World Cup Draw Fri 4th Dec.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Seedings and "pots" announced:

Pot 1 (seeds)
South Africa, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Spain, England, Argentina, Holland.

Pot 2 (Asia, Oceania and North/Central America)
Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Mexico, Honduras.

Pot 3 (Africa and South America)
Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay.

Pot 4 (Europe)
France, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Greece, Serbia, Denmark, Slovakia.


Easy for England...North Korea, Uruguay, Switzerland
Hard For England...USA, Ivory Coast, France

"Group of Death"?...Argentina, Mexico, Ghana, Portugal

[Rossie11]

Bar Algeria V France there aint many potential "grudge" matches.

Dream for England:
New Zealand
Algeria
Switz

Group of Death:
Portugal/France
Drogba
USA

[Chrisowc]

Easy - God Forbid

New Zealand
Paraguay
Slovenia

Group of Death

USA
Ivory Coast - Drogba will eat JT for breakfast.
Portugal

[ballinaman]

Bar Algeria V France there aint many potential "grudge" matches

I don't know, i'd like the look of a Spain V Portugal or France V Ivory Coast games.....

[Canalman]

More's the pity we won't have (pool stage anyway)

North v South Korea
USA v Mexico
USA v Nth Korea
Oz v NZ

[Norf Tyrone]

Group of death for England.


England
Mexico
Ivory Coast
Portugal
Ireland

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Group of death for England.


England
Mexico
Ivory Coast
Portugal
Ireland

NT, FIFA have already confirmed that Ireland will be in the same group as France, the France team from 1982 and the German team from 1966

[Rossie11]

Will England be the 86 we woz robbed version?

[Turlough O Carolan]

Looks like our chances of making the world cup now hang by the slimest thread. Our last hope now is for Kim Jong Il to get pissed off with his group and aim a missile towards FIFA's HQ.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Looks like our chances of making the world cup now hang by the slimest thread. Our last hope now is for Kim Jong Il to get pissed off with his group and aim a missile towards FIFA's HQ.

This is more likely than a 33rd spot for Ireland.  Apparently if the missile misses the FAI have asked him to launch a second one.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Will England be the 86 we woz robbed version?

Germany robbed France in 82 I think

[Chrisowc]

Looks like our chances of making the world cup now hang by the slimest thread. Our last hope now is for Kim Jong Il to get pissed off with his group and aim a missile towards FIFA's HQ.

This is more likely than a 33rd spot for Ireland.  Apparently if the missile misses the FAI have asked him to launch a second one.

Meanwhile, Liam Brady and Main Street are going to keep digging.

[Armagh Cúchulainns]

See france mouthing off about not being a seeded team in the draws and mentioning the fact that Argentina and England were

What a laugh,
clearly they werent seeded as they had a shit qualifying campaign and now theyre trying to say this is FIFAs way of getting to them over thon f**king bollix scoring with his hand.

[sammymaguire]

who really gives a sh1te what group england gets?

[Croí na hÉireann]

Oscar winning actress Charlize Theron had some fun at FIFA's expense during a trial run for Friday's World Cup draw when she 'drew' Ireland.

The South African (pictured), whose long-term boyfriend is Irish actor Stuart Townsend, made the tongue-in-cheek gesture just one day after FIFA rejected Ireland's appeal to be added to the competition as a 33rd team.

The Irish made the request after France's Thierry Henry was clearly seen handling the ball before setting up William Gallas for the winning goal in the play-off between the two sides.

Theron will co-host Friday's draw with FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke, and Valcke confirmed that Theron pulled Ireland instead of France out of the bowl during rehearsal.

"Yes, she did, but it was only a joke," he said.

The 90-minute show will be televised live to an estimated global audience of more than 200 million people in 200 countries.

She will help place the 32 finalists into eight groups of four teams for the tournament which runs from June 11 to July 11.

The show will include an African musical spectacular, including gospel and jazz.

A host of sporting celebrities will also take part in the draw including Ethiopia's Olympic champion runner Haile Gebrselassie, England midfielder David Beckham, South Africa footballer Matthew Booth and cricketer Makhaya Ntini, and the host country's rugby World Cup captain John Smit.

South African president Jacob Zuma will be in the audience along with Nobel Peace prize winners FW de Klerk and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Eurosport

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/02122009/58/world-cup-theron-draws-ireland-world-cup.html