England face an immediate rematch with Croatia for the right to take part in the first World Cup to be held on African soil in 2010. The pair were bracketed together for the group stage of a second consecutive major tournament when the qualifying draw took place on Sunday in Durban.

As well as the team that knocked them out of Euro 2008, England must get the better of Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra if they are to avoid another bitter disappointment. The top team in each of the nine European groups qualifies automatically for South Africa, with the eight best runners-up playing off for four further places. Matches are scheduled to begin next August.