Nigeria, Cameroon and New Zealand all qualified for the 2010 World Cup last weekend with key victories, leaving just six spots remaining as we head into the last day of qualifying for next summer's World Cup.
Here are the 26 teams that have already qualified for the 2010 World Cup:
Brazil, Spain, England, Argentina, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Cote d’Ivoire, USA, Mexico, Denmark, Paraguay, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Ghana, Chile, Serbia, Switzerland, Honduras, Slovakia and North Korea, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon and New Zealand
There are 12 teams vying for the remaining six spots. Here is a rundown of the six remaining match-ups, which will all be decided on Wednesday:
PORTUGAL vs. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
Portugal won the first leg at home, 1-0, and will have a decided edge in the second leg knowing that a goal scorered on the road would make things decidedly tougher for the Bosnians. The series isn't over though, not with the firepower Bosnia boasts in attack.
FRANCE vs. IRELAND
Who knew there could be so much bad blood between the Irish and French? France's 1-0 win in Ireland in the first leg of their playoff series was a major blow to Ireland, but Giovanni Trappatoni's men just might be motivated enough to pull the road upset after French midfielder Lassana Diarra told Irish players the series was already over.
RUSSIA vs. SLOVENIA
Guus Hiddink's men wee supposed to steam-roll Slovenia, but a late away goal in Russia during a 2-1 first-leg loss has Slovenia thinking upset. It will be difficult to bet against Hiddink though. With Andrei Arshavin and Yuri Zhirkov playing at such a high level, look for the Russians to close this one out.
UKRAINE vs. GREECE
The Greeks held serve at home in a scoreless first-leg draw, but holding off the Ukrainians on the road will be a much tougher task. Can Andriy Shevchenko summon some more magic to earn one final trip to the World Cup?
EGYPT vs. ALGERIA
After finishing tied in their African World Cup qualifying group, Egypt and Algeria will face off in a one-game playoff in Sudan on Wednesday. The Egyptians will enter the match with some momentum after its 2-0 victory against Algeria on Saturday, but the well-publicized attack of the Algerian team bus before that match could provide even more motivation for the underdog Algerians.
URUGUAY vs. COSTA RICA
The Uruguayans went to Estadio Saprissa and did what only Mexico has been able to do in years, win a game as visitor. Now the South Americans are in complete control heading back to Montevideo. Costa Rica has been awful in road qualifiers this cycle and will be hard-pressed to muster the type of performance it will need to overtime the 1-0 first-leg defeat.
----------------
What did you think of Cameroon, Nigeria and New Zealand qualifying? Who do you see winning Wednesday's decisive matches? Think Ireland can pull the upset? Rooting for Costa Rica to turn it around? Can you see either Russia or Portugal being knocked off?
Share your thoughts below.
Ives Galarcep is an American soccer writer/columnist for FoxSoccer.com and creator of SoccerByIves.net.
Have a tip, story idea or suggestion? Send it to:
