2014 FIFA World Cup Draw: Breaking Down What the Draw Means for Each Region

2014 FIFA World Cup Draw Will Set the Stage for Next World Cup

The 2014 World Cup preliminary draw will take place on Saturday, July 30th and will set the stage for each team's path to the next World Cup.

Here is a breakdown of what the draw means for each region:

Africa (Five spots up for grabs)

The first round of qualifying has already been completed and the smaller countries that did not stand a chance to make the World Cup have already been eliminated. 

There are currently 40 teams remaining in Africa that have a chance to advance to the World Cup. They will be split into 10 groups of four teams where the winner of each group advances to the next round.

The final round will feature ten teams and each team will play a two-legged playoff to determine the five teams that will advance to the final.

Asia (Four to five spots up for grabs)

There are currently 20 teams still alive in Asia that will be fighting for the remaining four or five available spots in the World Cup.

The 20 teams will be divided into five, four team groups with the top two from each advancing to the next round.

From that point, they would split into two five team groups where the top two in each would advance. The two third place teams would then face off in a two-legged playoff that would gain them entry into a playoff with a team from Oceania for a chance to advance to the World Cup.

Europe (13 spots up for grabs)

The preliminary draw for Europe will determine which teams will face off in the group stages of qualifying. The teams will divide into eight groups of six, and a random group of five. The winners of each group will qualify for the World Cup, while the eight best second place teams will need to qualify through a two-legged playoff against one another.

North/Central America (Three to four spots up for grabs)

The preliminary draw will determine the semifinal round of qualifying which features three groups of four teams. The top three teams in the region would be placed into different groups to avoid a heavyweight matchup in the semifinal round.

The top two teams in each group of four would advance to the final round where the top three teams advance to the World Cup and the fourth place team is forced to qualify through a playoff against the fifth place team in South America.

Oceania (One potential spot up for grabs)

With only 11 teams in the entire region, there is only potential for one team to advance out of the group. Three teams have already been eliminated, leaving the region with only eight for qualifying.

The preliminary draw will divide the remaining eight teams into two groups of four where the top two in each group will advance to the final group. The winner of the final group will play in a two-legged playoff against the fifth place team from Asia to determine who advances to the World Cup.

South America (Four to five spots up for grabs)

Brazil has already qualified for the 2014 World Cup as they are the host nation, so that opens the door for a team like Venezuela to qualify for their first ever World Cup.

All nine teams will play in the same group with the top four teams advancing to the World Cup and the fifth place team facing the fourth place team from North/Central America to determine which team advances to the World Cup.