How Do Teams Qualify For The Football World Cup?

This is how teams really qualify for the world cup:
32 nations qualify, with only the host guaranteed to qualify. FIFA determines the number of qualifying spots for each confederation (for 2006, it was 14 [with the host] for Europe, 4 for South America, 3 for North America, 4 for Asia, and 5 for Africa, with 1 spot contested between the Oceania winner and the 5th South American team, and another contested between the 4th North American team and the fifth Asian team).

Each confederation has a different procedure for qualifying, in terms of how many rounds are played, etc. South America has one group where all 10 countries play each other twice. Europe divides into eight groups, with each group winner and the top 2 second place teams qualified, while the other 6 second place teams paired off in home-and-home playoffs to determine the other 3 spots. Africa had head-to-head playoffs to get down to 30, and then had 5 groups of 6, with the winners qualifying. Asia and North America had several stages of qualifying.

Only the host nation of the World Cup finals and the defending champion (winner of the previous edition of tournament) are allowed to automatically qualify for the tournament. The other countries play qualifying matches against each other and the thirty best teams join the host and the defending champion at the World Cup finals.

This question can be answered only with an illustration. The next World Cup soccer finals would be held in South Africa in the year 2010. South Africa is the only country (apart from the current defending champions, Italy) to automatically qualify for the next edition of the tournament.

In the previous edition of the World Cup finals, which were held in the year 2006, the only two teams to automatically qualify were the host nation Germany and the defending champions Brazil.