World Cup Draw; Who To Avoid

FIFA have announced the MLB jerseys top eight seeds and the four pots for Friday’s 2010 World Cup draw, so here’s Sports Pundit’s guide for who to avoid and who to get.

Pot 1 (seeds)

South Africa, Brazil, Spain, Holland, Italy, Germany, Argentina, England

The team many will be hoping to draw are the hosts who are currently ranked 86th in the world. South Africa got through their group at this year’s Confederations Cup but nevertheless clearly remain the weakest side in this pot.

World Cup favourites Brazil and Spain will be very difficult but a point worth mentioning is sometimes it isn’t bad to have a team in your group who dominates and takes points off everybody.

Pot 2 (Asia, Oceania and North/Central America)

Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Mexico, Honduras

New Zealand is likely to be the World Cup’s whipping boys and their performance at the Confederations Cup in South Africa didn’t suggest otherwise. Drawing the All-Whites would be well received by any nation as the Kiwis probably are satisfied with just making it. It’s been a while between World Cups for North Korea and Honduras but they’ll be an awkward unknown.

South Korea was recently named the 2009 AFC Team of the Year and are always difficult with their technical ability and pace. The USA performed well in Africa at this year’s Confederations Cup albeit belatedly after a slow start but could loom large as a danger.

Pot 3 (Africa and South America)

Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay

For the African nations being on familiar turf may help but Algeria and Nigeria (who both snuck through their qualifying groups) may be the ‘easy draws’ here. The South American nations may find it tough in Africa too and Paraguay and Chile haven’t had a heap of World Cup success recently.

If there is going to be nation from the African continent to challenge for World Cup honours surely it has to be out of Ghana and Ivory Coast who boast world-class stars like Michael Essien and Didier Drogba respectively. Team will want to avoid them, especially on the back of decent showings last time out in Germany.

Pot 4 (Europe)

France, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Greece, Serbia, Denmark, Slovakia

Unheralded Slovenia and Slovakia are the pair many nations are hoping to draw given their credentials but they won’t be easy by any means. The Swiss just got through a rather easy qualifying group and Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men may not be the worst team to be drawn with.

The big two to avoid are clearly France and Portugal despite their wavering qualification campaigns. Portugal, of course, possess 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo who can rip any side open while the French have many brilliant individuals who can produce a moment of magic such as Franck Ribery or Thierry Henry. Serbia have been strong recently too and should be avoided.

When is it?
The draw for the 2010 World Cup finals takes place in Cape Town this Friday at 19:00 UTC+2.