2010 FIFA World Cup qualification scored over 852 matches, scoring on average 2.74 per match. At the close of entries on 15 March 2007, 204 football associations had entered the preliminary competition: 203 out of the 207 FIFA members at that time (including the host nation, South Africa, as the qualification procedure in Africa also acted as the qualification for the 2010 African Cup of Nations) and the Montenegro team, which later became FIFA's 208th member. The final number of teams entered breaks the previous record of 199 entrants set during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Four FIFA members (all from the AFC) failed to
2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification (UEFA playoffs) 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification (UEFA playoffs) The 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification playoffs for (UEFA) was a special, one-off beach soccer tournament to determine the fourth European nation that would be competing in the 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The tournament started two days before the start of the world cup, ending the day before the opening match, from May 6 - May 7, 2005, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The winners of the playoffs were Spain. Three nations had already confirmed their places in the world cup by finishing first, second and third