Placed in a relatively mild African qualifying group, Egypt have a more than decent chance of going to the 2010 World Cup Egypt was better placed than many other countries in the draw for the third and final round of qualifying in the African zone for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The draw last week revealed who takes on who in the five groups of four nations each. The matches are scheduled to take place between March and November 2009. The draw in Zurich holds little fear for Egypt having been placed with Algeria, Zambia and Rwanda. "Egypt are very optimistic they can make it to the World Cup because we have already proven capable of overcoming any team in Africa," the seven-goal Wigan striker Amr Zaki told Egyptian reporters. "During two successive Nations Cup triumphs we beat the likes of C'te d'Ivoire and Cameroon so our supporters will not tolerate failure to reach the finals this time." Although the Pharaohs have lifted the Nations Cup a record six times, the North African country has qualified for the World Cup only twice, the last time being 18 years ago. Hassan Shehata, coach of the triumphant 2006 and 2008 teams in the biennial Nations Cup, is equally confident, although wary of regional opposition especially after being drawn with Algeria. "We are the reigning champions of Africa so everyone is supposed to fear us, not the opposite, and being among the first seeds spared us from facing tough opponents like Cameroon, C'te d'Ivoire and Nigeria," said Shehata. "However, I'm always wary of North African opponents because the rivalry between us is incredible. Being the better team does not always mean you win such matches," warned the coach. Egypt paired with Algeria, a North African opponent, as second seeds, Zambia as the third tier and Rwanda the fourth. The statistic that best sums up Algeria's disappointing current standing on the international stage is their 21-year absence from a World Cup finals, with 1986 marking their last appearance. That is considered far too long for a nation with such vast potential ó after all, 70 per cent of the country's 33 million inhabitants is under the age of 30. The Fennecs first appeared in the global showcase in 1982 and they made a stunning impression in their opening encounter. Complete unknowns, they shocked football fans everywhere by completing a fully deserved 2-1 victory over eventual finalists West Germany. That was the match that brought local gems Rabah Madjer and Lakhdar Belloumi to the world's attention, but Algeria were unable to carry on in the same spectacular vein. Their next match ended in a 2-0 loss to Austria and although they then defeated Chile 3-2, it was not enough to enable them to qualify from their group. They only missed out by the narrowest of margins too, thanks to the infamous fixed match between Germany and Austria. The Africans were back four years later, making their way to Mexico 1986 to confirm their status as one of the continent's strongest sides in the 1980s. But they were not helped by a tough draw which grouped them with then three- time winners Brazil and UEFA EURO 1984 finalists Spain. The Fennecs got going with a 1-1 stalemate in their match against Northern Ireland, and then stood toe-to-toe with the Brazilians until a communication breakdown between goalkeeper Nasser Drid and defender Abdallah Liegeon allowed Careca to set up a 1-0 Auriverde win. Spain then inflicted a heavy 3-0 reverse in the final group encounter that sent Algeria home for what has become an increasingly long time. There was one last chapter of success to come in 1990, when the team overcame Nigeria 1-0 in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations final, but that proud moment signalled the end of an era that had begun with glory at the Mediterranean Games in 1975 and the All-Africa Games in 1978. Algerian fans are unsurprisingly keen for a return to those days and their national side look to be finding their feet again slowly, even if they will not be going to the 2008 CAF Africa Cup of Nations after losing to Guinea in qualifying. The team has had 34 coaches since independence in 1962, however, and the much anticipated renaissance is unlikely to happen without a little stability in the dug-out. Zambia, on the other hand, have always been on the fringes of success, establishing a reputation for consistency but never finding themselves able to make the step up to the top of the podium. Twice the southern African country has finished runners-up at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations finals, but they have never qualified for the World Cup finals. With the 2010 finals in South Africa, Zambia have set their sights firmly on breaking new ground and filling one of the five qualifying berths that will be on offer to African countries. Ahead of the 1994 World Cup finals in the US, Zambia were within one win of qualifying, while in subsequent years they have also been competitive. It was during their campaign to progress to 1994 that a plane carrying the Zambian side en route to Senegal for a qualifier crashed, wiping out almost the entire team. Yet, within a year, Zambia managed to claw their way back, their newly-assembled side fighting all the way to reach the final of CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia in 1994. Zambia's heart-warming recovery was indicative of a rich vein of footballing resources in the copper-rich country, a trend that has continued in the subsequent years. The Zambian U-20s participated at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007 and it is from that side that new coach Herve Renaud will seek to draw a new generation of players to challenge for places at South Africa 2010. Players like Sebastien Mwanza, Emmanuel Mayuka and William Njovu have already won senior caps since the tournament and are challenging for regular berths. Zambia are also able to call upon more overseas- based players. Reaching the finals in 2010 is a major priority for Zambia, given the proximity of the host nation to their own country. Zambia have a long standing rivalry with South Africa and will be very keen to be alongside their regional rivals in the 32- team field. For many years, Rwanda had the dubious distinction of never having won a single game in a World Cup qualifying competition. But that did not prevent Rwandan football fans from being hopeful after being drawn to play against Namibia. After all, the country had also never qualified for the finals of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations either before 2002, when they sensationally knocked out regional powers Ghana in the qualifiers. The development of the sport had become a priority in the country and the Serbian coach at the time, Ratomir Dujkovic, first took the side into the finals of the Cup of Nations before reaching the second round of qualifiers for Germany 2006 after knocking out Namibia 4-1 on aggregate. Their success at the 2004 edition of the Cup of Nations, drawing with Guinea and beating Congo DR , boded well, but Dujkovic left to coach Ghana. In the group phase of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Rwanda ended the campaign with just one win, two draws and seven losses. They have since gone through four coaches in their bid to find the right formula for the South Africa 2010 qualifiers. Rwanda's new coach is the Croatian Branko Tucak, who had the tough task of taking charge of group matches against Ethiopia, Mauritania and Morocco. Held at the governing body's headquarters in Zurich, the World Cup draw ceremony began with a welcome speech from FIFA President Joseph Blatter, who said: "This is a great day for FIFA. 2010 is the first FIFA World Cup taking place in Africa. It is also the first time in history that six African teams will play at a FIFA World Cup." CAF President Issa Hayatou praised Africa's organisation for the first and second stage of African qualifying. "I would like to thank all African countries, not only you who are qualified, but also to the participating teams, for making the competition run so smoothly," he said. "If you qualify, please celebrate and even if you lose, please celebrate, because you achieved a lot." Coordinating the draw was Jim Brown, FIFA's director of competitions, while Mustapha Fahmi, the secretary-general of the Confederation of African Football, and Danny Jordaan, head of the South Africa 2010 organising committee, were the men entrusted with the task of drawing the red and blue balls. As the delegates of the qualifying nations looked on expectantly, the fate of the 20 teams was decided. Ahead of them now lies a nail biting campaign that will see only the winners of the five groups advance to South Africa. The 20 survivors from the second round, which claimed notable casualties in Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, South Africaand Germany2006 qualifiers Angola, will be split into five groups. Each country plays its three rivals home and away, with group winners going to the 2010 World Cup with hosts South Africa, and the top three in each group joining hosts Angola at the Nations Cup earlier that year. Matches are scheduled for six weekends from next March to November with the exception of a June fixture involving Egypt, which must be delayed one month because of their involvement in the FIFA Confederations Cup. Cameroon were perhaps the unluckiest of the seeded teams, having been drawn against Togo, Morocco and Gabon in Group A. Their coach, the German Otto Pfister told FIFA.com after the draw: "It is indeed a very difficult group. We are the favourites on paper, but this doesn't mean too much. As a matter of fact, we cannot afford to underestimate any team in our group, they are all strong. "Togo have two or three really good players, and of course they have the experience of being part of Germany 2006. Morocco has great potential and also a very good coach. Gabon have proved lately how strong they are and what they are capable of. We need to prepare very seriously for this group."
