Five teams will emerge from Africa's final World Cup playoffs to win a ticket to Brazil next June. Here are five things to know about those decisive two-leg playoffs, which begin this weekend:
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FOR ALL OF EGYPT: Egypt coach Bob Bradley has spoken of the team's desire to realize a dream for all Egyptian people and reach the World Cup for the first time since 1990 and only the third time ever. In a nation fractured for two years by violence and still with little sign of a solution, football may give embattled Egyptians a small unifier. At first unable to play at home, then shifted from Cairo to Alexandria and lately to the resort of El Gouna on the Red Sea and with fans locked out, Egypt was the only team to win all six games in group qualifying. Their progress is part of a wider North African revival: Algeria and Tunisia also made the last 10 surviving teams, months after none of the region's teams even made the last eight at a West African-dominated African Cup.
NEW FACES: Ethiopia's vibrant brand of football and even more colorful fans could be on the way to the World Cup. So, too, could Burkina Faso under Belgian coach Paul Put, which reached the African Cup final in February, sweeping aside Emmanuel Adebayor's Togo and World Cup quarterfinalist Ghana and nearly shocking Nigeria. They are the two playoff teams that have never played at the World Cup and could provide fans in Brazil with a never-before-seen experience.
SERIOUS BUSINESS: African governments often throw their weight behind World Cup qualifying campaigns, hoping to give their teams extra help for a rare chance to shine on the international stage and please a football-mad population. Sometimes it goes too far. In Burkina Faso last weekend two Algerian reporters were arrested, accused of spying ahead of the teams' match in the playoffs. They were taking photographs at a stadium and have since been released. Meanwhile, Cameroon President Paul Biya asked Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o to make himself available for the tie against Tunisia, while Nigeria and Ghana players have been promised improved bonuses and were urged on this week by their countries' presidents. Egyptian authorities came together to give security guarantees to be allowed to play the second leg against Ghana in front of fans at a military stadium in Cairo. Top diplomats from the two countries also have met over the tie.