Presently, 32 places are available in the final tournament of FIFA 2010. One of them is reserved for the host nation, but if two or more nations host the competition jointly, each is granted a place. The 2006 Finals were the first in which an automatic entry was not guaranteed to the previous championS Brazil.
For the 2006 World Cup, the following number of spots awarded
Europe - 13 berths
Africa - 5 berths
South America - 4 berths
Asia - 4 berths
North and Central America and Caribbean- 3 berths
Oceania - no berths
The formats of the qualification tournaments differ between confederations and are outlined below.
Africa
In Africa, there are two rounds of competition. In the First Round, members are paired. The winners of each pair qualify for the Second Round. The participants of the previous World Cup Finals are given byes to the Second Round.
In the Second Round, the remaining teams are drawn into five groups of six. The winners of each group qualify for the final tournament.
The whole process of qualification takes about two years.
Asia
In Asia, the qualification is composed of three rounds. The teams ranked lowest take part in the Preliminary Round, where they are paired and play matches. The winners join all other teams in the Second Round.
In the Second Round, 32 teams are divided in eight groups of four teams each, and play each other twice. The winners of each group qualify for the Third Round.
In the Third Round, the eight left teams are divided into two groups of four teams each, and play each other twice. The highest-placed teams qualify for the final tournament.
The qualification process takes about 23 months.
Europe
52 teams are drawn into several groups. In each group, the teams play each other twice. The group winners qualify for the finals. The group runners-up are paired to contest the play-offs. Winners of these also qualify for the final tournament.
The qualification in Europe begins after the conclusion of the European Football Championship and therefore takes about 14 months.
North and Central America and Caribbean
The qualification process in North, Central America and Caribbean is divided into three rounds. In the Preliminary Round, all teams are divided in groups of two or three teams each. Groups with three teams have two rounds, with the best-ranked team in each group entering the competition in the Second Round. In each group, the teams play each other twice.
The 12 winners of the Preliminary Round advance to the Semifinal Round, where they are divided into three groups of four teams each. The teams in each group play each other twice, and two teams from each group advance to the Final Round.
In the Final Round, the six teams are put in a single group, and play each other twice. The highest-placed teams qualify for the final tournament.
The qualification process takes about 20 months.
Oceania
Qualification in Oceania is composed of three rounds. Australia and New Zealand enter the competition directly in the Second Round. The other 10 teams are divided into two groups of five teams each, and play each other once. The two highest placed teams from each group advance to the Second Round.
In the Second Round, the six teams are put in a single group, and play against each other once. The two teams with most points advance to a play-off, which is composed of two legs. The winner of this play-off advances to the Intercontinental Play-off.
This qualifying tournament also doubles as the Oceania Nations Cup, except for the final play-off stage.The qualification process takes about 16 months.
The Oceania region is not guaranteed a single berth in the FIFA World Cup. At best one nation will earn a place, and if the Oceanic nation loses the Intercontinental Play-Off, no team from the region will participate.
South America
Ten participating teams play each other twice in a single group.
The qualification process takes about 25 months. The top 4 teams advance to the World Cup finals whilst 5th place team goes into a playoff.
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