UEFA's qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup allocated 13 spots among 53 European teams, marking Montenegro's first competitive international matches.
Key Facts
- Teams competing
- 53
- Places available
- 13
- Qualification start date
- 20 August 2008
- Qualification end date
- 18 November 2009
- First-round group winners
- 9 teams qualified directly
- Play-off qualifiers
- 4 teams (France, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following UEFA Euro 2008, European football associations entered a qualification campaign to secure berths at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The process began on 20 August 2008, less than two months after the conclusion of the continental championship, with 53 UEFA member nations seeking 13 available spots.
The 53 competing teams were divided into groups, with nine nations — Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, and Switzerland — qualifying directly by winning their respective groups. A second round of play-offs then determined the remaining four places, with France, Greece, Portugal, and Slovenia advancing.
Thirteen European nations secured places at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The qualification campaign also featured Montenegro's first-ever competitive international matches as an independent footballing nation, marking a notable milestone in UEFA membership history.