2014 World Cup kicks off, qualifying groups drawn

The 2014 World Cup officially kicked off Saturday with African and Asian nations finding out their opponents to reach the tournament in Brazil in three years' tim

The qualifying draw in Rio de Janeiro is the first major World Cup event in Brazil since the South American nation was awarded the competition for the first time in 64 years.
In Asia, Japan will face Uzbekistan, Syria and North Korea in Group C, while Australia will play Saudi Arabia, Oman and Thailand in Group D.
Iran, Bahrain and Qatar were drawn in the same Group E, along with Indonesia, while China is in Group A with Iraq, Jordan and Singapore.
The African teams were divided into 10 groups for qualifiers beginning in November. South Africa, last year's World Cup host, was drawn in Group A along with Botswana.
Ghana, the best African team last year, is in Group D with Zambia and Sudan.
As host, Brazil is the only nation that doesn't have to qualify. But 166 other teams are having their fate decided in the draw, determining the path for teams in Asia, Africa, Oceania and the North, Central America and Caribbean regions.
South America was not included in the draw because the continent's nine teams will be placed in a single group.
They will play each other twice, home and away, with the top four finishers securing a World Cup spot. The fifth-place team will advance to an intercontinental playoff against a team from Asia. The other playoff will pit teams from CONCACAF and Oceania.
The qualifiers began June 15 and will end Nov. 19, 2013, after 824 matches. Twenty-eight teams were eliminated in preliminary rounds before Saturday's draw.
The World Cup will be played from June 12 to July 13, and the complete match schedule will be announced in October.
"We love football," Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said at the draw. "Today, Brazil is admired for more than just football, music and its popular festivities. I invite you to come visit us. You will find a country very well prepared for the World Cup." Brazilian media reported that about 1,000 protesters were protesting near the site of the draw against the removal of families from areas where the World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics will be held. Some were also protesting against the nearly $20 million of public funds said to have been spent for Saturday's event.
Riot troopers and mounted police were negotiating to end the demonstration, which remained peaceful by the time the draw began.
There were some protesters holding banners criticizing Brazilian football federation president Ricardo Teixeira and FIFA.
The total of 203 teams vying for a World Cup spot surpasses by three the number that participated four years ago. The only associations not to have signed up to compete this time around are Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Guam and Mauritania.
Seven nations have qualified for each of the last six World Cups _ Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain and the United States. Germany has been the most successful team in World Cup qualifiers so far, with only two losses in 74 matches.