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World Cup Finals Blog 1800-WorldCup: World Cup Finals Blog: December 2005

The World United Through Football.

Champions League Last 16 Draw

Friday, December 16, 2005

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Just a little break from the latest World Cup news to bring you the draw for the next round of the European Cups -- the Champions League and UEFA Cup.

A lot of the players in the major European clubs will be on show in Germany this summer so here's the chance to see some of them playing at a local ground near you.

Champions League Last 16 Draw
Ajax Amsterdam v Inter Milan
Bayern Munich v AC Milan
Benfica v Liverpool
Chelsea v Barcelona
PSV Eindhoven v Lyon
Rangers v Villarreal
Real Madrid v Arsenal
Werder Bremen v Juventus
(Ties to be played February 21st/22nd and March 7th/8th, 2006.

UEFA Cup
The UEFA Cup group winners were drawn to play against the UEFA Cup third placed teams, while the UEFA Cup second-placed teams against the Champions League third-placed teams; with teams from the same country or qualifying group not allowed to meet.

And this is what it threw up.

Artmedia Petrzalka v Levski Sofia
Bolton Wanderers v Marseille
Club Brugge v AS Roma
FC Basle v Monaco
FC Thun v Hamburg
Hertha Berlin v Rapid Bucharest
Heerenveen v Steaua Bucharest
Lille v Shakhatar Donetsk
Liteks Lovetch v Strasbourg
Lokomotiv Moscow v FC Sevilla
Real Betis v AZ Alkmaar
Rosenborg v Zenit St Petersburg
Schalke 04 v Espanyol
Slavia Prague v Palermo
Udinese v Lens
Vfb Stuttgart v Middlesbrough
(Ties to be played February 15th and 23rd, 2006).

The possible ties for the Second Round are also known:

Bolton Wanderers or Marseille v Rosenborg or Zenit St Petersburg
FC Basle or Monaco v Liteks Lovetch or Strasbourg
Heerenveen or Steaua Bucharest v Real Betis or AZ Alkmaar
Hertha Berlin or Rapid Bucharest v FC Thun or Hamburg
Lille or Shakhatar Donetsk v Lokomotiv Moscow or FC Sevilla
Slavia Prague or Palermo v Schalke 04 or Espanyol
Udinese or Lens v Artmedia Petrzalka or Levski Sofia
Vfb Stuttgart or Middlesbrough v Club Brugge or AS Roma
(Ties to be played on March 9th and 15th, 2006)

And of course we'll be bringing you live updates of the matches on 1800-WorldCup.com.

World Cup Predictions

Sunday, December 11, 2005

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Have a little bit of fun with the BBC's World Cup Predictor game.

Basically you predict the score of all first round games, clicking update on each group to refresh the table and produce the 2nd round pairings.

In the second round, you choose a radio button for which team will win.... all the way to the final.

The game will update as you go along.

My Second Round:
Germany vs Sweden
England vs Ecuador
Argentina vs Mexico
Portugal vs Holland
Czech Republic vs Australia
Brazil vs Italy
France vs Ukraine
Spain vs Switzerland

My 1/4 Finals:
Germany vs Argentina
England vs Holland
Czech Republic vs France
Brazil vs Spain

My Semi-Finals:
Germany vs Czech Republic
England vs Brazil

World Cup 2006
Winner: England
2nd: Germany
3rd: Brazil

World Cup Countdown

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Now that the draw for the 2006 World Cup has been made and we've all had a little time to calm down, it's time to make preparations for the finals in Germany.

This will involve looking in the archives, browsing over statistics and digging out old video footage of opponents.

Team delegations will also be finalising their plans for a suitable World Cup base (a handful already made their World Cup accommodation details known, before the draw).

Some teams will know each other quite well and others will never have met in an international match; not even a friendly.

Sometimes all of this analysing can be taken a little too seriously and statistics (or lack of them) will be little more than grass seeds eaten by the birds when it comes down to the serious 90 minutes of World Cup football on German soil.

But before we can get down to the real tension and drama on the pitch; the fake theatrics and dodgy referee decisions, that could swing an important match, we need to pass the time doing something.

So archives, statistics and predictions it is.

Group A:
(Germany, Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador).

Does anyone really think Costa Rica can do a Senegal and cause an upset in the opening game?

Germany seem to have one of the easiest draws, with maybe Poland or Ecuador joining them in the Second Round.

Poland can blow hot or cold. Although Poland will definitely be up for the game against Germany.

If the Poles lose concentration in their first game (against Ecuador) at least they won't have far to go home.

Interestingly, three German players were born in Poland (Klose, Podolski and Sinkiewicz).

Group B:
(England, Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden).

The draw could have been worse for England but it's not going to be plain sailing.

England have played Paraguay twice and won both games but have never played Trinidad and Tobago - a former British colony that gained independence in 1962.

Dwight Yorke (Trinidad) knows all about English football and will meet up with his former Manchester United team-mate, David Beckham. The England captain is said to be looking forward to the encounter.

England have not beaten Sweden in the last 11 matches, stretching back 37 years. This is something the England manager, a Swede himself, will have to put right; having failed to get the advantage in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup Finals. That game, in Saitama, ended all even (1-1).

England and Sweden should advance from Group B but not without a fight. The runner-up will face Germany (assuming Germany win their group) and no-one really wants to play the host nation in the Second Round; even though it's not a lot of fun in a semi-final either.

A Germany vs England final would be good enough for me - a re-match of England 66; the only time England made it to a World Cup Final itself, winning the World Cup on home soil in the process.

Group C:
(Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro and Holland).

Most of the teams in this group have never played each other, unless we think of Serbia & Montenegro as the old Yugoslavia; which of course they are not.

The game of the group, therefore, will be the meeting of Argentina and Holland in Frankfurt (21st June); a re-match of the 1978 World Cup Final in Buenos Aires, amid all the ticker tape. Argentina eventually won the game 3-1, after extra-time.

Most of us will think Holland and Argentina will advance from Group C but if either of them have a bad day, Serbia & Montenegro will take no prisoners.

Group D:
(Mexico, Iran, Angola and Portugal).

Portugal will meet former colony, Angola (gained independence in 1975), in their first game (Cologne, June 11th). Portugal's coach, Felipe Scolari, knows all about World Cup success; having lifted the World Cup as trainer of Brazil, in 2002.

A 1969 friendly, between Portugal and Mexico, doesn't count for much - it ended in a 0-0 draw.

For Mexico and Portugal progressing from Group D should all be a formality. But as always, no-one is supposedly there to make the numbers up and shock results are a part of what makes the World Cup so much fun. I'll be hoping for an Angola upset.

Group E:
(Italy, Ghana, USA and Czech Republic).

The Czech Republic have a good history against Italy (winning two and drawing one in recent encounters) and as they play each other in the last game of this group, things should remain interesting.

Three-times World Cup winners Italy will be looking to advance from Group E with USA and Czech Republic trying to do justice to their FIFA World Rankings. Officially, at the time of writing, they are both ranked above Italy.

Group F:
(Brazil, Croatia, Australia and Japan).

Home advantage may have helped Japan a little in the 2002 World Cup Finals but it's going to be tougher getting out of the group stage this time around.

Dortmund will go wild on Thursday, 22nd June when legendary Brazilian playmaker Zico takes to the field; as trainer of Japan.

Croatia and Australia (under the guidance of Guus Hiddink) can cause problems and I have a sneaky feeling that Australia will join Brazil in the next round. Heaven forbid that Brazil don't make it.

Group G:
(France, Switzerland, South Korea and Togo).

Interestingly, France and Switzerland are drawn together again; they drew twice in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup Finals. If they can't be seperated again, then South Korea might be able to take advantage when they play Switzerland in the last group game.

Switzerland will feel they can get out of this group but I wouldn't be so sure. The Koreans will study the Turkey video from Istanbul (where Switzerland lost, even though they qualified over the two legs).

Quite frankly, if the Koreans can play with as much attacking energy as they did in the 2002 World Cup Finals, it could prove too much for the Swiss.

France also have to face another former colony, Togo (gained independence in 1960) and will not forget the Senegal experience from 2002.

But let's get back to the game of the group. Without a doubt, fans from both France and Switzerland couldn't have asked for a better location for their opening match - Stuttgart (Tuesday, 13th June). Both sets of fans only have a short trip across the border for this match. Let's hope it's not a draw again.

Group H:
(Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia).

The wealth of a Sheikdom is not going to help here, although Spain and Ukraine must feel as though they've struck oil. The Europeans should both progress from Group H; unless they fail to turn up.

In Summary:

Of course, football is a funny old game; the ball (or whatever marketing name they want to call it these days) is still round and a careless red card can make a world of difference.

The one prediction I can make for sure is...... that our predictions will not all be right and there will be a couple of 'upsets'..... and maybe tantrums too.

Let the World Cup preparations begin!

New Oceania Format

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With Australia moving to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in January, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) has abandoned its traditional qualifying tournament in favour of home and away qualifiers; for the 2007 World Club Championships and 2010 World Cup (to be held in South Africa).

American Samoa, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga will all enter a preliminary qualifying round (to be held in the Cook Islands, between 8th and 12th of September, 2007).

The winner of this will then join Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, and Vanuatu for home and away matches.

The winner of the Oceania leg of World Cup Qualifying will also be crowned OFC Nations Cup winner, and attend the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, before entering a home and away play-off for a place in the 2010 World Cup Finals.

The move should be good for the fans in the islands, giving them more of a chance to see their team play.

2006 World Cup Finals Full Fixture List

Friday, December 09, 2005

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Well, the 2006 World Cup Finals Draw took a while to get going but we all had fun on the AIM chatroom.

Anyone who went to the Yahoo World Cup Site will know that their Flash set-up and too many people does not make for a good live experience.

Those of us who used 1800-WorldCup.com and Big Soccer had a lot more fun.

We had the draw live..... I mean really live.

Football fans could interact with each other and not get moderated or have their browsers stall. That's what the Internet is about.... and not one spammer was with us.

How many did you get Yahoo?

Is that why it took so long to let the real posts through?

Did you even let the real posts through FIFA Editor [sic]? If you were that flooded, you couldn't have even read all of the posts. When I looked in it was hopeless, you were in a mess.

The Internet is still alive and well in the hands of the reals fans.... and that's where the fun is.

So if anyone wants to get real live coverage of ALL the World Cup games in 2006.... tune into 1800-WorldCup.com and Big Soccer.

Anyway, onto the juicy bit.....

The 2006 World Cup Fixtures
(CET - Times Subject to Change)

Friday 9th June, 2006
Germany vs Costa Rica in München -- (18:00)
World Cup Tickets for the Opening Game

Poland vs Ecuador in Gelsenkirchen -- (21:00)

Saturday 10th June, 2006
England vs Paraguay in Frankfurt -- (15:00)

Trinidad and Tobago vs Sweden in Dortmund -- (18:00)

Argentina vs Côte d'Ivoire in Hamburg -- (21:00)

Sunday 11th June, 2006
Serbia and Montenegro vs Holland in Leipzig -- (15:00)

Mexico vs Iran in Nürnberg -- (18:00)

Angola vs Portugal in Köln -- (21:00)

Monday 12th June, 2006
Italy vs Ghana in Hannover -- (15:00)

USA vs Czech Republic in Gelsenkirchen -- (18:00)

Australia vs Japan in Kaiserslautern -- (15:00)

Tuesday 13th June, 2006
Brazil vs Croatia in Berlin -- (21:00)

France vs Switzerland in Stuttgart -- (18:00)

South Korea vs Togo in Frankfurt -- (21:00)

Wednesday 14th June, 2006
Spain vs Ukraine in Leipzig -- (15:00)

Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia in München -- (18:00)

Germany vs Poland in Dortmund -- (21:00)

Thursday 15th June, 2006
Ecuador vs Costa Rica in Hamburg -- (15:00)

England vs Trinidad and Tobago in Nürnberg -- (18:00)

Sweden vs Paraguay in Berlin -- (21:00)

Friday 16th June, 2006
Argentina vs Serbia and Montenegro in Gelsenkirchen -- (15:00)

Holland vs Côte d'Ivoire in Stuttgart -- (18:00)

Mexico vs Angola in Hannover -- (21:00)

Saturday 17th June, 2006
Portugal vs Iran in Frankfurt -- (15:00)

Italy vs USA in Kaiserslautern -- (18:00)

Czech Republic vs Ghana in Köln -- (21:00)

Sunday 18th June, 2006
Brazil vs Australia in München -- (15:00)

Japan vs Croatia in Nürnberg -- (18:00)

France vs South Korea in Leipzig -- (21:00)

Monday 19th June, 2006
Togo vs Switzerland in Dortmund -- (15:00)

Spain vs Tunisia in Stuttgart -- (18:00)

Saudi Arabia vs Ukraine in Hamburg -- (21:00)

Tuesday 20th June, 2006
Ecuador vs Germany in Berlin -- (16:00)

Costa Rica vs Poland in Hannover -- (16:00)

Sweden vs England in Köln -- (21:00)

Paraguay vs Trinidad and Tobago in Kaiserslautern -- (21:00)

Wednesday 21st June, 2006
Holland vs Argentina in Frankfurt -- (16:00)

Côte d'Ivoire vs Serbia and Montenegro in München -- (16:00)

Portugal vs Mexico in Gelsenkirchen -- (21:00)

Iran vs Angola in Leipzig -- (21:00)

Thursday 22nd June, 2006
Czech Republic vs Italy in Hamburg -- (16:00)

Ghana vs USA in Nürnberg -- (16:00)

Japan vs Brazil in Dortmund -- (21:00)

Croatia vs Australia in Stuttgart -- (21:00)

Friday 23rd June, 2006
Togo vs France in Köln -- (16:00)

Switzerland vs South Korea in Hannover -- (16:00)

Saudi Arabia vs Spain in Kaiserslautern -- (21:00)

Ukraine vs Tunisia in Berlin -- (21:00)

If you had bad experiences on the Yahoo World Cup site post in the comments.

Thanks for tuning in.... talk to you all again soon.

2006 World Cup Seeds

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

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No surprises really, FIFA today decided that Brazil, England, Spain, Mexico, France, Argentina, Italy and host Germany will be the eight seeded teams heading the groups for the final draw of the 2006 World Cup Finals in Leipzig on Friday, 9th December.

It was also decided that the other pots would be based on geographical locations rather than current world ranking or previous World Cup performances.

Pool 2:
Australia, the five African finalists: Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Angola and Togo, plus the two lower ranked South American teams Ecuador and Paraguay.

Pool 3:
Eight European teams: Croatia, Czech Republic, Holland, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Pool 4:
Four Asian teams: Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the three remaining teams from CONCACAF: Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States.

To avoid having any group with more than two European teams, a special pot will contain only Serbia & Montenegro, the lowest ranked European team, who will be placed in a group headed by either Brazil, Argentina or Mexico.

World Cup Tickets

Friday, December 02, 2005

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With all 32 teams qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany, applications for World Cup Tickets are hotting up.

Latest news from the 2006 World Cup organisers on Thursday, December 1st report that 61,000 applications for 140,000 tickets had been received in the conditional ticket offer; running from November 2nd to November 30th.

National associations, sponsors and partners are expected to return tickets and a third round of ticket sales will begin on December 12th, three days after the World Cup Draw is known.

Once the draw in Leipzig is made, on December 9th, teams will know who they'll be playing in the group stage.

A further 300,000 tickets will be made available in the next round of ticket sales and applications will have to be in by January 15th, to enter the lottery.

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