England have scored a minor victory in their World Cup preparations after being named among the top eight seeds for Friday's draw.
However, despite avoiding the likes of Brazil and Spain, there could still be trouble ahead for Fabio Capello's men.
We're sure you've all done the calculations but if things go badly in Cape Town England could end up battling against France, the Ivory Coast and the United States just to make the knockout phase.
Of course if the luck goes with Capello it could be games against Greece, Algeria and New Zealand which is a far more appealing prospect.
But either way, Friday's draw signals the start of the final leg of the build up to South Africa with players knowing a run of late season form could see them gatecrash football's biggest party.
A case in point could be Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing who was among the goals in the Carling Cup against Portsmouth on Tuesday in what was his full debut for his new club after recovering from a fractured foot.
If the experts are to be believed and the modern game is all about pace, then England will be a stronger team in South Africa with a fully-fit Downing flying down the left wing.
But he's way down the pecking order at the moment and needs to put in some eye-catching performances in the next six months to force Capello's hand.
Quickly fading from World Cup view could be Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge who, apparently, could be sold by Mark Hughes in January.
Bridge made his switch to Eastlands in an attempt to move out of the shadows of Ashley Cole for both club and country but it's not proving a success.
Although holding down a first-team place for City Bridge has hardly stood out this season in a disorganised City defence, while his performance for England against Brazil proved the gap in class between Bridge and his Chelsea rival.
Bridge's only stroke of luck at the moment is the lack of a suitable replacement for England. Nicky Shorey won a couple of caps when he was at Reading, but he's just been loaned out to Nottingham Forest after failing to progress at Aston Villa.
If Cole picks up an injury between now and next summer England could be in trouble no matter who they draw.
Tottenham flop again
Praise is being heaped on Manchester United's new crop of youngsters after they knocked out Tottenham in Tuesday's Carling Cup quarter-final.
And it certainly was a much-improved performance from the one most of them put in against Besiktas a week before.
But the result was also a disaster for Harry Redknapp and Spurs.
The North London side put out a strong side against Fergie's kids but once again fell short.
Obviously they had their chances and were the dominant team at certain stages of the match but they still lost.
It's almost as if beaten a top team has become a psychological barrier which Tottenham can't seem to get over.
If it is, they need to sort it out quickly otherwise the dream of Champions League football could soon start to fade.
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