71.   Tunisia is one of five African teams that have already qualified along with South Africa, Morocco, Nigeria and Cameroon.

72.   Two teams from each of the seven groups were to have qualified along with defending champion Egypt and the host.

73.   With each team playing one more match on Saturday, Britain seemed likely to qualify with Holland and China fighting for the final berth.

74.   Four of the nine-strong group qualify with Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador and Paraguay tipped to make it.

75.   Argentina won the team title for the impressive ease with which they qualified for the World Cup finals next year.

76.   The Mugen Honda engine was excellent in qualifying with the Lotus last year, and it should push the Ligier team high up the grid this weekend.

77.   The williams team dominated qualifying with a revised car, but raced the older model for safety.

78.   The winner of each group would qualify with the best of the nine second-placed teams.

79.   Uruguay have already qualified with two wins but Mexico can still overtake Paraguay by beating the hosts later on Thursday.

80.   Italy in particular is hoping to qualify with the help of a special, repayable, so-called Euro tax, analysts noted.