© EuroFootball.com
Today, on December 9th, at the Leipzig Exhibition Center, the solemn ceremony of the 2006 World Cup group stage draw took place, revealing the composition of the upcoming tournament in Germany - the 32 participants of the future final tournament were divided into 8 groups of four.
The "Group of Death" became Group C, where two-time World Cup winners Argentina, like in the quarter-finals of the 1998 tournament, will have to face the Netherlands, as well as debutants Ivory Coast and Serbia and Montenegro, returning to the competition with a new name for the first time.
Group E also looks very strong - three-time World Cup champions Italy will play against first-time tournament participants Czech Republic and Ghana, and the team from the USA, which surprised the world four years ago.
The host country Germany had a very favorable draw. In Group A, the vice-champions Costa Rica, Poland, and Ecuador should be beatable opponents.
France, the winner of the 1998 tournament, also had quite favorable draw - the "Blues" will face South Korea and their Swiss neighbors, as well as the not very well-known Togo.
It will not be easy for England's coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, as in Group B they will face Sweden, always strong in championships, as well as Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago, coached by Dutchman Leo Beenhakker.
Defending champions Brazil did not receive unknown opponents in Group F - the world champions will play against Croatia, Japan, and Australia, with whom they have already met at least once in recent years.
The paths of Spain and Ukraine, who competed against each other in the European Championship qualifiers two years ago, have crossed again, and in Group H, they will try to compete with Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
Group D includes Portugal, who has played in the World Cup only three times so far, Mexico, Iran, and newcomer Angola. These teams have never played against each other in the World Cup before.
The final tournament of the World Cup will start exactly in six months, on June 9, 2006. The event will begin with the match between the host country Germany and Costa Rica in Munich, and will end with the final match at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.
2006 World Cup groups:
Group A: Germany Costa Rica Poland Ecuador
Group B: England Paraguay Trinidad and Tobago Sweden
Group C: Argentina Ivory Coast Serbia and Montenegro Netherlands
Group D: Mexico Iran Angola Portugal
Group E: Italy Ghana USA Czech Republic
Group F: Brazil Croatia Australia Japan
Group G: France Switzerland South Korea Togo
Group H: Spain Ukraine Tunisia Saudi Arabia
Schedule:
June 9, 2006: Germany - Costa Rica (Munich) Poland - Ecuador (Gelsenkirchen)
June 10, 2006: England - Paraguay (Frankfurt) Trinidad and Tobago - Sweden (Dortmund) Argentina - Ivory Coast (Hamburg)
June 11, 2006: Serbia and Montenegro - Netherlands (Leipzig) Mexico - Iran (Nuremberg) Angola - Portugal (Cologne)
June 12, 2006: Italy - Ghana (Hanover) USA - Czech Republic (Gelsenkirchen) Australia - Japan (Kaiserslautern)
