The final four places in the European cast list at the 2010 World Cup are up for grabs this week and the football authorities have done their utmost to ensure that the star names will be in South Africa to perform on the biggest stage.
Just one month ago, it seemed possible that the World Cup could be robbed of the pulling power of Argentina, Portugal and France - and the sparkling talents of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery - but Argentina just managed to scramble over the finishing line in South American qualifying, while France and Portugal summoned up late bursts to reach this week's European play-offs.
Then the authorities did their bit by seeding the play-offs, which meant that France and Portugal could not be drawn to play each other. If all goes according to plan - that is, the four seeded teams all qualify from the play-offs - at least 17 of the world's top 20 countries will be in South Africa.
That is probably desirable from the viewpoint of most football fans, but the four unseeded countries must feel they have been harshly treated and they are sure to fight tooth and nail to overcome the perceived injustice of the draw.
The closest match on paper is Greece v Ukraine - in which Greece are the seeded team, but Ukraine are more highly regarded and are favourites to qualify - but undoubtedly the most interesting is Republic of Ireland v France.
When the draw was made, most commentators said Ireland had got the short straw, but there is an alternative view. Tony Cascarino, the former Ireland striker and now a respected newspaper columnist in England, even said before the draw that he thought the ideal draw would be France.
Ireland are well organised and resilient under the wily Giovanni Trapattoni, and their game is best suited to a tight, low-scoring contest, where they might just sneak a win. That would have been difficult against Portugal's strong attack, but France have become a low-scoring team and could be vulnerable against Ireland's tough approach.