The look of the draw
Let the prophesying begin! FIFA have announced the seedings for the World Cup draw and football fans around the globe - well at least those of the 32 teams that have qualified for Germany 2006 - can begin predicting their potential group rivals with a modicum of accuracy.
MikeEgerton/Empics
The ultimate prize.
• Pot One: Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Spain
• Pot Two: Australia, Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Tunisia, Ecuador, Paraguay
• Pot Three: Croatia, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine
• Pot Four: Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago, United States
• Special Pot: Serbia & Montenegro
Before we head of into the fantastical world of England's 'Dream Draw' it is important to note a few of the other restrictions that FIFA have imposed on the process.
The basic rule is that one team from each pot goes into the make up of each of the eight groups for Germany 2006. No two teams from one continent can be placed in the same group, except for European teams as, with 14 nations through; there must be two UEFA teams in six groups.
This is the reason Serbia & Montenegro have been placed into a separate group (meaning pot four only has seven teams) and they will be placed in a group with Argentina, Brazil or Mexico. Clear? No? Well all you need to know with regards to England is they will face one team from pots Two, Three and Four. And so, with the tedious necessity of work over it is time to crack on with the dream draw. Looking at the groupings, an in form England should have no real problem with any of the teams in Pot Two (or Pot Four for that matter) but it would probably be best to avoid our comrades down under in Australia and the typically muscular African nations of Ghana and Ivory Coast. That leaves us the South American duo of Paraguay, against whom England have a won both meetings 1-0, and Ecuador, who can only play well if the pitch is 2,000 metres above sea level. But worse than those two are African minnows Togo and the lowest ranked team at the finals Angola. The worst of a bad bunch would be the perfect start so let's select Angola. Pot Three is probably the most troublesome for England as it contains all the other European qualifiers and is easily the strongest pot, bar the top seeds. The most beatable opposition from this selection would be Switzerland, Croatia, Ukraine and Poland. Recent results bear this out; England beat Ukraine 3-0 in a friendly, walloped Croatia 4-2 at Euro 2004, beat Switzerland 3-0 at Euro 2004 and triumphed 2-1 over Poland in World Cup qualifying. Further analysis may show Ukraine to be a one man team, but that one man is former European Player of the Year Andrei Schevchenko. Meanwhile, Switzerland will be virtually playing at home in Germany and saw off Turkey in their play-off and Croatia are still the best team to emerge from the old Yugoslavia so that leaves Poland, who England have already beaten twice in qualifying. Pot Four is a mish-mash of CONCACAF and Asian teams and the weakest of the bunch are probably Iran, Costa Rica and then even further down the scale Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago. T&T have qualified for the finals for the first time, via a play-off with Bahrain, but they will be the party animals of the Finals and most fans will be willing the Caribbean underdogs to win, including many people in England, and for this incredibly unscientific reason I'm placing the Saudi Arabia orb on the radiator. The Saudi's have got worse at every World Cup since they made their debut and finished last in 2002. And so, if I manage to rig the draw in Leipzig England's easy route to the knockout phase would be as follows: England, Angola, Poland and Saudi Arabia. Not the most thrilling of groups, but if its excitement England are after than we have to start thinking about the dreaded 'Group of Death'. There will no doubt be a 'Group of Death', all tournaments must have one, but it seems tough to select a group of four from the teams available that will really strike fear into the England team. The worst case scenario from Pot Two would probably be either Australia, for reasons of sporting rivalry, or Tunisia. Under former France coach Roger Lemerre Tunisia were crowned African champions in 2004 and the absence of the usual African powerhouses of Nigeria and Cameroon they are probably the best the continent has to offer. Having said that they still look relatively weak and England's toughest opponent from Pot Two would be Australia. The Socceroos beat Eriksson's team 3-1 in 2003 and an extension of the intense cricket and rugby rivalry between the two countries into football would prove interesting. Pot Three contains the real ingredients for a 'group of death' with both Holland and the Czech Republic capable of beating anybody on their day. The Czechs can boast a host of stars - Pavle Nedved, Milan Baros, Petr Cech - but Holland were unlucky to miss out on being seeded and are a potent force under manager Marco van Basten. The Dutch will also be playing in neighbouring Germany and the last time the tournament was held there they got to the final. So the Dutch are the ones to watch. Finally, from Pot Four there can be only one contender and that has surely got to be the cousins across the pond, the USA. Memories of Alexi Lalas' winning header in the US Cup in 1993 and Joe 'Larry' Gaetjens goal that effectively knocked England out of the 1954 World Cup could be laid to rest with a victory over the team ranked 8th (above England) in FIFA's official standings... well that and the fact it is a poor group to choose from. So after careful consideration England's 'Group of Death' would consist of: England, Australia, Holland and the USA. But even that carfeully constructed group doesn't look too tough, so there can be no excuses for England team not progressing next year. Get your bets on now! Would England prefer the 'Dream draw' or the 'Group of Death'? Well it depends on your point of view: Do you want to see poor football and England go through or exciting football and possibility of not progressing? On Friday the draw will probably throw up something somewhere between the two and below is a guide to help you make your own minds up.
SEEDED POT ONE
Argentina: Coach Jose Pekerman has won the Under-20 World Championship three times and has been given the task of proving himself with the senior team. Argentina were the first team to secure their place at Germany 2006, and are one of the favourites to add a third World Cup to their victories in 1978 and 1976, but they did not make it out of the group stages at Korea/Japan 2002.
Brazil: What can you say about the out and out favourites? Brazil have scored more goals than any other country in World Cup finals tournaments, netting 191 between 1930 and 2002; they have won the trophy 5 times, two more than their closest rivals and they go into the tournament as reigning World Champions, Copa America champions, Confederations Cup champions and with the World and European Player of the Year in their ranks.
Germany: In one guise or another, have been in seven World Cup finals, winning three times and losing four, including 2002. But the trademark ruthless efficiency that brought those successes has given way to a relentless attacking style to make up for obvious deficiencies in defence. While this has captured the imagination of the public the Germans have not beaten world class opposition since 2000 and manager Jurgen Klinsmann must do so to win on home soil - as they did in 1974.
England: England are one of only seven teams to have won the World Cup - back in 1966 and on home turf - and 2006 represents the nation's best chance of reaching a major final since Bobby Moore's men triumphed. The majority of Sven Goran Eriksson's squad have experienced the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and are reaching their peak for Germany 2006. Having said that, much will depend on the performances of boy wonder Wayne Rooney. England crashed out of the Euro's after he was injured.
France: After triumphing on home soil in 1998 and lifting the title at Euro 2000 the overwhelming favourites for Korea/Japan 2002 crashed out of the competition at the first hurdle without a solitary goal. Les Bleus took stock but a shock quarter-final exit at Euro 2004 ended the reign of Jacques Santini. They have not lost under Raymond Domenech in 17 matches and the return of the old guard - Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele - make them a real force.
Italy: The Azzurri have won the World Cup on three occasions and have failed to qualify only once - in 1958 in Sweden. It would be hard to imagine a finals without Italy and new coach Marecello Lippi has fine-tuned Giovanni Trapattoni's side that failed spectacularly at Euro 2004 to such a degree that they are once again amongst the favourites.
Mexico: The Confederations Cup provided Mexico with a taste of what it will be like to play in Germany and are tipped to improve on their usual performance - losing in the second round at the last three tournaments. Coach Ricardo La Volpe boasts he has a squad of 30 international players to select from and his team are ranked seventh in the world by FIFA.
Spain: Are one of the great mysteries of the World Cup: they have all the attributes needed to succeed but if there is one thing you can rely on it is that Spain will underachieve. The country may boast one of the best leagues in the world but the national team have not got past the quarter-finals of the World Cup since 1950. But their 18-match unbeaten run under coach Luis Aragones is grounds for confidence.
POT TWO
Angola: The Angola FA has only been in existence since 1979 and have been members of FIFA for a mere 15 years. Angola competed in the qualifiers for the first time for the 1986 Finals so their qualification is not only one of the biggest upsets in African football history but also one of the biggest World Cup surprises of all time. It is the first trip to the finals for the 30-year-old nation.
Australia : The Socceroos last qualified for the World Cup 32 years ago, when the tournament was also held in [West] Germany, and failed to score a single goal. Guus Hiddink's men will be hoping to do better as they represent the Oceania federation for the last time - Australia will jump ship to the Asian federation for more competitive football.
Ecuador: Unless Germany is raised above sea level by about 2,000 metres then we can expect little from Ecuador, at least that's according to their critics. The country qualified third in the CONMEBOL region, behind Brazil and Argentina, but won seven of their nine home qualifiers and drew the other two at an altitude of 2,800 metres in Quito. On the road they lost six, drew two and won just one, also achieved at high altitude in La Paz in Bolivia.
Ghana: The Black Stars have been African champions on four occasions but surprisingly have never come close to qualifying for the World Cup finals, despite trying since 1962. In recent times Ghana have choked at the final hurdle but this time with the likes of Chelsea's Michael Essien and Fenerbahce's Stephen Appiah in the ranks they qualified for the first time - at the expense of South Africa.
Ivory Coast: The Cote d'Ivoire owe at least a portion of their qualification to Roger Ouegnin, the eccentric owner of ASEC Abidjan, who built the country's first youth academy. Then, in 1999, instead of playing his African Champions League winning team in the Super Cup he allowed it to be sold and played his youth team instead. The controversial decision caused uproar but the team beat Esperance 3-1 and now the same players that made their senior debut that day now provide the back-bone for the Elephants' first foray into the finals.
Paraguay: Qualified automatically for their third successive World Cup despite losing a third of their 18 games and finishing with a goal difference of 23-23. Despite their limited resources Paraguay have reached the last 16 at the last two World Cups and this was in spite of veteran Italian coach Cesare Maldini at the last outing. The then Paraguay skipper Jose Luis Chilavert said they only went through when they decided to ignore Maldini's instructions.
Togo: The west Africans' qualification is one of the fairy-stories of the World Cup: the tiny country of Togo had previously qualified for only a handful of African Nations Cup tournaments and never won a major trophy. Ranked 56th in FIFA's rankings, with only fellow finalists Angola (62nd) behind them, tiny Togo shocked the established order by qualifying ahead of the likes of Nigeria, Cameroon and Senegal.
Tunisia: Are the only one of Africa's five representatives who have any previous World Cup finals experience but the African champions are still seeking to get past the first round in the competition despite four successive appearances. Tunisia made their debut at Argentina 1978, when their 3-1 win over Mexico was the first victory by an African side at the tournament.
POT THREE
Croatia: The squad might not be as strong as the one that finished third in their World Cup debut in 1998 but Croatia are still the strongest team to emerge from the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991. Since declaring independence Croatia have qualified for five of six major tournaments. They made their debut in Euro'96 and after missing out at Euro 2000, they qualified for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. However, the stars have waned and 'reaching the quarter-finals would be a great success'.
Czech Republic: Despite being second in FIFA's World Ranking the Czechs were the 32nd and last nation to qualify for the Finals, but don't let that fool you. With 2003 European Player of the Year Pavel Nedved back to lead their challenge the Czechs are looking to build on the exciting performances of Euro 2004, where they lost to Greece in the semis, at their first World Cup as an independent nation. 'I believe we can win it,' Nedved said.
Netherlands: Self-destruction and capitulation were words synonymous with the skilled Dutch teams of the past but new, and previously untested, manager Marco van Basten has disposed of the egos, ditched the deadwood and his bunch of relative unknowns (only three "big names" remain) qualified for the finals unbeaten and top of their group. The last time Holland played a major tournament on German soil Van Basten scored one of the greatest goals ever seen as they won Euro 88.
Poland: Coach Pavel Janas's record of 25 wins, six draws and nine defeats is now the best of any Polish coach in 20 years. But his bunch of journeymen, only a handful of whom start for club sides in Europe's top leagues, proved too weak for the stronger sides and too strong for the weaker ones. At West Germany 1974 the Poles reached the semi-finals, this time around they would be happy to make the second round.
Portugal: Were runners up at Euro 2004, they qualified for Germany 2006 with a goal difference of 35-5 but for Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to become the first manager to win the World Cup with different countries they will have to overcome their serial underperformances at the finals. After a third-place finish in 1966, they did not appear again for 20 years when they were eliminated in the first round in Mexico in 1986. In 2002 they again went out in the first round.
Sweden: Coach Lars Lagerback has now taken Sweden to two European Championships and two World Cups and is cautiously optimistic that his team will do well. but it is unlikely his side will emulate their best performance when they reached the final and lost to Brazil when they hosted the World Cup in 1958. Lack of depth could prove the Swedes Achilles heel.
Switzerland: Koebi Kuhn's young Swiss team qualified for their first World Cup finals in 12 years. Pitted against France and Ireland in the incredibly tough European Group Four, unbeaten Switzerland finished second behind France and emerged from a volatile play-off in Turkey victorious. The Euro 2008 hosts will relish the short trip to neighbouring Germany - the closest thing to playing at home.
Ukraine: After suffering bitter playoff defeats in their last three championship campaigns, Ukraine finally succeeded, becoming the first European nation to qualify for Germany 2006 and secure their debut at the Finals. The former Soviet state triumphed at the expense of European champions Greece, 2002 World Cup semi-finalists Turkey and former European Championship winners Denmark. Critics say they are over reliant on Ballon D'or winner Andriy Shevchenko.
POT FOUR
Costa Rica: Brazilian born coach Alexandre Guimaraes, who played for Costa Rica in 1990 and also coached them at Korea/Japan 2002, promises that the Ticos have learnt lessons from the last tournament and they will no longer be a 'naive fair-play team'. Guimaraes draws the majority of his players from three clubs; Herediano, Alajuelense and Saprissa so his players have a good understanding.
Iran: Iran were Asia's sole representative at Argentina 1978 but had to wait until France 1998 before they graced the finals again - leaving their mark with a 2-1 win over political polar-opposites the USA. 'Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran' qualified for Germany 2006 with one game to spare and hope to become on of Asia's established powers under Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic.
Japan: Japan have steadily improved since the inception of the J-League in 1993 and are now making their third appearance at the World Cup finals. They made their debut at France 1998, losing all three games, qualified as host at Japan/Korea 2002, when they reached the knockout stage, and now go to Germany 2006 under the stewardship of Brazilian legend Zico. More players than ever are at foreign teams and bring more experience to the national squad.
Saudi Arabia: Since making their World Cup debut in 1994 Saudi Arabia's performances at three successive finals has got steadily worse until in 2002 they were ranked dead last - losing 8-0 to Germany, 1-0 to Cameroon, 3-0 to Ireland and failing to make a single tackle as far as I can recall. However, you can't get worse than last place so it's all positive for their fourth attempt.
South Korea: Will be taking part in their sixth successive World Cup finals next summer, but not even their most die-hard fan would expect them to repeat the semi-final appearance they achieved on home soil in 2002 - the best ever achievement by an Asian side. Dutch coach Dick Advocaat is on a hiding to nothing as he looks to emulate compatriot Guus Hiddink.
Trinidad & Tobago: After three matches of qualifying Trinidad & Tobago were bottom of their CONCACAF group and as far away from the World Cup finals as they could be. But three victories in their last four games clinched a playoff match against Bahrain and a 2-1 win booked their first appearance at the Finals and sparked non-stop partying amongst the 1.1 million population - they will continue the party in Germany.
United States: The US were one of the surprises of the 2002 World Cup finals, reaching the quarter-finals, but they no longer draw the gasps of surprise when they succeed. Although their FIFA ranking of eight is somewhat misleading they did finish top of the CONCACAF qualifying group for the first time in 71 years. An increasing amount of players ply their trade in some of Europe's top leagues and that added experience will be needed in Germany..
SPECIAL POT
Serbia & Montenegro: Are tipped to be one of the dark horses of the tournament, but having missed out on the previous two major events, under their temporary guise of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, they have been badly seeded for Germany 2006 and face a tough group. Atletico Madrid striker Mateja Kezman and Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic lead a tenacious group that conceded a solitary goal in qualifying.
