World Cup 2006 Draw

The time has rolled around once again. The time when the nations of the world pit their best sportsmen against each other in a game of skill and wits. They don't call it the beautiful game for nothing.

That's right! WORLD CUP TIME!

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HOW THE DRAW WORKS

• The eight seeded teams will be drawn into eight different groups. Germany have already been allocated Group A and Brazil Group F.
• Eight unseeded European sides will be drawn into the eight different groups.
• The lowest-ranked European side Serbia and Montenegro will be allocated to one of the groups containing either Brazil, Argentina or Mexico to ensure there is no more than two European sides in any group.
• A pot of the five African countries, Australia and the two remaining South American sides drawn into eight different groups.
• A pot containing the four Asian countries, the US, Costa Rica and Trinidad drawn into seven different groups.

The 32 teams are arranged into these pots:

POT ONE (SEEDS)
Germany (hosts)
Brazil (holders)
Argentina
England
France
Italy
Mexico
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
US

Special pot: Serbia & Montenegro


In a few minutes time these teams will be drawn into 8 groups (A-F). Then next Summer (2006), the fun will really begin.

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EDIT: Here are the draws for the groups:



For those who don't know, the teams play the others in their group. The top 2 teams from the 8 groups (ones with most points - 3 for a win, 1 for a draw) move onto the knockout stages. This carries on until 2 teams are left who then play in the final. The winner gets the World Cup!

This year England have a real chance.

I don't know about you guys. You know nothing about Football. You call it Soccer for heavnes sake! Why call a sport where you hold the ball "Football" and one where you kick the BALL along the ground with your FOOT "Soccer"? What's all that about?!

thanks for the update lenny. I love watching the world cup. I stopped for a few years after roberto baggio kicked the ball over the net against brazil at the final. I started it up again last time but am looking foward to this one cause i think america might ahve a chance

I watched like 5 min of this, and then i realied that I hate soccer. But apparently this got double the viewers that the Superbowl normally gets, and its just a lottery.

Awww....no teams of death heh....thats whne they put 2 really good teams in 1 group, but I guess we'll be seeing that in the quarter finals...Cant wait.....gonna ahve to stay up during the night to watch them games.

England have got the easiest group there, that's for sure.

The Argentina vs. Holland game will be an amazing one to watch. Awwww, and look at porr old Ivory Coast. Argentina first match . Then again though, Argentina have been in serious decline. They're not as good as they once were.

All of us over the pond want France to absolutely murder Switzerland. We've got some revenge to have against the Swiss thanks to one certain bastard of a Ref.

Not much you can say about the other groups apart from wait and see, although I'll be watching the Italy vs. US match just for kicks (you've been drawn into quite a strong group ya know), and the three other teams inb Group F are doomed. Poor sods.

Oooh! And that's one good thing I'm forgetting! Germany are only an hour or so ahead. And just imagine it, first time in 40 years, England win the World Cup, on German soil.