Spain, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Uruguay each took a positive step toward qualifying for next year's World Cup finals by winning their playoff matches on Saturday.
Only Trinidad and Tobago and Bahrain, the smallest nations left in the running, were stalemated in a 1-1 draw at Port-of-Spain.
Luis Garcia scored three times for Spain in a 5-1 rout of Slovakia.
Vladimir Smicer scored the lone goal in the Czech Republic's 1-0 victory over Norway, while the Swiss topped 2002 semifinalist Turkey 2-0 and Uruguay edged Australia 1-0.
Fernando Torres also scored for Spain at the Vicente Calderon stadium by converting a penalty, and substitute Fernando Morientes added the fifth goal.
Spain is trying to qualify for the World Cup finals for the eighth straight time.
Although Spain is one of soccer's traditional powerhouses, the team has a poor record in international championships. The Spanish won the 1964 European Championship but have not been past the quarterfinals of the World Cup since 1950.
Slovakia, which is trying to get there for the first time since the breakup of Czechoslovakia, finished the match with nine men after Marian Had was sent off for protesting. Slovakia coach Dusan Galis was also red carded.
Smicer, left unmarked in front of the goal, beat Norway goalkeeper Thomas Myhre from 8m in the 32nd minute. Karel Poborsky set up the goal with a cross from the right at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Norway.
The Czechs have never qualified for the World Cup finals, but Czechoslovakia reached the quarterfinals in 1990 -- three years before it split from Slovakia.
"We came here to try to win or at least score and we managed to fulfill both," Smicer said. "Now we have to take a rest and prepare for the second leg."
Philippe Senderos and Valon Behrami scored a goal each for Switzerland.
Senderos scored first with a glancing header off a free kick from Ludovic Magnin in the 40th minute, and Behrami added the insurance in the 86th at Stade de Suisse.
The Swiss last played in the World Cup finals in 1994. Turkey reached the semifinals three years ago in South Korea and Japan.
Dario Rodriguez scored the lone goal for two-time World Cup champion Uruguay in the 35th minute.
Four years ago, Australia won 1-0 at home in the first leg but lost 3-0 in Uruguay.
In the Caribbean, Bahrain's Salman Ali Ghuloom Ali knocked in a header in the 72nd minute and Trinidad's Christopher Birchall scored from 45m in the 77th.
The second legs are scheduled for Wednesday, with the winners claiming the five remaining berths.
The 27 teams already qualified for the World Cup are: Croatia, France, England, Germany (host), Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Serbia-Montenegro, Sweden, Ukraine from Europe; Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay from South America; Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Tunisia from Africa; Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea from Asia; and Costa Rica, Mexico, United States from CONCACAF.
international FRIENDLIES
England and Brazil each won friendly matches Saturday, with the English getting two late goals to beat Argentina 3-2 and the five-time World Cup champion Brazilians routing the United Arab Emirates 8-0.
Also, France drew 0-0 against visiting Germany and Italy beat the Netherlands 3-1 as many of soccer's powerhouse teams began warming up for next year's World Cup finals with friendlies while 10 others began playing for the final five berths in Germany.
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