World Cup Qualifying Situation

Going into matches the week of October 8, 11 teams have qualified for the 2006 World Cup, and no fewer than 49 other teams have a shot at joining them:

Africa (5 teams)
0 qualified
10 still alive

Asia (4.5 teams)
4 qualified (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea)
2 still alive

CONCACAF (3.5 teams)
2 qualified (USA, Mexico)
3 still alive

Europe (14 teams)
2 qualified (Germany, Ukraine)
27 still alive

Oceania (0.5 teams)
0 qualified
1 still alive

South America (4.5 teams)
2 qualified (Argentina, Brazil)
6 still alive

Who's still left? Soccernet's Dale Johnson gives a straightforward assessment of all World Cup qualifying groups.

This week's action on basic cable:

Saturday, October 8
12:35 PM TV5 (84)
Tunisia vs. Morocco (French)

Wednesday, October 12
11:55 AM TV5 (84)
France vs. Cyprus (French)

The World Cup draw, estimated to be watched by 300 million people worldwide, takes place in Germany on December 9.