Brazil's Ronaldo holds up the name "France" at the preliminary draw for the 2014 World Cup on Saturday. Reuters

RIO DE JANEIRO - World champion Spain will face former world champion France in their campaign to qualify for the World Cup finals in Brazil in 2014 following Saturday's gala preliminary round draw.

Spain, which is also the European champion, was the last name drawn in the European qualifying zone and the last of the 166 countries to be allocated a place in the 107-minute globally televized event in a windswept auditorium at Rio's glamorous Marina da Gloria.

High winds buffeted the temporary building before the draw started, causing slight damage to the roof, but inside stars of showbiz and soccer were unaffected with Pele given a huge welcome when he was introduced to the audience.

Pele, who won three World Cups with Brazil, took no formal part in the proceedings but another former Brazil striker Ronaldo, the World Cup's record scorer with 15 goals, drew Spain's name out to place it alongside Belarus, Georgia and Finland in the five-team Group I.

The other eight European groups consist of six teams.

French coach Laurent Blanc, in Rio unlike Spain boss Vicente del Bosque, said afterwards: "We had to face one of the top seeds, and we got the biggest because we are somehow in the second group of seeds. We should have been in the first group - and now we have drawn the best team of the last World Cup, but then, you have no choice."

With only the group winner assured of an automatic place in the finals, one of Spain or France will most likely have to qualify through the playoffs to reach Brazil.

Tantalizing battles

The European draw, was, as always, the highlight of the proceedings and produced some tantalizing battles when the qualifiers start in the autumn of 2012 after the European championship in Poland and Ukraine.

Coinicidentally those two co-hosts were drawn in the same group along with top-seeded England, who has faced Poland in seven previous World Cups.

Montenegro, who is also in England's group for the Euro 2012 qualifiers, was placed in the same group as tiny San Marino.

There will be plenty at stake too when seeded Croatia and Serbia, once part of the old Yugoslavia, meet each other in Group A, which includes British rivals Scotland and Wales as well as Belgium and Macedonia.

The Netherlands, runner-up to Spain in a bad-tempered World Cup final last year and on course for the Euros next year, having won all six of its qualifiers so far, faces Hungary, whom it beat 5-3 at home and 4-0 away in their Euro qualifiers in March. Turkey, Romania, Estonia and Andorra complete the group.

Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk told reporters: "Our group has three really big football nations, Romania, Hungary and Turkey. I think Turkey are the highest ranked at the moment, they will be the most difficult opponents. We played a friendly against them recently and won 1-0 but it was a very hard game."

Four-time world champion Italy seems to have a fairly comfortable draw with Denmnark and the Czech Republic its main opposition

Triple World champion Germany should have little trouble qualifying from Group C, which includes Sweden and Ireland, Austria and the Faroe Islands.

Already qualified

Draws for five of FIFA's six confederations took place with no draw for the South American zone as its nine teams play in one league. Host Brazil has qualified automatically for the first finals it will stage since 1950 and either four or five South American neighbors will be hoping to join it.

Four will qualify automatically and an extra one will take its place if it beats an Asian qualifier in a playoff.

Asian champion Japan faces Uzbekistan, Syria and North Korea in their section.

African champion Egypt should coast through to the next round of its competition after being paired with Guinea, Zimbabwe and either Comoros or Mozambique which play in a preliminary qualifier.

Reuters

(China Daily 08/01/2011 page24)