The World Cup - Germany '06

World Cup Legends

2006-04-20T01:25:00.000-07:00

Pelé

Maradona

Roberto Baggio

Michel Platini

Johan Cruyff

Group H - The Way to the World Cup

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Spain

Spain stumbled along the road to Germany 2006 but, having got there via the play-offs, a young squad provides real optimism for the future.

Fernando Torres together with Morientes or Reyes will cause troubles to the defenses on this group.

Ukraine

After two near-misses in FIFA World Cup™ qualifying, Ukraine have booked a place in the 2006 edition of the tournament in commanding fashion.

The Ukranian team and Shevchenko's goals deserved to be participating on this World Cup.

Tunisia

In 1978, Tunisia became the first African country to win a game at the finals of the FIFA World Cup™ when they beat Mexico 3-1 in their very first group game.

Selim Benachour crashes a powerful shot into the top of the net. Tunisia might not be the great power at first but if you let them play they might crash your party down.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia have shown the world dramatically different faces at three successive FIFA World Cup™ finals appearances since 1994.

Saudi Arabia's Khaled Aziz in action during the friendly against Greece
Khaled Aziz pictured in action for Saudi Arabia against Greece during the 1-1 friendly draw in Riyadh on 25 January 2006. (no video found)

Group G - The Way to the World Cup

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France

After a disappointing display in Korea/Japan 2002, France and their coach Raymond Domenech will be travelling to Germany determined to make a positive impact.

There's no doubt about the quality of the players of the French squad but their ability to play as a competitive team is sometimes worrying the fans. Zidane seems to be getting back in track and that is important for Les Bleus if they want to cause an impression in Germany.

Switzerland

Switzerland made amends for missing out on the previous two FIFA World Cup™ finals by claiming a place at the 2006 tournament in neighbouring Germany.

Switzerland had to suffer to get to this Wolrd Cup, but in the end they succeeded.

Korea Republic

Korea Republic stunned the world by reaching the FIFA World Cup™ semi-finals on home soil in 2002 under Dutchman Guus Hiddink. Now they can look forward to another FIFA World Cup in Germany, their sixth successive World Cup.

Korea Republic has a good number of players with tecnical and physical abilities but they also have Park Ji Sung. Here's some highlights of this great player.

Togo

If Togo were unlikely contenders for a first FIFA World Cup™ finals place at the outset of their campaign, then their first three qualifiers did little to alter that impression.

Emmanuel Adebayor is one Togo's biggest assets. After playing in France for Monaco he got transfered to Arsenal.

Group F - The Way to the World Cup

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Brazil

Brazil's form in winning the 2004 Copa America, 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup and South American qualifying group points to a serious defence of their world crown in Germany...

Brazil is The favourite to take the Cup home, specially since they have only great players in the team. Among those great players there's one that is even greater and that will be causing headaches to the other teams, the one and only Ronaldinho Gaucho. Take a look at some of his goals.

Croatia

Croatia reached their third successive FIFA World Cup™ finals by finishing top of European qualifying Group 8, undefeated and with seven wins recorded in ten matches.

This is Darijo Srna scoring the penalty that got Croatia in the World Cup. The recording is not the best but you can feel the excitement in the crowd.

Australia

For Australia the long wait is over. After 32 years the Socceroos will return to Germany, scene of their one previous FIFA World Cup™ finals appearance in 1974.

The frontline of Australia is to keep in mind, Viduka, Aloisi and Kewell are dangerous players for any defense on the group. Kewell seems to be getting back to his level and that is good news for the Australian squad.

Japan

Japan became the first team besides the hosts to book their place at Germany 2006 when they defeated Korea DPR in June 2005. It will be their third successive FIFA World Cup™ finals appearance.

Japan is a complicated team to beat and where their star Nakata is on,then the team is double hard. Japan is in a hard group but they will fight to make their spot in the next round.

Group E - The Way to the World Cup

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Italy

There's no doubt that Italy has the material to get far on this World Cup. They have good defense, middfield and attack. In my opinion they do depend on the magic and creativity of Totti. He is an outstanding player and he has increased his game in the past month (now injured but he'll be back soon) and getting ready for the World Cup. Check some of his greatest goals.

Ghana

Led by Serbian coach Ratomir Dujkovic and inspired by the likes of Michael Essien, Ghana have qualified for their first FIFA World Cup™ finals.

Ghana is leaded by Essien and they want to celebrate. Check this clip and get an idea of how much fun they will have with their national team.

United States of America

Gone are the days when the United States were derided as a second-tier footballing nation and they are now preparing for their fifth straight FIFA World Cup™ finals.

The U.S team has improved amazingly over the past years and they could surprise some people in this World Cup. They possess good tactics, they are organized and they have good players like Donovan, Jones, O'Brien or Beasley.

Czech Republic

After two 1-0 play-off wins over Norway, Karel Bruckner’s team have booked their place at Germany 2006 - the first time that this relatively new country will be taking part in the biggest sporting event on the planet.

The Czech's finest player, the great absent on the World Cup's squad. Pavel Nedved will be missed by his team mates and his country but they don't depend on him because they have a confident team that can creat some dammage on this group.

Group D - The Way to the World Cup

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Mexico

Ricardo Lavolpe's Mexico side sealed their place at Germany 2006 with games to spare and can draw further confidence from an impressive 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup campaign.

Here are some good Mexican goals. Some qualifying and Conferations Cup goals. They have a very good team and they can go far in the World Cup if they don't have to face penaltys.

Iran

After the disappointment of missing out on Korea/Japan 2002, Iran have underlined their position as one of Asia's top teams by qualifying comfortably for Germany 2006.

Iran is a structured squad and on top of that they have the Iranian Wizard or the Asian Maradona, Mr. Ali Karimi. Check his moves on this clip.

Angola

At their sixth attempt, Angola finally succeeded in qualifying for a FIFA World Cup™ finals under the inspirational stewardship of coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves.

This is a match against Togo. Angola has worked hard to get to the World Cup and they will look for the way of making history like a good African team.

Portugal

If their performance in qualifying is anything to go by then Portugal must rank as credible contenders at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ finals.

No doubt about how good Cristiano Ronaldo is. If you're not conviced just take a look at this clip. Portugal has a solid squad and with players like Ronaldo, Figo and Pauleta they can bring trouble to the other teams.

Group C - The Way to the World Cup

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Argentina

After their poor showing at Korea/Japan 2002, Argentina are back for another tilt at the title having become the first side from South America to qualify for Germany 2006.

Argentina has one of the finest squads and they will try to prove it on this World Cup. Top players like Riquelme, Crespo, Aimar, Messi, Ayala, etc will try to put the name of Argentina on everybody's mouth again. Enjoy this great goal by Aimar against Bolivia.

Côte d'Ivoire

The Elephants of Côte d'Ivoire will be one of the major attractions at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™, where they will take their bow on football's greatest stage.

No doubt that Didier Drogba is a very dangerous player and that the Elephants will be a hard team to beat.

Serbia and Montenegro

Serbia and Montenegro were one of eight European teams to remain undefeated throughout the qualifying campaign, winning six of their 10 fixtures and drawing the other four.

Their star names include Atletico Madrid's Kezman, Dejan Stankovic of Inter Milan, and experienced Osasuna hitman Savo Milosevic. Kezman has a good scoring instinct and he can be really fast.

The Netherlands

Highly impressive as a unit during the preliminary stage, Marco van Basten's Netherlands side now want to demonstrate their formidable qualities at the highest level.

No doubt that The Netherlands has Ruud on the attack front. He is one of the best in the game and as a good predator he will be waiting for the chance of finishing the opponent.

Group B - The Way to the World Cup

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England

You have to look back to the 1966 FIFA World Cup™ finals for the last time England secured victory in a major tournament. Now Sven-Goran Eriksson's men are aiming to put things right. They have one of the most solid squads of the world and they will be looking for their second Cup.

They have two of the best midfielders and the questions always pops up, who's better between Gerrard and Lampard? I guess the answer will be answered in Germany.

Group B - The Way to the World Cup

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Paraguay

In the second round of the two previous FIFA World Cups™, Paraguay have lost incredibly close 1-0 matches to eventual champions France and eventual runner-ups Germany. They are a defensively strong squad that will be looking to cause some troubles to their adversaries and look for a spot in the next round of the World Cup.

This is the alltimer icon of the Paraguay squad making a super goal!! Yes, this is Chilavert in his Velez years.

Group B - The Way to the World Cup

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Trinidad and Tobago

Inspired by a veteran coach and some equally seasoned players, Trinidad and Tobago overcame the odds to reach their first FIFA World Cup™ finals. They could win important games when they seemed lost, among the important ones we find one against Guatemala where after trailing 1-2 they managed to score 2 goals in the last 4 minutes and the other important game, the one that gave them the qualification to their first World Cup was the victory by 2-1 against Mexico.

Since I can't find any footage of the national team of Trinidad and Tobago or their great defender Ricardo Gardner, enjoy some pics of their country.

Group B - The Way to the World Cup

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Sweden

Sweden qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany ™ finals as one of the two best runners-up in European qualifying. Only Croatia was better than them in their group by goals difference. No doubt that Sweden has a good squad and we shall see how well they can do in this World Cup.

They have a very dangerous striker, one that will put some defenders in troubles every time he touches the ball, his name Zlatan Ibrahimovic and here's one of his goals in the qualifying round against Malta.

Group A - The Way to the World Cup

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Germany are one of the great football nations of the world. The German team has played in every FIFA World Cup™ except the 1930 and 1950 tournaments. This World Cup is at their backyard and they will try to add one more Cup to their collection.

Germany didn't need to play any qualifying games but there's no doubt that they have a solid squad and a player named Ballack. This is the goal he scored against the Czech Republic.

Group A - The way to the World Cup

2006-02-15T05:34:00.000-08:00

Costa Rica

In recent times, Costa Rica have become a regular sight at the world’s top tournaments, and the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ will be no exception. After a mediocre start in their qualifying round they managed to put the team together and be part of another World Cup.

They have a balanced squad but their strong aspect is the attack and the name of that attack is Wanchope. Check some of his goals.

Group A - The way to the World Cup

2006-02-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

Poland

Even the most diehard Polish supporters were pleasantly surprised at their team's success in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ in advance of their last group match away to England (1-1).

It is often the strikers that get the glory but if you don't have a solid keeper it will be hard to get anywhere. Poland has Dudek and that is a very strong point for the Polish squad. This is Dudek in the Champions League's Final making an amazing save.

Group A - The way to the World Cup

2006-02-15T05:05:00.000-08:00

Ecuador

Ecuador belongs to the Conmebol and they managed to end up third in one of the hardest and longest qualifying rounds. Only Brazil and Argentina were better than the Ecuador squad.

One of their biggest achievements, on the road to Germany, was beating the two South American heavy weights Argentina and Brazil by 2-0 and 1-0 in Quito and then managing 0-0 away draws against the same two titans.

This was an important goal for Ecuador because it meant the possibility of going to their second straight World Cup. The scorer was Edison Mendez.

World Cup Groups

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On December 9, 2005 the draw was held and the group assignments announced.

After the draw was completed, many football commentators remarked that Group E and/or Group C appeared to be the groups of death in the Cup.

Group A
Germany
Costa Rica
Poland
Ecuador

Group B
England
Paraguay
Trinidad and Tobago
Sweden

Group C
Argentina
Côte d'Ivoire
Serbia and Montenegro
Netherlands

Group D
Mexico
Iran
Angola
Portugal

Group E
Italy
Ghana
United States
Czech Republic

Group F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan

Group G
France
Switzerland
Korea Republic
Togo

Group H
Spain
Ukraine
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia

2006 World Cup Teams

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AFRICA (CAF)
Angola (first time qualifier)
Côte d'Ivoire (first time qualifier)
Ghana (first time qualifier)
Togo (first time qualifier)
Tunisia

ASIA (AFC)
Iran
Japan
Korea Republic
Saudi Arabia

OCEANIA (OFC)
Australia

SOUTH AMERICA (CONMEBOL)
Argentina
Brazil
Ecuador
Paraguay

EUROPE (UEFA)
Croatia
Czech Republic
England
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Serbia and Montenegro
Spain
Switzerland
Sweden
Ukraine (first time qualifier)

NORTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA & CARIBBEAN (CONCACAF)
Costa Rica
Mexico
Trinidad and Tobago (first time qualifier)
United States

World Cup Stadiums

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Berlin, Olympiastadion. Capacity: 77,176

Dortmund, Signal Iduna Park. Capacity: 64,000.

Frankfurt, Commerzbank-Arena. Capacity: 50,132.

Gelsenkirchen, Veltins-Arena. Capacity: 53,804.

Hamburg, AOL-Arena. Capacity: 51,055.

Hannover, AWD-Arena. Capacity: 44,652.

Kaiserslautern, Fritz-Walter-Stadion. Capacity: 41,170.

Köln, RheinEnergieStadion. Capacity: 46,120.

Leipzig, Zentralstadion. Capacity: 44,190.

München, Allianz Arena. Capacity: 66,000.

Nürnberg, Frankenstadion. Capacity: 41,926.

Stuttgart, Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion. Capacity: 54,267.

Posters and Logos of the World Cups

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The World Cup Champions

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The World Cup is held every four years, but the qualifying rounds of the competition take place over a three-year period, using regional qualifying tournaments. 197 national teams entered the qualification tournaments for the 2006 World Cup. The final tournament phase involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period in a previously nominated host nation.

The very first World Cup was played in Uruguay in 1930.

The final was played between the host and Argentina. The very first World Champion was Uruguay after beating 4-2 their neighbours.

4- 2

The Second World Cup in 1934 was hosted by Mussolini's Italy and once again the host became Champion of the World after beating Czechoslovakia by 2-1.

2- 1

The 1938 Football World Cup was played in France, the second tournament in a row to be played in Europe. But this time the host did not went further than the quarterfinals and it was Italy that retained the Champions title by beating Hungary 4-2 in the Final.

4-2

Because of World War II, the World Cup had not been staged since 1938; the planned World Cups of 1942 and 1946 were both cancelled. The 1950 Football World Cup was held in Brazil and was the only World Cup ever held which was not decided by a knockout final (although the last match of the tournament did end up determining the overall winner, and this match, also known as Maracanazo, is usually referred to as if it had been a final). It was won by Uruguay by 2-1 after beating the host.

2-1

The 1954 Football World Cup was held in Switzerland. The tournament was won by West Germany, who upset Hungary 3-2 in the final. It was Germany's first World Cup victory.

3-2

In June 1954, the FIFA decided to award the 1958 Football World Cup to Sweden. It was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5-2 in the final for their first title. The World Cup marked the debut on the world stage of 17-year-old Pelé, who would grow to be considered one of the greatest footballers of all time.

5-2

In 1962 the World Cup returned to South America. It was held in Chile, and won by Brazil, who retained the championship beating Czechoslovakia 3-1 in the final.

3-1

The 1966 World Cup was held in England and it was a year of triumph for the host nation, which won in a controversial final beating West Germany 4-2.

4-2

The 1970 Football World Cup was held in Mexico. It was won by Brazil, who beat Italy 4-1 in the final. The Brazilian team, led by Pelé, Jairzinho, Rivelino and Tostão, is often regarded as the greatest team ever, and the 1970 tournament is still considered by many fans to be the finest World Cup in history.

4-1

The 1974 Football World Cup was held in West Germany. The host nation won the title beating the Netherlands in the final, 2-1. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup, was awarded. The previous trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, was won for the third time by Brazil in 1970 and awarded permanently to the Brazilians.

2-1

The 1978 World Cup was held in Argentina. It was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3-1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina who became the sixth team (after Uruguay, Italy, West Germany, Brazil, and England) to be world champions.

3-1

The 1982 World Championship was held in Spain. It was won by Italy, who beat West Germany 3-1 in the final. With its third World Cup title (after 1934 and 1938), Italy drew level with record champions Brazil.

3-1

The 1986 Football World Cup was held in Mexico from May 31 to June 29. It was won by Argentina, who beat West Germany 3-2 in the final at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. It was the tournament of Diego Armando Maradona who was at the peak of his form and he led the Argentinean team to the title.

3-2

The 1990 Football World Cup was held in Italy, making it the second country to host the event twice. It was won by West Germany, who beat Argentina 1-0 in the final, repeating the final of the 1986 Football World Cup.

1- 0

The 1994 Football World Cup held in the USA was won by Brazil who beat Italy 3-2 on penalty kicks after the game and extra time ended 0-0.

0-0 (3-2)

The 1998 World Cup was held in France. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final. This was the first World Cup title for France.

3- 0

The 2002 Football World Cup (Official name: 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™) was held in South Korea and Japan. It was the 17th tournament. For the first time in its history, the World Cup was organised by two countries, which also meant that for the first time three teams (South Korea and Japan as co-hosts and 1998 World Cup champion France) received automatic places in the tournament. It was also the first time it was held outside Europe or the Americas. In the end, the finals saw the all-time World Cup winning country, Brazil, defeat Germany, 2-0 for their record fifth title.

2-0

The 2006 FIFA World Cup™ (officially titled 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™) is scheduled to take place in Germany between 9 June and 9 July 2006.

The history still needs to be written ...

History of the FIFA World Cup

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No other sporting event captures the world's imagination like the FIFA World Cup ™. Ever since the first tentative competition in Uruguay in 1930, FIFA's flagship has constantly grown in popularity and prestige.

A group of visionary French football administrators, led in the 1920s by the innovative Jules Rimet, are credited with the original idea of bringing the world's strongest national football teams together to compete for the title of World Champions. The original gold trophy bore Jules Rimet's name and was contested three times in the 1930s, before the Second World War put a 12-year stop to the competition.

When it resumed, the FIFA World Cup™ rapidly advanced to its undisputed status as the greatest single sporting event of the modern world. Held since 1958 alternately in Europe and the Americas, the World Cup broke new ground with the Executive Committee's decision in May 1996 to select Korea and Japan as co-hosts for the 2002 edition.

Since 1930, the 16 tournaments have seen only seven different winners. However, the FIFA World Cup™ has also been punctuated by dramatic upsets that have helped create footballing history - the United States defeating England in 1950, North Korea's defeat of Italy in 1966, Cameroon's emergence in the 1980s and their opening match defeat of the Argentinean cup-holders in 1990....

Today, the FIFA World Cup™ holds the entire global public under its spell. An accumulated audience of over 37 billion people watched the France 98 tournament, including approximately 1.3 billion for the final alone, while over 2.7 million people flocked to watch the 64 matches in the French stadia.

After all these years and so many changes, however, the main focus of the FIFA World Cup™ remains the same - the glistening golden trophy, which is the embodiment of every footballer's ambition.

Extract from Fifa article.

More than 2000 Years of Football

2006-02-14T01:27:00.000-08:00

The contemporary history of football spans more than 100 years.

It all began in 1863 in England, when rugby football and association football branched off on their different courses and the world's first football association was founded - The Football Association in England.

After the English Football Association, the next oldest are the Scottish FA (1873), the FA of Wales (1875) and the Irish FA (1880). Strictly speaking, at the time of the first international match, England had no other partner association against which to play. When Scotland played England in Glasgow on 30 November 1872, the Scottish FA did not even exist - it was not founded for another three months. The team England played that day was actually the oldest Scottish club team, Queen's Park.

The spread of football outside of Great Britain, mainly due to the British influence abroad, started slow, but it soon gathered momentum and spread rapidly to all parts of the world. The next countries to form football associations after the Netherlands and Denmark in 1889 were New Zealand (1891), Argentina (1893), Chile (1895), Switzerland, Belgium (1895), Italy (1898), Germany, Uruguay (both in 1900), Hungary (1901) and Finland (1907). When FIFA was founded in Paris in May 1904 it had seven founder members: France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain (represented by the Madrid FC), Sweden and Switzerland. The German Football Federation cabled its intention to join on the same day.

This international football community grew steadily, although it sometimes met with obstacles and setbacks. In 1912, 21 national associations were already affiliated to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). By 1925, the number had increased to 36, in 1930 - the year of the first World Cup - it was 41, in 1938, 51 and in 1950, after the interval caused by the Second World War, the number had reached 73. At present, after the 2000 Ordinary FIFA Congress, FIFA has 204 members in every part of the world.

Extracts of the article written By Dr. Wilfried Gerhardt.