51.  Ireland finished second in its European qualifying group behind Portugal, eliminating the powerhouse Dutch team in the process.

52.  Iran gained a playoff place by placing runner-up in one of the Asian groups, while Ireland finished second to Portugal in a European group.

53.  It was the second of the nine European groups to announce their schedule.

54.  Kelly missed out on the final European group two qualifier against Cyprus through suspension after being sent off against the Netherlands in Dublin.

55.  North Korea denied Monday that it has expelled the European humanitarian group Doctors without Borders, saying that the charity withdrew voluntarily.

56.  Only the winner of each of nine European groups and the best runner up it guaranteed places in the finals.

57.  Slovakia finished third in its European group behind Sweden and Turkey.

58.  Sweden faces Finland on Sunday in a game that will decide which team from the European group advances to the semifinals of the inaugural World Cup.

59.  Sweden faces arch-rival Finland Sunday in a game that will decide which team from the European group advances to the semifinals of the inaugural World Cup.

60.  Technically, the Western European Union is the only European group empowered to perform military operations, but its record is one of missed opportunities.