Available rights:
Traffic is the exclusive worldwide holder for transmission rights of the nine home matches of Brazil, and sponsorship rights holders for all 90 matches.
Current: September 2007 – October 2009
Duration: 2 years
Number of matches: 90 (every team plays against each other twice, home and away)
Number of teams: 10 national teams
Participating teams: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
History
Since 1996, four teams are allowed to advance to the World Cup by playing under a running points system. Since then, the teams play between themselves to be among the four qualified for the World Cup and a repeschage. In the current qualifying games, the news are that the South-American team placed in fifth place plays against the fourth of Concacaf. In the last three editions, the repechage was against the champion of Oceania.
The South-American Qualifying Games include countries of the Conmebol: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The ten participant teams compete with each other in two rounds and just one group (first round and second round games); the four best are qualified for the World Cup and a fifth plays the repeschage against the fourth qualified of Concacaf.
Some of the most prestigious players of the world come to South America to take part in the qualifying games for their respective countries. Among them Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Milan), Kaká (Real Madrid), Robinho (Manchester City), Milito and Zanetti (Internazionale), Messi (Barcelona), Aguero (Atlético Madrid), Lugano (Fenerbahçe), Diego Forlán (Atlético Madrid), Farfán (Schalke04).
