International

South Africa will host the 2010 World Cup, Africa's first

The 2010 World Cup will be a special event for Africa as the continent plays host to the biggest tournament in world football for the first time in its history.

The competition will take place in South Africa and though the destination is close to home, the road to the finals for African nations is long and winding.

2010 World Cup Qualification fixtures

The qualification process will also decide the 15 teams who will join host Angola to take part at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.

The 48 teams involved in the first round have been whittled down to 20, divided into five groups of four.

The five group winners will book a place at the 2010 World Cup finals, joining hosts South Africa at the event.

South Africa failed to earn a place at the Africa Cup of Nations, so the 15 teams for the event will be drafted from the top three teams from the final five groups.

Angola, who automatically qualify as hosts for the Nations Cup in 2010, also miss out on the last round of qualifying for the World Cup finals.