generate, but the scoreless draw suits both teams rather nicely. Burkina Faso and Tunisia have both advanced to Round Two out of Group I with the result. Burkina Faso have thirteen points and the group victory, whereas the seven points garnered by Tunisia against first-place Burkina Faso and third-place Burundi guarantees them a spot as one of the best eight second-place sides.

Sweden went to Tirana to snatch three points from their hosts. Albania had other ideas, and although the Albanians could not generate any offense, they did generate one point in the standings by shutting out the heavily-favored Swedes. The result was undoubtedly highly frustrating for Sweden.

Belarus faced a Ukraine side looking to redeem itself after falling off in the two years after its 2006 World Cup appearance. Neither side could pull anything together in the offensive ends of the pitch, and the game was scoreless after ninety minutes. Ukraine drew a penalty kick opportunity deep into second-half stoppage time, much to the chagrin of the Belarussian fans, and the conversion gave Ukraine a 1-0 victory over their neighbors and their first three points of qualifying.

Iceland faced fellow Scandinavians Norway in Oslo, but it was the Norwegians who were supposed to be making all of the noise. Iceland were forced to take three yellows to slow down Norway's attackers, but the Norwegians struck first after drawing and converting a penalty kick in the first half. Iceland quickly answered with a goal of their own, and the sides went to the break tied at one. A goal five minutes into the second half put the hosts atop the score once again, but the Icelanders knocked home another goal and walked away with a tough 1-1 road draw.

Goal scorers:
Sierra Leone: Conteh 30; Suma 80

Equatorial Guinea: Edjogo 90+1

Gambia: Demba 10, 80; Jallow 26

Cameroon: Emana 51; Nkong 65

Cape Verde: Lito 39

Rwanda: Mulenda 81

Ukraine: Shevchenko 90+4 PK

Norway: Iversen 36 PK, 50

Iceland: Helguson 39; Guðjohnsen 69

Macedonia 1- Scotland 0; Slovenia 1 - Poland 1

Scotland visited Macedonia without midfielder James Morrison, but they never expected the debacle that was about to ensue. The home side sent the crowd in Skopje to a frenzy with a very early goal, and the Scottish had no answer for the remainder of the match. The 1-0 shock win gave Macedonia a very well-earned three points. Still, the coach of Scotland, George Burley believed his side deserved at least a tie.

"We were disappointed to lose but for the whole of the second-half I thought we dominated the game. In the second-half I thought we were outstanding. We played good football, we passed it well and their keeper has made a few saves."

Azerbaijan played Wales in an extremely physical affair. While the Welsh drew two yellows, the visitors amassed six, including a fateful two yellows for Fabio Luis Ramim, who was removed in the sixty-eighth minute. The game had been scoreless up until that juncture, but the Welsh kept pushing with a man advantage and broke through with a goal for a substitute with under ten minutes to go. The 1-0 win saved the team from an earlier missed penalty kick by Jason Koumas. John Toshack, the coach of Wales, spoke after the win.

"I am satisfied with the result and the performance. Azerbaijan have improved considerably over the past two years and they provided a very serious test for us."

Slovenia visited Poland in Wrocław, and the Poles were not pleased with the result. Poland were attempting to get out to a fast start in their campaign to reach the World Cup once again. Things looked marvelous after a penalty kick conversion in the middle of the first half provided the first score. Slovenia equalized less than twenty minutes later, and the game was tied at one going into the break. The game remained physical throughout, with the Poles taking two yellows to the Slovenians four. The absence of goalkeeper Artur Boruc and midfielders Dariusz Dudka and Radoslaw Majewski proved too much for Poland in the end, however, and Slovenia escaped with a 1-1 road draw in their first qualifier.

"We are disappointed at the result and with the standard of our game especially in the second half," said Leo Beenhakker, coach of Poland. "For us this is a total defeat," lamented midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski.

Northern Ireland went to Bratislava to take on Slovakia. Slovakia scored all three of the goals in this match, but the final score was not 3-0. Slovakia dominated the game early, and it seemed that the Northern Irish were not fully awake. The Slovaks took advantage by slipping home the first goal at the start of the second half and they stretched the lead to two with twenty minutes to play. An own goal with just under ten minutes left gave Northern Ireland hope, but Slovakia's defense shut the door for a 2-1 victory and three points.

It is a very important victory, the first game is always very tough." -Vladimir Weiss, coach of Slovakia

Latvia faced off in Moldova in a matchup of two teams not expected to do much in qualifying. Latvia jumped on Moldova early, scoring twice in the first half hour and taking the 2-0 scoreline to the locker room. Moldova pulled one back with a quarter half remaining, but the Latvians held out for a 2-1 road victory.

Turkey visited Armenia in a match with many historical implications, considering the troubled past between the two nations. The cardiac kids from Euro2008 did nothing to change this perception, allowing the Armenians to go to the locker with a scoreless tie intact. The cardiac Turks awoke in the second half, as they are known to do, and they scored two unanswered goals for a 2-0 win. Turkey are looking to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and finishing third in 2002 and failing to qualify for Germany 2006. Three points will help them on their way.

Ireland played its road qualifier against Georgia in Mainz, Germany. Ireland treated the affair as a home game, snatching a goal within a quarter hour and holding steady defensively. The 1-0 halftime lead grew to 2-0 with a second half goal. Georgia salvaged a goal in stoppage time, but they could not salvage a point. The Irish won 2-1 to take all three points available from the encounter. It was not the Irish's best game, but it is the result that counts in qualifying.

Goal scorers:
Macedonia: Naumoski 5

Wales: Vokes 83

Poland: Żewłakow 17 PK

Slovenia: Dedič 35

Slovakia: Škrtel 46; Hamšík 70

Northern Ireland: Ďurica 81 OG (Slovakia)

Latvia: Karlsons 8; Astafjevs 22

Moldova: Alexeev 76

Turkey: Şanlı 60; Şentürk 78

Ireland: Doyle 13; Whelan 70

Georgia: Kenia 90+2

Kazakhstan 3 - Andorra 0

While their European counterparts were playing a myriad of friendlies, the Kazakhs welcomed Andorra to Almaty for the opener of the European 2010 World Cup qualifiers. The home crowd witnessed a show in the first half as the Kazakhs knocked home three goals. The Andorrans were on their worst behavior, drawing six yellows but thankfully no ejections. Kazakhstan won in shutout style 3-0 and took the lead in Group F. If the qualifiers ended today, they would be in the World Cup; they aim to keep it that way.

Goal scorers:

Kazakhstan: Ostapenko 14, 30; Uzdenov 45

August/September 2008 schedule

The August schedule is pretty light, for it only contains Match Day 1 of CONCACAF's Third Round, as well as the opening UEFA qualifier. September is much more packed. All match times are local.

August 20, 2008
Andorra at Kazakhstan 9 PM Almaty
Suriname at Haiti 5 PM Port-au-Prince
Jamaica at Canada 7:30 PM Toronto
Trinidad and Tobago at Cuba 8 PM Havana
Honduras at México 8 PM México City
El Salvador at Costa Rica 8 PM San José
United States of America at Guatemala 8 PM Guatemala City

September 5, 2008
Malawi at Djibouti 9 PM Djibouti
Ghana at Libya 10 PM Tripoli
Sénégal at Algeria 10 PM Blida

September 6, 2008
Vanuatu at Fiji 3 PM Ba
New Zealand at New Caledonia 5 PM Nouméa
Nigeria at South Africa 3 PM Port Elizabeth
Scotland at Macedonia 3 PM Skopje
Namibia at Kenya 4 PM Nairobi
Equatorial Guinea at Sierra Leone 4:30 PM Freetown
Azerbaijan at Wales 3 PM Cardiff
Cameroon at Cape Verde 4 PM Praia
Slovenia at Poland 5 PM Wrocław
Northern Ireland at Slovakia 5:30 PM Bratislava
Liberia at Gambia 5 PM Banjul
Rwanda at Mauritania 5 PM Nouakchott
Tunisia at Burkina Faso 6 PM Ouagadougou
Latvia at Moldova 7 PM Tiraspol
Iceland at Norway 7 PM Oslo
Belarus at Ukraine 8 PM Lviv
Japan at Bahrain 7:30 PM Al Manāmah
Denmark at Hungary 7:45 PM Budapest
Switzerland at Israel 8:55 PM Ramat Gan
Portugal at Malta 8 PM Ta'Qali
England at Andorra 8 PM Barcelona, Spain
Ireland at Georgia 8 PM Mainz, Germany
Bulgaria at Montenegro 8 PM Podgorica
Turkey at Armenia 9 PM Yerevan
Italy at Cyprus 9 PM Larnaca
Uzbekistan at Qatar 10 PM Doha
Lithuania at Romania 9 PM Cluj
Greece at Luxembourg 8:15 PM Luxembourg
Kazakstan at Croatia 8:15 PM Zagreb
Faroe Islands at Serbia 8:15 PM Belgrade
North Korea at United Arab Emirates 10:15 PM Abu Dhabi
France at Austria 8:30 PM Vienna
Sweden at Albania 8:45 PM Tirana
Germany at Liechtenstein 8:45 PM Vaduz
Chad at Sudan 10 PM Cairo, Egypt
Paraguay at Argentina 4 PM Buenos Aires
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Spain 10 PM Murcia
Bolivia at Ecuador 4:10 PM Quito
Guatemala at Trinidad and Tobago 5:30 PM Port of Spain
Uruguay at Colombia 6:20 PM Bogotá
Jamaica at México 5 PM México City
Honduras at Canada 8 PM Montréal
Haiti at El Salvador 7:30 PM San Salvador
United States of America at Cuba 8 PM Havana
Suriname at Costa Rica 8 PM San José
Venezuela at Perú 8:30 PM Lima

September 7, 2008
Botswana at Madagascar 2:30 PM Antananarivo
Tanzania at Mauritius 3 PM Curepipe
Guinea at Zimbabwe 3 PM Harare
Gabon at Lesotho 3 PM Bloemfontein, South Africa
Côte d'Ivoire at Mozambique 3 PM Maputo
Mali at Congo 3:30 PM Brazzaville
Egypt at Democratic Republic of the Congo 3:30 PM Kinshasa
Angola at Benin 4 PM Cotonou
Uganda at Niger 4:30 PM Niamey
Brazil at Chile 8 PM Santiago

September 9, 2008
Venezuela at Paraguay 8 PM Asunción

September 10, 2008
Fiji at Vanuatu 2 PM Port Vila
New Caledonia at New Zealand 7:30 PM Auckland
South Korea at North Korea 8 PM Shanghai, China
Togo at Zambia 2 PM Chililabombwe
Australia at Uzbekistan 8:30 PM Tashkent
Wales at Russia 7 PM Moscow
Romania at Faroe Islands 5:30 PM Tórshavn
Belarus at Andorra 7 PM Andorra la Vella
Ireland at Montenegro 7 PM Podgorica
Liechtenstein at Azerbaijan 9 PM Baku
Belgium at Turkey 9 PM Istanbul
Saudi Arabia at United Arab Emirates 10:15 PM Abu Dhabi
Germany at Finland 8:35 PM Helsinki
Bahrain at Qatar 10 PM Doha
Estonia at Bosnia and Herzegovina 8:15 PM Zenica
Hungary at Sweden 8:15 PM Solna
Greece at Latvia 9:15 PM Riga
Luxembourg at Switzerland 8:30 PM Zürich
Israel at Moldova 8:30 PM Chisinau
Poland at San Marino 8:30 PM Serravalle
Netherlands at Macedonia 8:30 PM Skopje
Austria at Lithuania 8:30 PM Marijampolė
Czech Republic at Northern Ireland 7:45 PM Belfast
Malta at Albania 8:45 PM Tirana
Slovakia at Slovenia 8:45 PM Maribor
Georgia at Italy 8:50 PM Udine
Denmark at Portugal 9 PM Lisboa
England at Croatia 9 PM Zagreb
Serbia at France 9 PM Saint-Denis
Sudan at Chad 10 PM Cairo, Egypt
El Salvador at Suriname 4:30 PM Paramaribo
Ecuador at Uruguay 5:40 PM Montevideo
Armenia at Spain 10 PM Albacete
Costa Rica at Haiti 5 PM Port-au-Prince
Colombia at Chile 6:40 PM Santiago
Trinidad and Tobago at United States of America 7 PM Bridgeview
Jamaica at Honduras 7:30 PM Tegulcigalpa
Bolivia at Brazil 9:50 PM Rio de Janeiro
Cuba at Guatemala 8 PM Guatemala City
Canada at México 8 PM Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Argentina at Perú 9:30 PM Lima

Yet to be confirmed:

September 10
Ukraine at Kazakhstan Almaty

Morocco at Ethiopia was postponed until a later date.

UEFA Groups B and E Fixtures

The draw for these two groups was performed in Zagreb on January 30, 2008.

September 6, 2008
Latvia at Moldova
Greece at Luxembourg
Switzerland at Israel
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Spain
Estonia at Belgium
Turkey at Armenia

September 10, 2008
Greece at Latvia
Israel at Moldova
Luxembourg at Switzerland
Estonia at Bosnia and Herzegovina
Armenia at Spain
Belgium at Turkey

October 11, 2008
Israel at Luxembourg
Latvia at Switzerland
Moldova at Greece
Armenia at Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Turkey
Spain at Estonia

October 15, 2008
Israel at Latvia
Moldova at Luxembourg
Switzerland at Greece
Armenia at Bosnia and Herzegovina
Spain at Belgium
Turkey at Estonia

March 28, 2009
Latvia at Luxembourg
Greece at Israel
Switzerland at Moldova
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Belgium
Estonia at Armenia
Turkey at Spain

April 1, 2009
Luxembourg at Latvia
Israel at Greece
Moldova at Switzerland
Belgium at Bosnia and Herzegovina
Armenia at Estonia
Spain at Turkey

September 5, 2009
Latvia at Israel
Luxembourg at Moldova
Greece at Switzerland
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Armenia
Belgium at Spain
Estonia at Turkey

September 9, 2009
Luxembourg at Israel
Switzerland at Latvia
Greece at Moldova
Belgium at Armenia
Turkey at Bosnia and Herzegovina
Estonia at Spain

October 10, 2009
Latvia at Greece
Moldova at Israel
Switzerland at Luxembourg
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Estonia
Spain at Armenia
Turkey at Belgium

October 14, 2009
Moldova at Latvia
Luxembourg at Greece
Israel at Switzerland
Spain at Bosnia and Herzegovina
Belgium at Estonia
Armenia at Turkey

All of the UEFA group fixtures have now been announced.

UEFA Group C Fixtures; Zagreb Draw on January 30

This list of matches was confirmed in Bratislava on January 16.

September 6, 2008
Slovenia at Poland
Northern Ireland at Slovakia

September 10, 2008
Czach Republic at Northern Ireland
Poland at San Marino
Slovakia at Slovenia

October 11, 2008
Czech Republic at Poland
Slovakia at San Marino
Northern Ireland at Slovenia

October 15, 2008
Slovenia at Czech Republic
San Marino at Northern Ireland
Poland at Slovakia

October 19, 2008
Czech Republic at San Marino

February 11, 2009
Northern Ireland at San Marino

March 28, 2009
Poland at Northern Ireland
Czech Republic at Slovenia

April 1, 2009
Slovakia at Czech Republic
Slovenia at Northern Ireland
San Marino at Poland

June 6, 2009
San Marino at Slovakia

August 19, 2009
San Marino at Slovenia

September 5, 2009
Northern Ireland at Poland
Czech Republic at Slovakia

September 9, 2009
Slovakia at Northern Ireland
San Marino at Czech Republic
Poland at Slovenia

October 10, 2009
Poland at Czech Republic
Slovenia at Slovakia

October 14, 2009
Northern Ireland at Czech Republic
Slovakia at Poland
Slovenia at San Marino

Groups B and E failed to finalize their list of fixtures by the January 16 deadline, so FIFA will hold a draw to determine the fixtures for those two groups on January 30 in Zagreb.

Group B could not resolve a standoff between the delegations of Greece and Latvia at the convention in Israel. Group E saw the delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina arrive several hours late to a meeting in Spain. This same delegation could not agree upon the match list agreed upon by the other five delegation, so now all six nations await their fates at Zagreb.

UEFA Groups F and H fixtures

The group F fixtures were decided on Janaury 14 in Zagreb. The group H matches were assigned on January 15 in Sofia.

August 20, 2008
Andorra at Kazakhstan

September 6, 2008
England at Andorra
Kazakhstan at Croatia
Belarus at Ukraine
Italy at Cyprus
Ireland at Georgia
Bulgaria at Montenegro

September 10, 2008
England at Croaita
Belarus at Andorra
Ukraine at Kazakhstan
Georgia at Italy
Ireland at Montenegro

October 11, 2008
Kazakhstan at England
Croatia at Ukraine
Italy at Bulgaria
Cyprus at Georgia

October 15, 2008
England at Belarus
Andorra at Croatia
Montenegro at Italy
Cyprus at Ireland
Bulgaria at Georgia

February 11, 2009
Georgia at Ireland

March 28, 2009
Italy at Montenegro
Georgia at Cyprus
Bulgaria at Ireland

April 1, 2009
Ukraine at England
Croatia at Andorra
Belarus at Kazahkstan
Ireland at Italy
Cyprus at Bulgaria
Montenegro at Georgia

June 6, 2009
England at Kazakhstan
Ukraine at Croatia
Andorra at Belarus
Montenegro at Cyprus
Ireland at Bulgaria

June 10, 2009
Andorra at England
Kazakhstan at Ukraine

August 19, 2009
Croatia at Belarus

September 5, 2009
Andorra at Ukraine
Belarus at Croatia
Italy at Georgia
Ireland at Cyprus
Montenegro at Bulgaria

September 9, 2009
Croatia at England
Ukraine at Belarus
Kazakhstan at Andorra
Bulgaria at Italy
Cyprus at Montenegro

October 10, 2009
England at Ukraine
Kazakhstan at Belarus
Italy at Ireland
Bulgaria at Cyprus
Georgia at Montenegro

October 14, 2009
Belarus at England
Croatia at Kazakhstan
Ukraine at Andorra
Cyprus at Italy
Montenegro at Ireland
Georgia at Bulgaria

Now, only three groups have yet to release their list of fixtures.

UEFA Group D Fixtures

These fixtures were announced on January 10 in Frankfurt.

September 6, 2008
Germany at Liechtenstein
Azerbaijan at Wales

September 10, 2008
Germany at Finland
Liectenstein at Azerbaijan
Wales at Russia

October 11, 2008
Russia at Germany
Liechtenstein at Wales
Azerbaijan at Finland

October 15, 2008
Wales at Germany
Finland at Russia

March 28, 2009
Liechtenstein at Germany
Azerbaijan at Russia
Finland at Wales

April 1, 2009
Russia at Liechtenstein
Germany at Wales

June 6, 2009
Liechtenstein at Finland
Wales at Azerbaijan

June 10, 2009
Russia at Finland

August 19, 2009
Germany at Azerbaijan

September 5, 2009
Liechtenstein at Russia
Finland at Azerbaijan

September 9, 2009
Russia at Wales
Azerbaijan at Germany
Finland at Liechtenstein

October 10, 2009
Germany at Russia
Azerbaijan at Liechtenstein
Wales at Finland

October 14, 2009
Finland at Germany
Russia at Azerbaijan
Wales at Liechtenstein

UEFA Group A Fixtures

Group A fixtures were announced in Copenhagen.

September 6, 2008
Sweden at Albania
Denmark at Hungary
Portugal at Malta

September 10, 2008
Hungary at Sweden
Denmark at Portugal
Malta at Albania

October 11, 2008
Portugal at Sweden
Malta at Denmark
Albania at Hungary

October 15, 2008
Hungary at Malta
Albania at Portugal

February 11, 2009
Albania at Malta

March 28, 2009
Sweden at Portugal
Denmark at Malta
Hungary at Albania

April 1, 2009
Malta at Hungary
Albania at Denmark

June 6, 2009
Denmark at Sweden
Portugal at Albania

June 10, 2009
Malta at Sweden

September 5, 2009
Sweden at Hungary
Portugal at Denmark

September 9, 2009
Sweden at Malta
Denmark at Albania
Portugal at Hungary

That leaves six more groups to determine their fixtures.

UEFA Groups G and I fixtures

Group G fixtures were the first to be determined on December 8, 2007 in Vienna. Group I fixtures were determined on December 14, 2007 in Amsterdam. Group I will finish in September 2009, but Group G will finish in October 2009.

The other seven groups will convene at later times to determine their schedules. These dates will be given at the end of this post.

September 6, 2008
Scotland at Macedonia
Iceland at Norway
France at Austria
Lithuania at Romania
Faroe Islands at Serbia

September 10, 2008
Scotland at Iceland
Netherlands at Macedonia
Austria at Lithuania
Romania at Faroe Islands
Serbia at France

October 11, 2008
Norway at Scotland
Iceland at Netherlands
Austria at Faroe Islands
France at Romania
Lithuania at Serbia

October 15, 2008
Macedonia at Iceland
Netherlands at Norway
Serbia at Austria
Faroe Islands at Lithuania

March 28, 2009
Scotland at Netherlands
Serbia at Romania
France at Lithuania

April 1, 2009
Iceland at Scotland
Macedonia at Netherlands
Romania at Austria
France at Lithuania

June 6, 2009
Netherlands Iceland
Norway at Macedonia
Austria at Serbia
Romania at Lithuania

June 10, 2009
Iceland at Macedonia
Norway at Netherlands
Serbia at Faroe Islands

August 19, 2009
Scotland at Norway
France at Faroe Islands

September 5, 2009
Macedonia at Scotland
Norway at Iceland
Faroe Islands at Austria
Romania at France

September 9, 2009
Netherlands at Scotland
Macedonia at Norway
Austria at Romania
France at Serbia
Lithuania at Faroe Islands

October 10, 2009
Lithuania at Austria
Romania at Serbia
Faroe Islands at France

October 14, 2009
Austria at France
Serbia at Lithuania
Faroe Islands at Romania

Announcement Dates:
January 6, 2008: Group A in Copenhagen
January 8, 2008: Group B in Israel
January 10, 2008: Group D
January 14, 2008: Group F in Zagreb
January 25, 2008: Group C in Bratislava

Group E and H have yet to determine their dates.

UEFA Preliminary Draw

England just cannot catch a break. Less than one week after being eliminated by Croatia from Euro2008, the two foes are drawn against each other again. Denmark and Sweden are also drawn together again, giving the Danish fans a chance to redeem themselves as a civilized audience. The toughest groups appear to be Groups A, C, F, and G. A * denotes a Germany 2006 particapant and a # represents a Euro2008 qualifier.

Group A:
13 Portugal *#
22 Sweden *#
19 Denmark
69 Hungary
93 Albania
153 Malta

Group B: 16 Greece #
37 Israel
18 Switzerland *#
87 Moldova
91 Latvia
183 Luxembourg

Group C:
7 Czech Republic *#
26 Poland *#
67 Northern Ireland
49 Slovakia
77 Slovenia
195 San Marino

Group D:
7 Germany *#
24 Russia #
43 Finland
56 Wales
122 Azerbaijan
167 Liechtenstein

Group E:
5 Spain *#
17 Turkey #
52 Belgium
76 Bosnia and Herzegovina
104 Armenia
109 Estonia

Group F:
11 Croatia *#
9 England *
39 Ukraine *
73 Belarus
117 Kazakhstan
180 Andorra

Group G:
4 France *#
10 Romania #
35 Serbia *
65 Lithuania
60 Austria #
171 Faroe Islands

Group H:
2 Italy *#
25 Bulgaria
32 Ireland
79 Cyprus
78 Georgia
58 Montenegro

Group I:
6 Netherlands *#
33 Scotland
31 Norway
75 Macedonia
106 Iceland

My predictions for the group winners are Portugal, Greece, Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, England, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. For the second positions, I foresee Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Scotland. Russia, Turkey, and Bulgaria will take advantage of easier groups to snag second-place finishes, whereas Denmark, Ukraine, and Serbia fall victim to tougher draws.

The top eight of nine second-place finishers will be decided by their point totals against the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 5th-place finishers in their respective groups.

UEFA Pots Announced

The European pots were finalized today after the final round of qualifying for Euro2008 was played. The seedings were based on the new November 2007 FIFA rankings. England's final day loss to Croatia in UEFA Euro2008 qualifying relegates them to Pot B while Greece moves up to Pot A.

There will be eight groups of six teams and one group of five teams. This is because there will be one less team in Pot F than in the other pots.

Pot A:
Italy
Spain
Germany
Czech Republic
France
Portugal
Netherlands
Croatia
Greece

Pot B:
England
Romania
Scotland
Turkey
Bulgaria
Russia
Poland
Sweden
Israel

Pot C:
Norway
Ukraine
Serbia
Denmark
Northern Ireland
Ireland
Finland
Switzerland
Belgium

Pot D:
Slovakia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hungary
Moldova
Wales
Macedonia
Belarus
Lithuania
Cyprus

Pot E:
Georgia
Albania
Slovenia
Latvia
Iceland
Armenia
Austria
Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan

Pot F:
Liechtenstein
Estonia
Malta
Luxembourg
Montenegro
Andorra
Faroe Islands
San Marino

The draw will be performed on Sunday. The nine group winners advance to South Africa and the best eight second-place teams will advance to the UEFA playoff round. Four more teams will then advance to South Africa. Qualifying will not begin until after Euro2008 is completed.

UEFA shortens qualifying schedule

With the subtraction of one spot in the World Cup Finals (its 14th entry became Africa's 6th), UEFA is down to 13 spots for qualifying. Still, the same number of teams will advance through qualifying as in 2006 since Germany was then granted automatic admission.

This time, the ruling body of UEFA has decided to mercifully decrease the number of matches a team would have to play in order to qualify. This year, the 53 European teams will be split into nine groups. Eight groups will have six teams, and one group will have five teams. Each group winner will qualify for the 2010 World Cup while the eight best second-place finishers will advance to four separate two-leg playoffs. This system seem reasonable, until your team ends up being the ninth-best second-place finisher. Really, wouldn't the ninth-best second place finisher be able to make the case that it managed to finish second in what ended up being an evenly-matched group?

This system is in contrast from the 2006 qualifiers where the 52 teams were split into eight groups. Three groups had seven teams and five groups had six teams. In this system, the eight group winners advance to the World Cup, along with the two best second-place finishers. The other six second-place squads then played three separate two-leg playoffs. This system, while slightly more drawn out, was more fair than the current system because all teams that finished second in their groups were given another chance to qualify.

Durban to determine fates

The qualifying draws for UEFA, CONCACAF, AFC, and CAF will be held in Durban, South Africa on November 25, 2007.

By this time, the first four rounds of the eighteen-round CONMEBOL tournament would have already taken place, with one round on each of the following days:

October 13
October 17
November 17
November 21

CAF and AFC will eliminate some of their weaker teams in two-leg preliminary rounds in October, before the Durban draw. The AFC will pit 38 of its 43 teams in these rounds so that a field of 20 will be ready for Durban. CAF will pit ten of its 53 teams in these rounds so that a field of 48 will be ready for Durban (October 13/14 and 17/18).

From the original 203 teams, by the time the Durban draws come out we will be down to 182.