994 Days until South Africa 2010

Saturday September 15, 2007 was a signifcant day for South Africa as its people prepare to host the 2010 World Cup. It was on this day that FIFA officially started its 1000 day countdown to the big event's opening day. South Africa's hosting of soccer's biggest tournament is a reason for celebration for the entire African continent because it is the first time that the World Cup was ever held there. Therefore, South Africans took a break from preparations to hold celebrations and other events that took place all over South Africa.

The idea that South Africa won the right to host the event has come under much scrutiny and controversy since it was first announced on May 15, 2004. Critics have pointed out that South Africa is an unsafe location to hold the World Cup due to concerns regarding crime in the country (see this article). BBC has even went as far as saying that "South Africa is the most dangerous country in the world." These concerns, however, were dismissed by FIFA President Joseph Blatter as he praised South Africa's eagerness in preparing for the event. Blatter also said that if South Africa had not stepped up to the plate to host the biggest event in soccer, it would never touch African soil. This was echoed by South African President Thabo Mbeki:

"The 2010 FIFA World Cup presents a golden opportunity to showcase Africa to the world. Now we have to show that the African renaissance is upon us and Africa's time has come. The South African Government will leave no stone unturned to host a tournament that brings great satisfaction to billions across the world."

The CEO of the South African Organising Committee had this to say regarding the unveiling of the 1000 day countdown:

"The 1000 Day Countdown marks the beginning of the operational phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We are running within time and within budget and we are confident that the tournament will be a success. There is a shared vision and commitment by all South Africans that this World Cup must work."

The 1000 day countdown is also important to the rest of the soccer world because it means that the qualifying tournament for the 2010 tournament is very close. Each continental zone will hold there own qualification tournament to narrow down the field from 200 to 31 (South Africa automatically qualifies as host to make it 32), some of which will begin as early as October:

Oceania: 10 teams will compete. This qualification tournament has already started with the South Pacific Games hosted by the small island nation of Samoa. The nine teams that participated were narrowed down to three (New Caledonia, Fiji, and Vanuatu). These teams will join New Zealand in the Oceanian Nations Cup. The winner in Oceania plays the winner of round 5 of the Asian qualification tournament. Oceania, being the weakest of the confederations, is not guranteed a spot in the World Cup.

Africa: 51 teams will compete, only 5 teams qualify. This 51 team field is reduced to 48 through a a preliminary round making up of two two-legged ties (Madagascar will play Comores while Sierra Leone plays Guinea Bissau) and one one-legged match between Djibouti and Somalia. These teams were placed in these ties depending on their location on the July 2007 rankings. The first set of matches will take place in October and the second set in addition to the Dijibouti-Somalia face-off will take place in November. The three winners will join the top 45 nations in Africa to advance to the next round. The remaing 48 teams will be drawn into groups at a ceremony on Novmeber 25th to be held in the South African city of Durban located on the Indian Ocean. South Africa will not compete since they autmoatically qualify as host.

Asia: 43 teams compete, 4 or 5 qualify (depending on who wins against Oceania's top team). Asia'a qualification tournament will begin with a preliminary round that will include all members of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) except for Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Iran who are higher in the FIFA rankings and receive a first round bye. These matches will take place in October. The AFC held a drawingceremony on August 6th for the first preliminary round as well for the second round. Guam withdrew from the competition so Indonesia has received a bye. This will be Australia's first World Cup as a member of the AFC.

Europe: 53 teams compete, 13 places up for grabs. Europe's qualifcation tournament will not begin until after the drawing ceremony at Durban in November when Europe's groups will be constructed. This qualification tournament will not begin until next August after Euro 2008 is completed.

CONCACAF (Confederation of North/Central America, and the Carribbean Associations of Football): 35 to compete, 3 or 4 qualify (depending on the results of an inter-continental playoff against a South American team). This qualification tournament does not begin until February 2008. In the final round, the top three teams qualify while the fourth place team must play a two-legged playoff against the fifth place team in South America.

South America: 10 teams compete, 4 or 5 qualify. All 10 South American teams will compete in a single group starting in October 2007. The top four advance to the World Cup while the fifth place team plays the fourth place team in CONCACAF.

For more information regarding South Africa's preparations, qualifying, and other 2010 World Cup news, click here.