A sellout of 45,000 is expected for Saturday's critical World Cup qualifier between bitter rivals Argentina and Brazil. Demand is so great that several hundred people were in line Tuesday waiting for tickets to go on sale. High-end tickets were to be available Wednesday at Estadio Gigante de Arroyito in Rosario, about 300 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires. Popular-priced tickets go on sale Friday. Ernesto Bua, a student, told the newspaper Ole he was able to study while waiting in line under a small tent. “It's the same. Instead of studying at home, I study here,” he said. The match could go a long way toward determining if two-time World Cup champion Argentina qualifies for next year's 32-team finals in South Africa. For five-time winner Brazil, which leads qualifying in the South America, it's a perfect opportunity to ruin things for its southern neighbor. Brazil leads South American qualifying with 27 points followed by Chile (26), Paraguay (24) and Argentina (22). Close behind are Ecuador (20), Uruguay (18) and Colombia and Venezuela (17). The top four qualify automatically. The No. 5 team faces a playoff with the No. 4 from North and Central America and the Caribbean. After the Sept. 5 match, Argentina plays on Sept. 9 at Paraguay, is home on Oct. 10 against Peru and wraps up qualifying on Oct. 13 at Uruguay. Argentina has not missed a World Cup since 1970. Brazil stays top of FIFA rankings Brazil stayed top of the FIFA world rankings as the top three remained unchanged in August while Mexico continued its climb up the table as it enjoys a revival under coach Javier Aguirre. Brazil, which beat Estonia 1-0 in a friendly last month to extend its unbeaten run to 17 matches and notch its ninth successive win, is followed by Spain in second place and Netherlands in third. Mexico moved up six places to 24th after beating the US 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier, their second win over its neighbor in as many months. The US is 11th and remains the CONCACAF region's highest-ranked team. Australia, the best-placed team from the Asian confederation, climbed two places to 14th, its highest-ever position. Ivory Coast, Africa's top team, dropped two places to 20th.
