In the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup started with the preliminary draw held in Zurich in December 2003, 197 teams from the six FIFA confederations were allocated a share of the 31 spots available on the basis of the strength of their teams. The final distribution was as follows: Each .5 indicates a place in inter-confederation matchups for the last two spots, namely playoffs between AFC and CONCACAF and between CONMEBOL and OFC.