Going into tonight's friendly against Mexico, there are two distinct groups in the England squad. There are the players who will know their place on the plane to South Africa is assured, and then there will be the ones who will believe they have a chance to sneak into the final squad.
Fabio Capello has said he knows the 23 men he wants to take, and that naming his provisional 30 is simply procedure, but it's up to those fringe players to prove a point to him.
Adam Johnson is certainly one of those players who is in with a shout, and he should get his chance at Wembley this evening. It will be interesting to see whether his first full international appearance has a bearing on this summer's campaign, or whether it will be just to stand him in good stead for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Johnson has proved in his short time at Manchester City that he can offer something different to the likes of team-mate Shaun Wright-Phillips and Arsenal's Theo Walcott.
Given his erratic form towards the back end of last season, Walcott can perhaps count himself lucky to still be in the international picture. Johnson has certainly made more of an impact for his club.
The goalkeeping situation is almost a flick of a coin at the moment. He may be the most experienced, but there will always be question marks over David James, and Robert Green has proved himself to be vulnerable despite a string of starts for England.
Joe Hart is the most in-form of the English keepers going into the tournament, perhaps along with Paul Robinson. The fact the Blackburn goalkeeper didn't make the cut is a questionable decision, in my opinion.
But, in terms of form, Hart is surely the main man. The other two contenders have been involved in relegation battles, while Hart has been a major factor in Birmingham staying well clear of the bottom three all season.
Despite this, Hart has only got 45 minutes of senior England team experience under his belt. He certainly should have got some more game time before we got to this stage.
Rio Ferdinand will lead the team out as full-time captain for the first time this evening, but we still need assurances over his form and fitness. Ledley King and Michael Dawson are waiting in the wings should those doubts persist.
He may wear the armband, but Ferdinand's real importance is as a player. I don't think he is particularly pivotal as a skipper. England have not had a truly inspirational leader on the pitch since Bryan Robson.
It does seem a bit late in the day to be considering sweeping personnel and tactical experiments, as Capello has indicated he will make against Mexico and Japan. I remember before Italia '90, Bobby Robson was keen to have as settled a side as possible in the build-up to the tournament. Continuity is vital. If too many changes are made it can be difficult for the first team to hit the ground running when they get back together on the pitch.