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Rio de Janeiro - World champions Spain were drawn on Saturday with 1998 winner France, Georgia, Belarus and Finland in qualifying for the 2014 tournament.
Officially kicking off proceedings for what will be the first World Cup in Brazil in 64 years, the draw pitted England with 2012 European Championship co-hosts Ukraine and Poland in Group H.
Italy will meet Denmark and the Czech Republic in Group B, while Germany faces Sweden, Austria and Ireland in Group C.
The draw in Rio de Janeiro determined the path of 166 teams in their bid to qualify for the tournament in three years' time. It was the first major World Cup event in Brazil since the South American nation was awarded the competition in 2007. As host, Brazil is the only nation that doesn't have to qualify.
"We are happy to be back in Brazil," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.
Fifty-three European nations were divided into nine groups, with the winners automatically qualifying and the eight best group runners-up advancing to a playoff. The European qualifying matches will begin September 7 and end October 15, 2013.
Spain is in a difficult Group I, the only one with five teams instead of six.
The Netherlands, last year's runner-up in South Africa, were drawn in Group D with Turkey, Hungary and Romania, while Portugal will have to face Russia and Israel in Group F.
Group A has Croatia, Serbia, Belgium and Scotland. Greece will play Slovakia in Group G, while Norway were drawn in Group E with Slovenia and Switzerland.
The United States were drawn with Jamaica in qualifying for the North, Central America and Caribbean region. The other two teams in Group A will come from preliminary qualifying matches that include Haiti, Guatemala, the US Virgin Islands and five other nations.
Mexico are in Group B with Costa Rica, while Cuba and Honduras are in Group C. All three group winners and runners-up will advance to a final qualifying round, beginning February 2013.
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, were drawn in Group A along with Botswana. Ghana, the best African team last year, are in Group D with Zambia and Sudan.
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 November 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 criticiSing 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.
Ronaldo, Neymar, Zico and Zagallo were among the current and past Brazilian players participating in the draw, which also had local artists such as singer Ivete Sangalo. More than 35 coaches and representatives from 104 national teams were in attendance.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Pele and Michel Platini were also at Marina da Gloria harbour in Rio.
Strong wind damaged part of the auditorium holding the draw just before it was to start, but workers fixed the problem in time and the event was not disrupted by the event.
Draw:
SOUTH AMERICAN ZONE
- Brazil qualify as hosts
- Nine other teams compete in round-robin – Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
- All teams are in one group and play from Oct 7, 2011 until Oct 15, 2013
- Top four qualify for the finals
- Fifth team faces fifth best from Asia for place in finals
AFRICAN ZONE
A: South Africa, Botswana, Central African Republic, Somalia/Ethopia
B: Tunisia, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea/Madagascar
C: Code D' Ivoire, Gambia, Morocco, Chad/Tanzania
D: Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Lesotho/Burundi
E: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Sao Tome E Principle/Congo
F: Nigeria, Malawi, Seychelles/Kenya, Djibouti/Namibia
G: Egypt, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Comoros/ Mozambique
H: Algeria, Mali, Benin, Eritea/Rwanda
I: Cameroon, Libya, Guinea-Bissau/Togo, Swaziland/Congo DR
J: Senegal, Uganda, Angola, Maritius/Liberia
Matches to be played between June 1, 2012 and September 10, 2013. Group winners advance to third round, paired into five home and away series from October 11-15 and November 15-19, 2013. Winners qualify for World Cup finals.
EUROPEAN ZONE
Group A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, Wales
Group B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta
Group C: Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan
Group D: Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra
Group E: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland
Group F: Portugal: Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg
Group G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Liechtenstein
Group H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino
Group I: Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland
Matches to be played between September 7, 2012 and October 15, 2013. Group winners qualify directly; eight best group runners-up take part in four two-leg playoffs with the winners
ASIAN ZONE
Group A: China, Jordan, Iraq, Singapore
Group B: South Korea, Kuwait, United Arab Emirate, Lebanon
Group C: Japan, Uzbekistan, Syria, North Korea
Group D: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Thailand
Group E: Iran, Qatar, Bahrain, Indonesia
Matches to be played between September 2, 2011 and February 29, 2012. Group winners and runners-up proceed to next stage. Those 10 teams will be drawn into two groups of five teams. Matches to be played from June 3, 2012 to June 8, 2013. The two group winners and two runners up qualify for the finals. The two third-placed teams play off against each other and the winner advances to the intercontinental playoff.
OCEANIAN ZONE
Round 1: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga to play in a single group at a tournament in Samoa from November 21-26. Winner advances to the second round
Round 2
Group B: Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
Second-round matches to be played at a tournament which will double as the Oceania Football Confederation Cup between June 1-12, 2012 with Fiji the proposed venue.
CONCACAF ZONE
Round 2
Group A: El Salvador, Suriname, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic
Group B: Trinidad & Tobag, Guyan, Barbados, Bermuda
Group C: Panama, Dominica, Nicaragua, Bahamas
Group D: Canada, St Kitts & Nevis, Puerto Rico, St Lucia
Group E: Grenada, Guatemala, St Vincent & Grenadines, Belize
Group F: Haiti, Antigua, Curacao, US Virgin Islands
Matches to be played between September 2 and November 15, 2011. Group winners proceed to third round.
Round 3
Group A: United States, Jamaica, Winner second round Group E, Winner second round Group F
Group B: Mexico, Costa Rica, Winner second round Group A, Winner second round Group
Group C: Honduras, Cuba, Winner second round Group D, Winner second round Group C
Matches to be played between June 8 and October 16, 2012. Top two into each group qualify for the fourth round where the six teams play in one group. The top three teams qualify for the finals and the fourth-placed team advances to the Intercontinental playoff.
INTERCONTINENTAL PLAYOFFS
At the end of the regular qualifying competitions, four teams will reach a final qualifying round comprising two intercontinental playoffs to determine the final qualifiers for Brazil 2014.
The draw for the playoffs made in Rio on Saturday is:
Asian qualifier v South America qualifier
Concacaf qualifier v Oceania qualifier.
Officially kicking off proceedings for what will be the first World Cup in Brazil in 64 years, the draw pitted England with 2012 European Championship co-hosts Ukraine and Poland in Group H.
Italy will meet Denmark and the Czech Republic in Group B, while Germany faces Sweden, Austria and Ireland in Group C.
The draw in Rio de Janeiro determined the path of 166 teams in their bid to qualify for the tournament in three years' time. It was the first major World Cup event in Brazil since the South American nation was awarded the competition in 2007. As host, Brazil is the only nation that doesn't have to qualify.
"We are happy to be back in Brazil," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.
Fifty-three European nations were divided into nine groups, with the winners automatically qualifying and the eight best group runners-up advancing to a playoff. The European qualifying matches will begin September 7 and end October 15, 2013.
Spain is in a difficult Group I, the only one with five teams instead of six.
The Netherlands, last year's runner-up in South Africa, were drawn in Group D with Turkey, Hungary and Romania, while Portugal will have to face Russia and Israel in Group F.
Group A has Croatia, Serbia, Belgium and Scotland. Greece will play Slovakia in Group G, while Norway were drawn in Group E with Slovenia and Switzerland.
The United States were drawn with Jamaica in qualifying for the North, Central America and Caribbean region. The other two teams in Group A will come from preliminary qualifying matches that include Haiti, Guatemala, the US Virgin Islands and five other nations.
Mexico are in Group B with Costa Rica, while Cuba and Honduras are in Group C. All three group winners and runners-up will advance to a final qualifying round, beginning February 2013.
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, were drawn in Group A along with Botswana. Ghana, the best African team last year, are in Group D with Zambia and Sudan.
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 November 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 criticiSing 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.
Ronaldo, Neymar, Zico and Zagallo were among the current and past Brazilian players participating in the draw, which also had local artists such as singer Ivete Sangalo. More than 35 coaches and representatives from 104 national teams were in attendance.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Pele and Michel Platini were also at Marina da Gloria harbour in Rio.
Strong wind damaged part of the auditorium holding the draw just before it was to start, but workers fixed the problem in time and the event was not disrupted by the event.
Draw:
SOUTH AMERICAN ZONE
- Brazil qualify as hosts
- Nine other teams compete in round-robin – Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela
- All teams are in one group and play from Oct 7, 2011 until Oct 15, 2013
- Top four qualify for the finals
- Fifth team faces fifth best from Asia for place in finals
AFRICAN ZONE
A: South Africa, Botswana, Central African Republic, Somalia/Ethopia
B: Tunisia, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea/Madagascar
C: Code D' Ivoire, Gambia, Morocco, Chad/Tanzania
D: Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Lesotho/Burundi
E: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Sao Tome E Principle/Congo
F: Nigeria, Malawi, Seychelles/Kenya, Djibouti/Namibia
G: Egypt, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Comoros/ Mozambique
H: Algeria, Mali, Benin, Eritea/Rwanda
I: Cameroon, Libya, Guinea-Bissau/Togo, Swaziland/Congo DR
J: Senegal, Uganda, Angola, Maritius/Liberia
Matches to be played between June 1, 2012 and September 10, 2013. Group winners advance to third round, paired into five home and away series from October 11-15 and November 15-19, 2013. Winners qualify for World Cup finals.
EUROPEAN ZONE
Group A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, Wales
Group B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta
Group C: Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan
Group D: Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra
Group E: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland
Group F: Portugal: Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg
Group G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Liechtenstein
Group H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino
Group I: Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland
Matches to be played between September 7, 2012 and October 15, 2013. Group winners qualify directly; eight best group runners-up take part in four two-leg playoffs with the winners
ASIAN ZONE
Group A: China, Jordan, Iraq, Singapore
Group B: South Korea, Kuwait, United Arab Emirate, Lebanon
Group C: Japan, Uzbekistan, Syria, North Korea
Group D: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Thailand
Group E: Iran, Qatar, Bahrain, Indonesia
Matches to be played between September 2, 2011 and February 29, 2012. Group winners and runners-up proceed to next stage. Those 10 teams will be drawn into two groups of five teams. Matches to be played from June 3, 2012 to June 8, 2013. The two group winners and two runners up qualify for the finals. The two third-placed teams play off against each other and the winner advances to the intercontinental playoff.
OCEANIAN ZONE
Round 1: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga to play in a single group at a tournament in Samoa from November 21-26. Winner advances to the second round
Round 2
Group B: Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea
Second-round matches to be played at a tournament which will double as the Oceania Football Confederation Cup between June 1-12, 2012 with Fiji the proposed venue.
CONCACAF ZONE
Round 2
Group A: El Salvador, Suriname, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic
Group B: Trinidad & Tobag, Guyan, Barbados, Bermuda
Group C: Panama, Dominica, Nicaragua, Bahamas
Group D: Canada, St Kitts & Nevis, Puerto Rico, St Lucia
Group E: Grenada, Guatemala, St Vincent & Grenadines, Belize
Group F: Haiti, Antigua, Curacao, US Virgin Islands
Matches to be played between September 2 and November 15, 2011. Group winners proceed to third round.
Round 3
Group A: United States, Jamaica, Winner second round Group E, Winner second round Group F
Group B: Mexico, Costa Rica, Winner second round Group A, Winner second round Group
Group C: Honduras, Cuba, Winner second round Group D, Winner second round Group C
Matches to be played between June 8 and October 16, 2012. Top two into each group qualify for the fourth round where the six teams play in one group. The top three teams qualify for the finals and the fourth-placed team advances to the Intercontinental playoff.
INTERCONTINENTAL PLAYOFFS
At the end of the regular qualifying competitions, four teams will reach a final qualifying round comprising two intercontinental playoffs to determine the final qualifiers for Brazil 2014.
The draw for the playoffs made in Rio on Saturday is:
Asian qualifier v South America qualifier
Concacaf qualifier v Oceania qualifier.
