World Cup 2010

Wednesday was the last day teams could qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Two hundred and four countries from six different continental zones competed for 31 spots in the tournament, with the final seed going to the host country, South Africa. The qualification process started back in August 2007, and after a lot of hard-fought matches, the field is finally set.

Or is it?

On Wednesday, France won a controversial match against Ireland, thanks to a blatant handball by striker Thierry Henry. In the 103rd minute of the match, France's left-winger Florient Malouda lofted a free kick into the box. After the linesmen ignored what appeared to be a double offside, Henry chased the ball down and in order to keep the play alive touched the ball twice with his hand to ensure that it wouldn't go out of bounds. No referee called the handball and Henry sent a cross to center back William Gallas, who tapped the ball into the back of the net for the game-winning goal.

The Irish players were both irate and saddened by the no-call. Some pled their case to the referees, while others just buried their heads in their shirts and wiped away their tears. Making it into the World Cup has serious national implications and the people of Ireland are deeply saddened by the botched call.

The Football Association of Ireland has made a formal complaint to Federation of International Football Association in response to the elimination of their country from World Cup contention. FAI was particularly upset that the FIFA commissioner, referee observer, match officials and Henry himself admitted that it was handball, yet nothing has been done about the mishap.

Ideally, the Irish national team would get to play a rematch in Paris in order to maintain the fairness of the most prestigious soccer competition. If they aren't awarded a second chance, Ireland will have to wait four years until the next World Cup.

'The blatantly incorrect decision by the referee to award the goal has damaged the integrity of the sport and we now call on FIFA, as the world governing body for our sport, to organize for this match to be replayed,' the FAI said, according to ESPN.com.

Whether FIFA will grant a rematch remains to be seen, but in the meantime, these are the teams that have qualified for the Cup, divided by continental region, along with the governing bodies of football of those areas in parentheses.

Africa (Confederation of African Football)

Algeria

Cameroon

Cote D'Ivoire

Ghana

Nigeria

South Africa

Asia (Asian Football Confederation)

Australia

Japan

Korea DPR

Korea Republic

Europe (Union of Europe Football Association)

Denmark

England

France

Germany

Greece

Italy

Netherlands

Portugal

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Switzerland

North, Central America, Caribbean (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football)

Honduras

Mexico

United States

Oceania (Oceania Football Confederation)

New Zealand

South America (South American Football Confederation - CONMEBOL)

Argentina

Brazil

Chile

Paraguay

Uruguay

The standings and group play will be announced on Dec. 4 and matches will begin June 11, 2010. They will be played over the course of one month, with the champion being crowned in the beginning of July.