Looking Ahead to 10/10: UEFA

While all of us will be focused on the USA-Honduras match two weeks from now, there will be many more games going on around the world earlier in the day that will go a long way towards shaping the 2010 World Cup. The races for automatic births have been tight on all the continents, not just in CONCACAF. With that in mind, here are some things to look for in Europe on the next matchday.

Matchday 9 will be huge for Group 1, where first-place Denmark and fourth-place Hungary are separated by five points. With Denmark on 18 points, Sweden on 15, Portugal on 13, and Hungary on 13, no one has guaranteed of even a playoff spot yet. Sweden will be taking on Denmark in Copenhagen, as the Danes look to return to the World Cup after missing out on the 2002 edition. Portugal, meanwhile, have their backs against the wall and need a result at home against Hungary to keep their World Cup dreams alive.

Group 2 is not much different, as leaders Switzerland (17 points) are just 3 points up on second-place Greece and third-place Latvia (14 points each), with Israel (12 points) still in the picture. Greece and Latvia will square off in Athens in a match that could very well end either side's hopes of progressing. Switzerland, meanwhile, can put themselves in a great position to gain an automatic birth by winning at Luxembourg. If the Swiss can win, and Greece and Latvia share the points in their match, they will earn a place in South Africa. A tie between Greece and Latvia could also open the door for Israel to sneak back into contention, as the Israelis will be hosting Moldova and looking to close the gap between themselves and the aforementioned teams. With just two games to play, much is still to be decided in both Group 1 and Group 2.

Elsewhere, Turkey's World Cup dreams are on life support, as they trail second-place Bosnia and Herzegovina by 4 points with just two matches left. With group leaders Spain already clinching a place in South Africa, only Group 5's playoff spot is up for grabs. Bosnia and Herzegovina can eliminate the Turks by winning in Estonia (who have already been eliminated). Turkey, meanwhile, will be all but eliminated if they draw at Belgium. Even if Bosnia loses, the Turks will still be 3 points behind and have to make up a massive goal differential in the final match (Bosnia has a 10 goal advantage over Turkey at this point). So, it is looking as if Turkey, the semifinalists from Euro 2008, will be missing out on South Africa.

In Group 6, Ukraine can all but assure themselves of a playoff spot if they can beat England (who have already earned their spot in the World Cup) at home on Matchday 9. With a win, Ukraine would move 1 point ahead of second place Croatia, who have already played 9 games. With a 1 point edge going into the final matchday, Ukraine would only need a win at lowly Andorra to take Group 6's playoff spot.

The UEFA playoffs will likely feature several heavy hitters. Russia will be one of the teams involved, while France looks likely to be another. Meanwhile, one team out of Denmark, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary will be in the playoffs, with either Ukraine or Croatia joining them. The draw for the playoffs will likely play a huge role in deciding who goes to South Africa, as all of the aforementioned teams will be looking to avoid each other in the final round.


In the next couple weeks, we'll also take a look at CONMEBOL and African qualifying, while also discussing the AFC-OFC playoff between Bahrain and New Zealand.