What If World Cup Qualification Ended Today?

The race for South Africa is heading down the final stretch and with the end of each round of fixtures comes the inevitable relief of those nations whose qualification has been secured. Notwithstanding the final set of group stage qualifying fixtures to be played later this week, below are the winners and losers if the road to World Cup 2010 ended today:

Still a couple of summer holidays up for grabs

South America (4; top placed in group) – Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina

With Uruguay and Ecuador breathing down their neck, Maradona's Argentina face a crunch tie in Montevideo in front of 73,000 baying Uruguayans, that will determine if Aguero and Co.