Member Associations
(MAs): 35
Participating Member
Associations (PMAs): 35
Qualification Slots: 3.5*
*Playoff with South America
PARTICIPATING MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS
The 35 Participating Member Associations are seeded based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking of May
2007. The seeding is as follows:
1. Mexico
2. USA
3. Costa Rica
4. Honduras
5. Panama
6. Trinidad and Tobago
7. Jamaica
8. Cuba
9. Haiti
10. Guatemala
11. Canada
12. Guyana
13. St. Vincent and the Grenadines
14. Barbados
15. Suriname
16. Bermuda
17. Antigua and Barbuda
18. St. Kitts and Nevis
19. Dominican Republic
20. El Salvador
21. Bahamas
22. Nicaragua
23. Grenada
24. St. Lucia
25. Turks and Caicos Islands
26. Netherlands Antilles
27. British Virgin Islands
28. Dominica
29. Cayman Islands
30. Puerto Rico
31. Anguilla
32. Belize
33. US Virgin Islands
34. Montserrat
35. Aruba
PRELIMINARY COMPETITION
STAGE ONE THROUGH STAGE THREE
Stage One through Stage Three function based on a three group structure that spans all three stages.
Each of the three groups is comprised of 4 sub-groups each.
STAGE ONE
The 23 PMAs ranked 13 to 35 constitute the 23 Stage One teams.
The stage consists of 12 sub-groups played as 11 home-and-away series and one bye, St. Vincent and the
Grenadines.
The winners and St. Vincent and the Grenadines advance to Stage Two and meet the highest ranked
teams in their respective groups.
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4
24.11.2007 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ 2
Subject to confirmation by the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa
NORTH, CENTRAL AMERICA
& CARIBBEAN
PRELIMINARY DRAW INFORMATION
STAGE TWO
The 11 Stage One series winners and St. Vincent and the Grenadines will then play the remaining teams
in their respective sub-groups in Stage Two.
The 24 teams will be paired into 12 home-and-away series.
The winners advance to Stage Three.
STAGE THREE
The 12 sub-group winners from Stages One and Two will then contest Stage Three.
Teams will be grouped into 3 round-robin, home-and-away groups of 4 teams.
The group winners and runners-up advance to Stage Four.
STAGE FOUR
The three Stage Three group winners and 3 Stage Three group runners-up will contest Stage Four.
The six teams will form 1 round-robin, home-and-away group.
The top 3 teams qualify for the FIFA World CupTM.
The 4th placed team enters a home-and-away playoff with the 5th placed South American team.
PRELIMINARY DRAW
STAGE TO BE DRAWN
Stages One, Two and Three will be drawn at the Preliminary Draw in Durban, South Africa.
DRAW FORMAT
For Stages One, Two and Three, the 35 teams are divided into 6 pots based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World
Ranking of May 2007 with the strongest teams in Pot A, the next strongest teams in Pot B and so on
though to Pot F.
o Pots A and B have 3 teams each
o Pot C has 6 teams
o Pot D has 1 team
o Pots E and F have 11 teams each
o Special Pot W will contain 11 "winner" balls for the Stage Two draw
Stage One: Teams from Pots E and F will be drawn into 11 home-and-away series.
Stage Two: The 11 Stage One winners (Pot W) and the team from Pot D will be drawn against teams
from Pots A, B, and C into 12 home-and-away series.
Stage Three: The three Stage Three groups are automatically determined by the winners of the 12 subgroups.