Fifa scuppers trans-Tasman World Cup clash

Fifa has scuppered the chance of a trans-Tasman football battle at the World Cup.

The organising committee, in announcing the format for Saturday morning's (NZ time) draw, has put the All Whites in the second pot with Australia and the other Asian, North and Central American teams, who can not play each other.

The pools A to H will be selected by taking one country each from the four pots on the massive stage in the Cape Town Convention Centre.

Hosts South Africa and the top teams Brazil, Argentina, Spain, the Netherlands, England, Italy and Germany are in pot one. Pot three is made up by the other South American and African teams, with the proviso that they can not be drawn against teams from the same continent,

The final pot has the other European teams including the powerhouses of Portugal and France.

Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke explained early this morning that the world ranking was important, but the need to keep continental rivals apart and the wish to reward strong qualifying performances had forced some adjustment from the ranking list.

England and the Netherlands ended up in the top eight thanks to a strong qualifying campaign while France now faces the prospect of playing Brazil or another powerhouse.

Valcke denied suggestions that France had been punished by Thierry Henry's infamous handball incident.

In a worst case scenario, the All Whites could end up in a group with Brazil, France and Nigeria, or if the names come out differently may end up with the more appetising prospect of South Africa, Algeria and Slovenia.

The draw is arguably the biggest sporting event in the world, even though the only balls will be in the glass bowls with the names of the 32 countries.

The size and the glamour of the event will outstrip the Oscars in Hollywood as super stars from football, entertainment and politics from around the globe have descended on the Mother City of South Africa.

President Jacob Zuma will open proceedings while Nobel Prize winners Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former president F.W. de Klerk will also play a role.

Former president Nelson Mandela is too frail to attend and will speak to the worldwide audience of over 200 million people by video link from his home in Johannesburg, more than most major global sporting events.

South African movie star Charlize Theron will be one of the hosts while Makhaya Ntini, the first black player in the Proteas cricket team, and Matthew Booth, the only white player in the South African football team, will symbolise the progress of the Rainbow Nation.

Paparazzi will have a field day on the red carpet as David Beckham, Michel Platini and Franz Beckenbauer join the coaches from most competing nations.

Beckham is in Cape Town to promote England's bid for the 2018 World Cup and was spotted this morning meeting in an upmarket waterfront hotel.

Behind the scene of the draw, several nations are wooing Fifa executives for their support ahead of next year’s vote to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Australian officials yesterday hosted a number of high-ranking Fifa officials in their attempt to get the World Cup down under. While England has enlisted Beckham, Nicole Kidman is fronting the Australian charm offensive, lending her voice to the promotional video.

With so many famous faces in one place, security measures are unprecedented with a no-fly zone over down town Cape Town and the streets will blocked in a wide radius around the convention centre tomorrow.

Much interest will also centre on controversial Argentina coach Diego Maradona who is serving a two-month Fifa ban, which includes the draw. Maradona has threatened to attend nonetheless which could create sticky red-carpet moment.

Valcke however was adamant and said he had written the Argentine association to make sure he stays away. ''And if he still comes he'll want accreditation to get in. I don’t think so.''

Pot 1 (seeds): South Africa (group A), Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain
Pot 2: Australia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Honduras, Mexico, USA, New Zealand
Pot 3: Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
Pot 4: Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland

- © Fairfax NZ News