From Soccer America – The final six teams in the 32-team World Cup 2010 field will be determined today — four in Europe, one in South America/Concacaf and one in Africa necessitated by the tie between Egypt and Algeria in their qualifying group. For a look at all six games, with television information and predictions …

France-Ireland (First Leg: France 1-0). France coach Raymond Domenech said what the French media have been saying for years. The Bleus don’t need him. “[The players] are all desperate to win the game,” he said of the Ireland game. “There is no need for me to excite them. I won’t tire them out with words.”
Prediction: France (1-0). (TV: Setanta Premium, live, 3 pm ET.)

Bosnia-Herzegovina-Portugal (First Leg: Portugal 1-0). Everything favors Portugal, unbeaten on the road in qualifying for the last 13 years, but we like the underdog Bosnia despite its loss of four starters. Defenders Elvir Rahimic and Edin Spahic and midfielder Samir Muratovic are suspended, and playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic is out with a knee injury. Bosnia still has Zlatan Bajramovic and Miralem Pjanic in midfield Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic up front to throw at the Portuguese, who will again be without Cristiano Ronaldo. The Bosnians hit the post three times in Lisbon. They should be able to put away the Portuguese in Zenica.
Prediction: Bosnia-Herzegovina (3-1). (TV: Setanta Sports USA, live, 2:45 pm ET.)

Slovenia-Russia (First Leg: Russia 2-1). Slovenia lost on artificial turf in Moscow, but the narrow defeat gives it hope for the return leg in Maribor. Russia is tough on the road, however. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko should get the Russians the goal that will put them through to the finals.
Prediction: Tie (1-1). (TV: Setanta Sports USA, delay, 5 pm ET.)

Ukraine-Greece (First Leg: 0-0). Ukraine had a slight edge in Athens so it should be favored in Donetsk. Coach Oleg Mykhailychenko plays down any notion of a home-field advantage. “At the moment,” he says, “I think the chances are the same as before — 50-50.”
Prediction: Ukraine (1-0). (TV: ESPN2, live, 1 pm ET.)

Uruguay-Costa Rica (First Leg: Uruguay 1-0). This is the third straight qualifying campaign that has ended with a playoff for Uruguay. The Celeste went through to the 2002 finals but lost in a shootout four years ago, again against Australia. The winner-take-all playoff series, necessary after their 2-2 tie with the USA dropped them to fourth place in Concacaf’s Hexagonal, is a first for Costa Rica. Brazilian coach Rene Simoes is back after missing the first leg because of suspension. That didn’t stop him from blasting Spanish referee Alberto Undiano and his “scandalous”officiating. “It was impossible to beat this guy,” Simoes said.
Prediction: Uruguay (2-0).

Algeria-Egypt. The Pharaohs won 2-0, getting the second goal they needed to force a playoff in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Can the Algerians recover from such a crushing blow? Madjid Bougherra, who plays for Rangers in the Scottish Premier League, says Algeria is “ready for the war,” alluding to attacks on the Algerian team bus after it arrived in Cairo. While played in Khartoum, thousands of fans from both teams have descended on the the Sudanese capital for the grudge match.
Prediction: Egypt (2-1).

U.S. Soccer SC Members Who Register by Dec. 3, 2009, Will Have Priority Status to Request Tickets

CHICAGO (Nov. 17, 2009) – The U.S. Soccer Federation has announced initial details for U.S. Men’s National Team fans to apply for tickets for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Priority status for applying for tickets to the U.S. Men’s National Team matches in South Africa will be extended to members of the U.S. Soccer Supporters Club. Registration for U.S. Soccer SC is open now at ussoccer.com, and fans seeking priority status must join by Dec. 3, 2009, at 12 p.m. ET.

Beginning later this month, all registered U.S. Soccer SC members will be sent a request to submit pre-application data to U.S. Soccer. By completing this process, fans notify U.S. Soccer of their interest in FIFA World Cup tickets and provide the information that U.S. Soccer will in turn submit to FIFA for the online ticket application. A valid passport is required for each person who requests tickets.

Once U.S. Soccer SC members have submitted their personal data to U.S. Soccer, they will be provided instructions and a link to FIFA’s online ticket application process. The FIFA online form will be available for fans to complete from Dec. 6, 2009, until Jan. 13, 2010. Requests for tickets will be handled on an equal-chance basis rather than first-come, first-served.

FIFA’s ticket sales regulations will apply to all orders. Ticket requestors are required to provide detailed information about the identities of each person using each ticket, including passport number. A household may apply for tickets to up to seven matches across the entire tournament and no more than four tickets for any single match. These limits apply to all phases of FIFA’s ticketing process, including those phases already completed. More information on FIFA’s ticket sales regulations is available here.

Following the close of the FIFA ticket application process on Jan. 13, FIFA will determine which requests have been successful and will fulfill such orders directly. If the demand for tickets from U.S. Soccer SC members exceeds the ticket allocation available for any price category for any game, then the FIFA World Cup Ticketing Center will conduct a random lottery. The payment of ticket applications will only be processed if tickets are issued.

The U.S. team will learn its opponents and venues for the first-round matches on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009, when FIFA conducts the Final Draw in Cape Town, South Africa. The draw can be followed live at ussoccer.com via DrawTracker at 12 p.m. ET.

More detailed information on this process is outlined in FIFA World Cup Ticketing FAQs at ussoccer.com. Additional details on FIFA World Cup ticketing will be announced as the information becomes available to U.S. Soccer.

U.S. Soccer fans’ FIFA World Cup Ticketing Timeline
Date Event
Ongoing Fans join the U.S. Soccer Supporters Club
Late November USSSC members submit pre-application data to U.S. Soccer *
Dec. 3 Deadline to join USSSC and receive priority World Cup ticketing status ^
Dec. 4 First-round opponents and venues determined via Final Draw
Dec. 6 FIFA ticket application begins for USSSC members
Jan. 13 Close of FIFA ticket application for USSSC members
Late January FIFA contacts applicants to confirm whether or not application was successful, successful applicants are charged for tickets

* Current members will receive online pre-application data form via e-mail. New members will receive online pre-application data forms within five business days of joining with U.S. Soccer SC.
^ Enrollment in U.S. Soccer SC will still be open after this date. The priority status for 2010 FIFA World Cup ticketing, however, will no longer be a guaranteed benefit.