The youngest man ever to wear an England shirt in a full international made his first appearance tonight, Tuesday 30th May 2006; in a friendly match against Hungary, at Old Trafford.

At 17 years and 75 days young, Theo Walcott beat Wayne Rooney's record; although he didn't score.

England were leading (2:1) when Peter Crouch and Theo Walcott came on for Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard, just after the hour.

(0:0) at Half-Time

England could have been two goals up at half-time but thanks to the Hungarian goalkeeper, Kiraly Gabor, the score remained goaless after 45 minutes.

The first 40 minutes were rather boring but things livened up in the last five minutes of the first-half.

After Kiraly Gabor saved a Frank Lampard penalty, England seemed to up the tempo; as if they had just gone a goal down.

Two excellent crosses from David Beckham and England could have been two goals up. Kiraly saved a close range header from Michael Owen (just before the penalty that wasn't) and Joe Cole later headed onto the post.

Second Half

Owen Hargreaves replaced Gary Neville and within a minute, England went in front; Steven Gerrard heading the home side ahead from a David Beckham cross: England 1 - Hungary 0.

England Widen The Gap

Shortly afterwards, John Terry rocked the baby; after heading in from a David Beckam free-kick on the left.

Kiraly Gabor came off his line to punch the ball but the Chelsea defender nipped in with a slight touch to make it England 2 - Hungary 0.

Hungary Not Beaten Yet

With 55 minutes gone, Dardai brought Hungary back into the game with a terrific swerving shot from just outside of the England area; into Paul Robinson's top left corner.

England 2 - Hungary 1

Theo Walcott, who still hasn't played in the Premier League for Arsenal, gave us a glimpse of his pace in the 69th minute, as he broke down the right to cross low for Peter Crouch. Unfortunately (for the England substitutes), the cross was cut out.

John Terry made way for Sol Campbell but the game was underway before the Arsenal defender could even take up his position.

Within a minute of coming on, Sol Campbell went into the referee's book.

Peter Crouch Makes it Three

Joe Cole brought the ball forward and looked for the right pass. He seemed to be waiting too long but the grass cutting through-ball reached Peter Crouch, who tured his lanky frame almost elegantly and slotted the ball to the right of a diving Kiraly Gabor.

England 3 - Hungary 1

Three minutes of added time brought no further goals, so the holding exercise ends as England fans sing 'Football's Coming Home'.

Well, too early for that but at least there are no further injuries and Theo Walcott goes into the record books.

Final Score

England 3 - Hungary 1

I was looking forward to reading comments this morning from all our US Soccer fans about how stong their team is and how they would shock the world in Germany.

Instead, we get reality.

United States are not going to shock the world, we'll leave that to Australia.

So what did the 'Amis', as the Germans call Americans, get out of this little excercise in Nashville?

No More Rockin' Tonight

Match Summary

Things looked bad when US captain, Claudio Reyna hobbled off the field of play with a strained right hamstring in the 17th minute. But just how bad?

When Reyna was replaced by Pablo Mastroeni, he passed the captain's armband to Landon Donovan.

It was a further hour before the new American captain gave the watching public some sort of hope.

In the 82nd minute, Moroccan goalkeeper Tarek El Jarmouni could only parry Landon Donovan's 25-yard shot but Eddie Johnson skuffed the rebound, with an open net laughing at him.

USA were made to pay for this missed opportunity when Morocco substitute, Mohamed Madihi countered in the last minute of regular play, to easily lift Bouchaib El Moubarki's pass over a stranded Kasey Keller.

United States 0 - Morocco 1

Final Score

Starting Teams

United States:
18 Kasey Keller; 6 Steve Cherundolo, 12 Cory Gibbs, 22 Oguchi Onyewu, 23 Eddie Pope, 17 DaMarcus Beasley, 21 Landon Donovan, 5 John O'Brien, 10 Claudio Reyna, 20 Brian McBride, 16 Josh Wolff.

Morocco:
12 Tarek El Jarmouni; 6 Aziz Ben Askar, 5 Talal El Karkouri, 3 Hicham Mahdoufi, 4 Abdeslam Ouaddou, 17 Zakaria Aboub, 16 Soufiane Alloudi, 13 Moubarek Boussoufa, 18 Adil Ramzi, 2 Walid Regragui, 10 Sektioui Tarik.

Croatia took the lead in Vienna on their first real attack.... a low cross from Prso, on the left, to Ivan Klasnic who turned and fired Croatia in front; with only 11 minutes gone.

Austria 0 - Croatia 1

Drama as Austria equalise direct from a corner.

The ball is sent in high from the right corner flag by the Austrian captain, Andreas Ivanschitz.

Pletikosa jumps high and catches the ball ....but lands behind his line.

Austria 1 - Croatia 1

Klasnic Solo

Second goal for the Werder Bremen striker.....

Ivan Klasnic beats three players on the edge of the area, with some dazzling trickery, and cooly rounds the sprawling Austrian goalkeeper.

Austria 1 - Croatia 2

[Half Time]

Second Half

Klasnic has done his work for the day and doesn't start the second half. In his place comes number 18, Ivica Olic. The Croatian goalkeeper, totally at fault with the Austraian goal, is also substituted; Joseph Didulica taking his place.

A Stroll in the Park

Marko Babic makes it 3-1 and the Croatian fans light the flares.

A drive from outside the area gets a deflection and beats the diving Helge Payer, who just helps it into the net, with his hand at full stretch.

Austria 1 - Croatia 3

That's Why Austria Are Not At The World Cup

Bosco Balaban curls a free kick over the Austrian wall to make it 4-1 to Croatia, in the 69th minute.

A Different Class

I know this is only a friendly and Croatia are going to the World Cup and Austria are not..... but the class difference is substantial, as Croatia come close to making it five.

Austria 1 - Croatia 4

Final Score

Starting Teams

Austria:
1 Helge Payer; 5 Andreas Ibertsberger, 4 Paul Scharner, 6 Rene Aufhauser, 10 Andreas Ivanschitz, 7 Christoph Leitgeb, 11 Stefan Lexa, 8 Thomas Prager, 2 Joachim Standfest, 3 Martin Stranzl, 9 Marc Janko.

Croatia:
1 Stipe Pletikosa; 4 Robert Kovac, 7 Dario Simic, 13 Stjepan Tomas, 5 Igor Tudor, 8 Marko Babic, 10 Nico Kovac, 19 Niko Kranjcar, 2 Darijo Srna, 17 Ivan Klasnic, 9 Dado Prso.

The pre-World Cup friendly matches have already been posted on all the team pages, but I thought it would make things easier for you all if we also had them all on one page.

Tuesday 23rd May
Austria vs Croatia (Vienna)
South Korea vs Senegal (Seoul)
USA vs Morocco (Nashville)

Wednesday 24th May
Ecuador vs Colombia (East Rutherford, USA)
Norway vs Paraguay (Oslo)

Thursday 25th May
Australia vs Greece (Melbourne)
Sweden vs Finland (Gothenburg)

Friday 26th May
Czech Republic vs Saudi Arabia (Innsbruck)
Ghana vs Turkey (Bochum)
South Korea vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (Seoul)
USA vs Venezuela (Cleveland)

Saturday 27th May
Denmark vs Paraguay (Aarhus)
France vs Mexico (Paris)
Germany vs Luxembourg (Freiburg)
Holland vs Cameroon (Rotterdam)
Portugal vs Cape Verde Islands (Evora, Portugal)
Serbia-Montenegro vs Uruguay (Belgrade)
Spain vs Russia (Albacete)
Switzerland vs Côte d'Ivoire (Basle)
Trinidad and Tobago vs Wales (Graz, Austria)

Sunday 28th May
Croatia vs Iran (Osijek)
Ecuador vs Macedonia (Madrid)
Ukraine vs Costa Rica (Kiev)
USA vs Latvia (Hartford)

Monday 29th May
Ghana vs Jamaica (Leicester)

Tuesday 30th May
Argentina vs Angola (Salerno)
Côte d'Ivoire vs Chile (Vittel)
Czech Republic vs Costa Rica (Jablonec)
England vs Hungary (Old Trafford)
Germany vs Japan (Leverkusen)
Luzern XI vs Brazil (Basle)
Poland vs Colombia (Chorzow)
Tunisia vs Belarus (Tunis)

Wednesday 31st May
France vs Denmark (Lens)
Georgia vs Paraguay (Tbilisi)
Iran vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (Mashad)
Saudi Arabia vs Turkey (Offenbach)
Slovenia vs Trinidad and Tobago (Celje, Slovenia)
Switzerland vs Italy (Geneva)

Thursday 1st June
Holland vs Mexico (Eindhoven)
Norway vs South Korea (Oslo)

Friday 2nd June
Angola vs Turkey (Berlin)
Germany vs Colombia (Mönchengladbach)
Liechtenstein vs Togo (Vaduz)
Sweden vs Chile (Stockholm)
Tunisia vs Libya or Uruguay (Tunis)
Ukraine vs Italy (Lausanne)

Saturday 3rd June
Croatia vs Poland (Wolfsburg)
Czech Republic vs Trinidad & Tobago (Prague)
England vs Jamaica (Old Trafford)
Luxembourg vs Portugal (Metz)
Spain vs Egypt (Elche)
Switzerland vs China (Hardturm, Zurich)

Sunday 4th June
Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (in Germany)
Brazil vs New Zealand (Geneva)
Côte d'Ivoire vs Slovenia (Evry-Bondoufle, France)
Ghana vs South Korea (Glasgow)
Holland vs Australia (Rotterdam)
Japan vs Malta (Dusseldorf)

Monday 5th June
Angola vs USA (Hamburg)
Ukraine vs Libya (Gossau, Switzerland)

Wednesday 7th June
Australia vs Liechtenstein (Ulm)
Croatia vs Spain (Geneva)
France vs China (St Etienne)
Saudi Arabia vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (Munich)

Thursday 8th June
Luxembourg vs Ukraine (Luxembourg)

Friday 9th June....... It gets serious!

United States in the World Cup Finals

United States qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on September 3rd, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is America's 8th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
United States reached the semi-finals in Uruguay 1930.

United States World Cup Preparations

United States will use Hamburg as their 2006 World Cup Finals base. The north German city has had long ties with America.

The first American Consulate in Hamburg was opened in 1790, during the time that Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, served as the nation’s first Secretary of State. Hamburg was also the port of embarkation for millions of people from West and East Europe seeking a new life in the New World.

USA Team Hotel
Park Hyatt Hamburg:
Bugenhagenstrasse 2, Hamburg.
What better chopice of hotel than the Hamburg Hyatt for the Americans. Located on the main shopping street, close to Hamburg station, the hotel is so discreet you could almost miss it if you're out window-shopping. You need to go up in a lift to the reception area and then the elegance hits you.

Hotels in Hamburg:
USA don't actually play in Hamburg but it's a very nice city to stay in all the same. Even in the knockout stages, to play the quarter-final game in Hamburg, Team USA would need to win their group and the 2nd Round match.

USA Friendly Matches
Beat Poland (1-0), Wednesday 1st March. (Kaiserslautern)
Clint Dempsey, the scorer.

Lost to Germany (1-4), Wednesday 22nd March. (Dortmund)
Steve Cherundolo scored the consolation goal, four minutes from time.

Drew with Jamaica (1-1), Tuesday 11th April. (Cary)
Ben Olsen drew level before the break.

Morocco, Tuesday 23rd May. (Nashville)

Venezuela, Friday 26th May. (Cleveland)

Latvia, Sunday 28th May. (Hartford)

Angola, Monday 5th June. (Hamburg)

United States in the 2006 World Cup
Group E
Monday, 12th June
USA vs Czech Republic
Gelsenkirchen -- (18:00)

Saturday, 17th June
Italy vs USA
Kaiserslautern -- (21:00)

Thursday, 22nd June
Ghana vs USA
Nürnberg -- (16:00)

Knockout Stage
Group E winner travels to Kaiserslautern and the runner-up goes to Dortmund.

United States World Cup Squad 2006
The Boys

Goalkeepers:
1 Tim Howard (Manchester United, England)
18 Kasey Keller (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany)
19 Marcus Hahnemann (Reading, England)

Defenders:
2 Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy)
3 Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham, England)
4 Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids)
6 Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96, Germany)
12 Cory Gibbs (ADO Den Haag, Holland)
13 Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards)
22 Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege, Belgium)
23 Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake)

Midfielders:
5 John O'Brien (Chivas USA)
7 Eddie Lewis (Leeds United, England)
8 Clint Dempsey (New England Revolution)
10 Claudio Reyna (Manchester City, England)
14 Ben Olsen (DC United)
15 Bobby Convey (Reading, England)
17 DaMarcus Beasley (PSV Eindhoven, Holland)
21 Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Forwards:
9 Eddie Johnson (Kansas City Wizards)
11 Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)
16 Josh Wolff (Kansas City Wizards)
20 Brian McBride (Fulham, England)

Trainer:
Bruce Arena.

Players to watch:
21 Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
20 Brian McBride (Fulham, England)

Destination USA

United States Travel Notes:
Find out more about the United States @ Travel Notes.

Ukraine in the World Cup Finals

Ukraine qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on September 3rd, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Ukraine's 1st appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Qualifying for Germany 2006.

Ukraine World Cup Preparations

Ukraine start their World Cup training in Turkey before moving on to Abtwil, in Switzerland, from 3rd to 7th June.

Ukraine Team Hotel
Seminaris-SeeHotel:
An der Pirschheide 40, Potsdam.
Situated on the shores of Lake Templin, in the Pirschheide forest, the Seminaris-SeeHotel Potsdam was opened up in 1998. The large wellness area of the Hotel, 'Potsfit', includes a swimming pool, Finnish sauna, steam sauna, massage showers, solariums, warmth banks, fitness rotund and fitness equipment as well as massages and cosmetic studio. So at least the Ukrainians will be looking good.

Hotels in Potsdam:
With Ukraine playing their third match in Berlin, booking a hotel in Potsdam means that you'll be both close to the team and to the Olympic Stadium. The first game, in Leipzig, is also less than two hours away by train. Hamburg is closer to three hours.

Potsdam:
Potsdam's most popular sight is the Schloß Sanssouci palace located in the park to which it gives its name. However, there are far more than the former summer residency of Frederick the Great and the Sanssouci park to make your visit worthwhile. The Alexandrowka, the Holländisches Viertel (the Dutch quarter) and the Weaver's quarter - the historic sections of the city - provide the flair of a city steeped in European tradition.

Ukraine Friendly Matches
Drew with Azerbaijan (0-0), Tuesday 28th May. (Baku)

Costa Rica, Sunday 28th May. (Kiev)

Italy, Friday 2nd June. (Lausanne)

Libya, Monday 5th June. (Gossau, Switzerland)

Luxembourg, Thursday 8th June. (Luxembourg)

Ukraine in the 2006 World Cup
Group H
Wednesday, 14th June
Spain vs Ukraine
Leipzig -- (15:00)

Monday, 19th June
Saudi Arabia vs Ukraine
Hamburg -- (18:00)

Friday, 23rd June
Ukraine vs Tunisia
Berlin -- (16:00)

Knockout Stage
Group H winner travels to Hannover and the runner-up goes to Cologne.

Ukraine World Cup Squad 2006
Zbirna

Goalkeepers:
1 Oleksandr Shovkovskiy (Dynamo Kiev)
12 Andriy Pyatov (Vorskla Poltava)
23 Bogdan Shust (Shakhtar Donetsk)

Defenders:
2 Andriy Nesmachniy (Dynamo Kiev)
3 Sergiy Fedorov (Dynamo Kiev) -- OUT
5 Vladimir Yezerskiy (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
6 Andriy Rusol (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
13 Dmytro Chigrinskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk)
17 Vladislav Vashchuk (Dynamo Kiev)
22 Vyacheslav Sviderskiy (Arsenal Kiev)

Midfielders:
4 Anatoliy Tymoschuk (Shakhtar Donetsk)
8 Oleg Shelayev (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
9 Oleg Gusev (Dynamo Kiev)
11 Serhiy Rebrov (Dynamo Kiev)
14 Andriy gusin (Krylya Sovietov Samara, Russia)
18 Serhiy Nazarenko (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk)
19 Maksim Kalinichenko (Spartak Moscow)
21 Ruslan Rotan (Dynamo Kiev)

Forwards:
7 Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan, Italy)
10 Andriy Voronin (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
15 Artem Milevskiy (Dynamo Kiev)
16 Andriy Vorobey (Shakhtar Donetsk)
20 Oleksiy Byelik (Shakhtar Donetsk)

Trainer:
Oleg Blokhin.

Players to watch:
7 Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan, Italy)
10 Andriy Voronin (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
21 Ruslan Rotan (Dynamo Kiev)

Destination Ukraine

Ukraine Travel Notes:
Find out more about Ukraine @ Travel Notes.

Tunisia in the World Cup Finals

Tunisia qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on October 8th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Tunisia's 4th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Still to get past the first round.

Tunisia World Cup Preparations

Tunisia Team Hotel
Mercure Schweinfurt Mainins:
Maininsel 10-12, Schweinfurt.
The French chain hotel, Mercure should make some of the Tunisian players feel a little at home while playing in Germany.

Schweinfurt Info:
Tunisia will train at the Willy-Sachs-Stadion.

Tunisia Friendly Matches
Lost to Serbia & Montenegro (0-1), Wednesday 1st March. (Rades, Tunisia)

Belarus, Tuesday 30th May. (Tunis)

Libya or Uruguay, Friday 2nd June. (Tunis)

Tunisia in the 2006 World Cup

Group H
Wednesday, 14th June
Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia
München -- (18:00)

Monday, 19th June
Spain vs Tunisia
Stuttgart -- (21:00)

Friday, 23rd June
Ukraine vs Tunisia
Berlin -- (16:00)

Knockout Stage
Group H winner travels to Hanover and the runner-up goes to Cologne.

Tunisia World Cup Squad 2006
Les Aigles de Carthage

Goalkeepers:
1 Ali Boumnijel (Club Africain)
16 Adel Nefzi (US Monastir)
22 Hamdi Kasraoui (Esperance Tunis)

Defenders:
3 Karim Haggui (Strasbourg, France)
4 Alaeddine Yahia (Saint-Etienne, France)
6 Hatem Trabelsi (Ajax, Holland)
7 Mehdi Meriah (Etoile du Sahel)
15 Radhi Jaidi (Bolton Wanderers, England)
18 David Jemmali (Bordeaux, France)
19 Anis Ayari (Samsunspor, Turkey)
21 Karim Saidi (Lecce, Italy)

Midfielders:
2 Karim Essediri (Rosenborg, Noeway)
8 Mehdi Nafti (Birmingham City, England)
10 Kaies Ghodhbane (Diyarbakirspor, Turkey)
12 Jaouhar Mnari (Nuremberg, Germany)
13 Riadh Bouazizi (Kayserispor, Turkey)
14 Adel Chedli (Nuremberg, Germany)
17 Issam Jomaa (Lens, France)
20 Hamed Namouchi (Rangers, Scotland)
23 Sofiane Melliti (Gaziantespor, Turkey)

Forwards:
5 Zied Jaziri (Troyes, France)
9 Yassine Chikhaoui (Etoile du Sahel)
11 Francileudo dos Santos (Toulouse, France)

Trainer:
Roger Lemerre (France).

Players to watch:
6 Hatem Trabelsi (Ajax, Holland)
11 Francileudo dos Santos da Silva (Toulouse, France)

Destination Tunisia

Tunisia Travel Notes:
Find out more about Tunisia @ Travel Notes.

Trinidad and Tobago in the World Cup Finals

Trinidad and Tobago qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on November 16th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Trinidad and Tobago's 1st appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Qualifying for Germany 2006.

Trinidad and Tobago World Cup Preparations

Trinidad and Tobago Team Hotel
Landhaus Wachtelhof:
Gerberstraße 6, Rotenburg an der Wümme.
The Soca Warriors will appreciate a reserved kind of luxury combined with a friendly atmosphere, without the anonymity of so many big hotels, when they dance across the blue Brasilian granite floor at the Landhaus Wachtelhof.

Rotenburg an der Wümme:
The market town of Rothenburg is located between the larger centres of Hamburg, Bremen and Hanover.

Rotenburg 2006:
Special website created to welcome the team from Trinidad and Tobago and their fans.

Trinidad and Tobago Friendly Matches
Beat Iceland (2-0), Tuesday 28th February. (Loftus Road, London)
Two goals from Dwight Yorke (10) and (52pen).

Drew with Peru (1-1), Wednesday 10th May. (Port of Spain)
Kenwyne Jones scored from a free-kick.

Wales, Saturday 27th May. (Graz, Austria)

Slovenia, Wednesday 31st May. (Celje, Slovenia)

Czech Republic, Saturday 3rd June. (Prague)

Trinidad and Tobago in the 2006 World Cup
Group B
Saturday, 10th June
Trinidad and Tobago vs Sweden
Dortmund -- (18:00)

Thursday, 15th June
England vs Trinidad and Tobago
Nürnberg -- (18:00)

Tuesday, 20th June
Paraguay vs Trinidad and Tobago
Kaiserslautern -- (21:00)

Knockout Stage
Group B winner travels to Stuttgart and the runner-up goes to Munich.

Trinidad and Tobago World Cup Squad 2006
Soca Warriors

Goalkeepers:
1 Shaka Hislop (West Ham United, England)
21 Kelvin Jack (Dundee, Scotland)
22 Clayton Ince (Coventry City, England)

Defenders:
2 Ian Cox (Gillingham, England)
3 Avery John (New England Revolution, USA)
4 Marvin Andrews (Rangers, Scotland)
5 Brent Sancho (Gillingham, England)
6 Dennis Lawrence (Wrexham, Wales)
8 Cyd Gray (San Juan Jabloteh)
17 Atiba Charles (W Connection)

Midfielders:
7 Christopher Birchall (Port Vale, England)
9 Aurtis Whitley (San Juan Jabloteh)
10 Russell Latapy (Falkirk, Scotland)
11 Carlos Edwards (Luton Town, England)
16 Silvio Spann (unattached)
18 Densill Theobald (Falkirk, Scotland)
19 Dwight Yorke (Sydney FC, Australia)
23 Anthony Wolfe (San Juan Jabloteh)

Forwards:
12 Collin Samuel (Dundee United, Scotland)
13 Cornell Glen (LA Galaxy, USA)14 Stern John (Coventry City, England)
15 Kenwyne Jones (Southampton, England)
20 Jason Scotland (St Johnstone, Scotland)

Trainer:
Leo Beenhaker (Holland).

Players to watch:
7 Christopher Birchall (Port Vale, England)
19 Dwight Yorke (Sydney FC, Australia)
14 Stern John (Coventry City, England)

Destination Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago Travel Notes:
Find out more about Trinidad & Tobago @ Travel Notes.

Togo in the World Cup Finals

Togo qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on October 8th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Togo's 1st appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Qualifying for Germany 2006.

Togo World Cup Preparations

Togo were the first team to arrive in Germany; landing in Stuttgart on Monday 15th May.

While the Nigerian trainer, Stephen Keshi, took Togo to the finals he was sacked in February after Togo's elimination from the African Nation's Cup. German-born Otto Pfister, who has had experience of training African teams, is now the man in charge.

Togo Team Hotel
After building up the hopes of staff at the Vitalia-Seehotel in Bad Segeberg (50km from Hamburg), Togo decided to set up camp in Wangen im Allgäu instead.

Hotel Waltersbühl:
Max Fischer Straße 4, Wangen im Allgäu.
Togo will be staying in three-star comfort during the World Cup Finals.

World Cup in Wangen:
A special World Cup site has been set up for Togo fans making their way over to this part of Germany.

Togo Friendly Matches
Lost to Saudi Arabia (0-1), Sunday 14th May. (Amsterdam)

Liechtenstein, Friday 2nd June. (Vaduz)

Togo in the 2006 World Cup
Group G
Tuesday, 13th June
South Korea vs Togo
Frankfurt -- (15:00)

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

Friday, 23rd June
Togo vs France
Köln -- (21:00)

Knockout Stage
Group G winner travels to Cologne and the runner-up goes to Hannover.

If Togo win the group, they will stay in Cologne for another 3 days.

Togo World Cup Squad 2006
Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks)

Goalkeepers:
1 Tchagnirou (Djoliba, Mali)
16 Kossi Agassa (Metz, France)
22 Kodjovi Obilale (Etoile Filante)

Defenders:
2 Dare Nibombe (Mons, Belgium)
3 Jean-Paul Abalo (Apoel, Cyprus)
5 Massamasso Tchangai (Benevento, Italy)
12 Eric Akoto (Admira Walker, Austria)
13 Richmond Forson (J.A. Poire, France)
19 Ludovic Assemoassa (Clermont, France)
20 Afo Erassa (Clermont, France)
21 Karim Guede (Hamburg, Germany)
23 Toure Assimiou (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)

Midfielders:
6 Yao Aziawonou (Youngs Boys, Switzerland)
8 Kuami Agboh (Beveren, Belgium)
9 Thomas Dossevi (Valencien, France)
10 Cherif Toure Mamam (Metz, France)
15 Alaixys Romao (CS Louhans Cuiseaux, France)
18 Yao Junior Senaya (YF Juventus, Switzerland)

Forwards:
4 Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal, England)
7 Moustapha Salifou (Brest, France)
11 Robert Malm (Brest, France)
14 Adekanmi Olufade (Al Siliyah, Qatar)
17 Kader Mohamed (Guingamp, France)

Trainer:
Otto Pfister (Germany).

Players to watch:
4 Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal, England)
3 Jean-Paul Abalo (Apoel, Cyprus)

Destination Togo

Togo Travel Notes:
Find out more about Togo @ Travel Notes.

Switzerland in the World Cup Finals

Switzerland qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on November 16th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Switzerland's 8th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Quarter-finals (Italy 1934, France 1938 and Switzerland 1954).

Switzerland World Cup Preparations

Switzerland, co-hosts with Austria for Euro 2008, are celebrating something of a World Cup coup at home.

Brazil (Weggis), Germany (Geneva), Holland (Lausanne), Poland (Bad Ragaz), Ukraine (Abtwil), Iran (Spiez) and Tunisia (Chaumont) have all set up training camps in Switzerland.

Italy, Spain, Croatia and Côte d'Ivoire will also be flying in for friendly matches, while the Swiss players will be doing their own pre-World Cup Finals training in Freienbach, SZ (from 23rd May to 7th June).

Switzerland Team Hotel
Kurhotel Fürstenhof:
Kurfürstenstraße 36, Bad Bertrich.
The Häcker family's hotel lies in a nice part of the Mossel region, just 30km from Hahn Airport. The decision for Switzerland to stay here was probably helped by the Mayor of Bad Bertrich, Günter Eichberg; who as a former President of Schalke 04 personally knew Swiss trainer, Köbi Kuhn.

Switzerland will train at the newly built Ußbachtal-Stadion.

Bad Bertrich:
Bad Bertrich has been graced through the ages by a wealth of patrons, supporters and sponsors such as the prince of the spa regions, Clemens Wenzeslaus of Trier, whose splendid, princely palace and picturesque spa gardens dating from the 18th century still today make up the heart of the health resort.

Switzerland Friendly Matches
Beat Scotland (3-1), Wednesday 1st March. (Glasgow)
Goals from: Tranquillo Barnetta (21), Daniel Gygax (41) and Ricardo Cabanas (69).

Côte d'Ivoire, Saturday 27th May. (Basle)

Italy, Wednesday 31st May. (Geneva)

China, Saturday 3rd June. (Hardturm, Zurich)

Switzerland in the 2006 World Cup
Group G
Tuesday, 13th June
France vs Switzerland
Stuttgart -- (18:00)

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

Friday, 23rd June
Switzerland vs South Korea
Hannover -- (21:00)

Knockout Stage
Group G winner travels to Cologne and the runner-up goes to Hannover.

If Switzerland are runners-up, they will stay in Hannover for another 4 days.

Switzerland World Cup Squad 2006
Nati

Goalkeepers:
1 Pascal Zuberbuehler (FC Basle)
12 Diego Benaglio (CD Nacional, Portugal)
21 Fabio Coltorti (Grasshoppers Zurich)

Defenders:
2 Johan Djourou (Arsenal, England)
3 Ludovic Magnin (VfB Stuttgart, Germany)

4 Philippe Senderos (Arsenal, England)

13 Stephane Grichting (Auxerre, France)
17 Christoph Spycher (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany)
19 Valon Behrami (Lazio, Italy)
20 Patrick Müller (Olympique Lyon, France)
23 Philipp Degen (Borussia Dortmund, Germany)

Midfielders:
5 Xavier Margairaz (FC Zurich)
6 Johann Vogel (AC Milan, Italy)
7 Ricardo Cabanas (Cologne, Germany)
8 Raphael Wicky (Hamburg SV, Germany)
10 Daniel Gygax (Lille, France)
14 David Degen (FC Basle)
15 Blerim Dzemaili (FC Zurich)
16 Tranquillo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)

Forwards:
9 Alex Frei (Rennes, France)
11 Marco Streller (FC Köln, Germany)
18 Mauro Lustrinelli (Sparta Prague, Czech Republic)
22 Johan Vonlanthen (NAC Breda, Holland)

Trainer:
Köbi Kuhn.

Players to watch:
9 Alex Frei (Rennes, France)
22 Johan Vonlanthen (NAC Breda, Holland)

Destination Switzerland

Switzerland Travel Notes:
Find out more about Switzerland @ Travel Notes.

Sweden in the World Cup Finals

Sweden qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on October 12th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Sweden's 11th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Losing finalist -- Sweden 58.

Sweden World Cup Preparations

Sweden will base themselves in Bremen; near the North Sea.

Sweden Team Hotel
Park Hotel:
Im Buergerpark, Bremen.
With a well-deserved reputation for distinguished hospitality in a country house atmosphere and unique location on the edge of Bürgerpark, screened from traffic noise but still central, the Park Hotel Bremen is where Sweden will be staying during the 2006 World Cup Finals.

Hotels in Bremen:
Dortmund, Berlin and Köln aren't the nearest stadiums to Bremen but Swedish fans night think it worthwhile stopping near the team until the tournament gets underway. Bremen is a convenient stop for those travelling overland from Sweden to the first game in Dortmund.

Sweden Friendly Matches
Lost to Ireland (0-3), Wednesday 1st March. (Dublin)

Finland, Thursday 25th May. (Gothenburg)

Chile, Friday 2nd June. (Stockholm)

Sweden in the 2006 World Cup
Group B
Saturday, 10th June
Trinidad and Tobago vs Sweden
Dortmund -- (18:00)

Thursday, 15th June
Sweden vs Paraguay
Berlin -- (21:00)

Tuesday, 20th June
Sweden vs England
Köln -- (21:00)

Knockout Stage
Group B winner travels to Stuttgart and the runner-up goes to Munich.

Sweden World Cup Squad 2006
Blågult

Goalkeepers:
1 Andreas Isaksson (Rennes, France)
12 John Alvbage (Viborg, Denmark)
23 Rami Shaaban (Fredrikstad, Norway)

Defenders:
2 Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos, Greece)
3 Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa, England)
4 Teddy Lucic (Hacken)
5 Erik Edman (Rennes, France)
13 Petter Hansson (Heerenveen, Holland)
14 Fredrik Stenman (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
15 Karl Svensson (IFK Goteborg)

Midfielders:
6 Tobias Linderoth (Copenhagen, Denmark)
7 Niclas Alexandersson (IFK Goteborg)
8 Anders Svensson (Elfsborg)
9 Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal, England)
16 Kim Kallstrom (Rennes, France)
17 Johan Elmander (Brondby, Denmark)
18 Mattias Jonson (Djurgarden)
19 Daniel Andersson (Malmo)
21 Christian Wilhelmsson (Anderlecht, Belgium)

Forwards:
10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Juventus, Italy)
11 Henrik Larsson (Barcelona, Spain - Moving to Helsingborg)
20 Marcus Allback (Copenhagen, Denmark)
22 Markus Rosenberg (Ajax, Holland)

Trainer:
Lars Lagerback.

Players to watch:
1 Andreas Isaksson (Rennes, France)
10 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Juventus, Italy)
9 Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal, England)

Destination Sweden

Sweden Travel Notes:
Find out more about Sweden @ Travel Notes.

Spain in the World Cup Finals

Spain qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on November 16th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Spain's 12th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Fourth -- Brazil 1950.

Spain World Cup Preparations

Spain Team Hotel
SportCentrum Kamen-Kaiserau:
The perpetual World Cup under-achievers have gone and under-achieved in choice of World Cup Hotel as well.

Park Inn Kamen/Unna:
Kamen Karree 2/3, Kamen.
If you want to stay near the Spanish team and feel that football fans deserve better than the players get, check-in to the Park Inn Kamen/Unna. The four-star hotel offers 94 comfortable rooms on three floors, Internet connections in the rooms and there's a fitness centre; just in case Luis Aragones needs your services.

Kammen:
Situated at the eastern periphery of the Ruhr basin between Sauerland and Münsterland, Kamen is the geographical focal point of the county Unna. Located about 20 minutes from Dortmund-Wickede airport, which is handy as Spain are playing in Leipzig, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern.

Spain Friendly Matches
Beat Côte d'Ivoire (3-2), Wednesday 1st March. (Valladolid)
Goals from: David Villa (23), Jose Antonio Reyes (74) and Gutierrez Juanito (85).

Russia, Saturday 27th May. (Albacete)

Egypt, Saturday 3rd June. (Elche)

Croatia, Wednesday 7th June. (Geneva)

Spain in the 2006 World Cup
Group H
Wednesday, 14th June
Spain vs Ukraine
Leipzig -- (15:00)

Monday, 19th June
Spain vs Tunisia
Stuttgart -- (21:00)

Friday, 23rd June
Saudi Arabia vs Spain
Kaiserslautern -- (16:00)

Knockout Stage
Group H winner travels to Hannover and the runner-up goes to Cologne.

Spain World Cup Squad 2006
Selección

Goalkeepers:
1 Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
19 Santiago Canizares (Valencia)
23 Jose Reina (Liverpool, England)

Defenders:
2 Michel Salgado (Real Madrid)
3 Asier Del Horno (Chelsea, England)
4 Carlos Marchena (Valencia)
5 Carles Puyol (Barcelona)
12 Guerrero Antonio Lopez (Atletico Madrid)
15 Ramos Sergio (Real Madrid)
20 Gutierrez Juanito (Real Betis)
22 Ibanez Pablo (Atletico Madrid)

Midfielders:
6 David Albelda (Valencia)
8 Hernandez Xavi (Barcelona)
13 Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
14 Xabi Alonso (Liverpool, England)
16 Marcos Senna (Villarreal)
17 Sanchez Joaquin (Real Betis)
18 Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal, England)

Forwards:
7 Gonzalez Raul (Real Madrid)
9 Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid)
10 Jose Antonio Reyes (Arsenal, England)
11 Sanz Luis Garcia (Liverpool, England)
21 David Villa (Valencia)

Trainer:
Luis Aragones.

Players to watch:
9 Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid)
7 Gonzalez Raul (Real Madrid)

Destination Spain

Spain Travel Notes:
Find out more about Spain @ Travel Notes.

South Korea in the World Cup Finals

South Korea qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on June 8th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is South Korea's 7th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
South Korea came fourth in Korea-Japan 2002.

South Korea World Cup Preparations

South Korea Team Hotel
Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg:
Kadettenstrasse, Bergisch Gladbach.
Good luck to the Asian Tigers. At least they're going to live like European Kings during the World Cup Finals. Built almost 300 years ago by Prince Jan Wellem and intended as a Maison de Retraite, this Baroque castle is situated on a hill in the center of Bensberg and offers a magnificent view of the city of Cologne, just 12km away. The Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg has 84 luxury rooms and 36 suites.

Hotels in Bergisch Gladbach:
If you're coming from South Korea and can't get in at the Schloss Bensberg, you could always try the Schlosshotel Lerbach, where Brazil stayed during the Confederations Cup and will return when they play in Dortmund, between the 18th and 29th June.

Bergish Gladbach:
The town of Bergisch Gladbach and the Rheinisch-Bergisch district look forward to welcoming th players, journalists and fans from South Korea and Brazil.

South Korea Friendly Matches
Beat Angola (1-0), Wednesday 1st March. (Seoul)
A header from Chu-Young Park (22) .

Senegal, Tuesday 23rd May. (Seoul)

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Friday 26th May. (Seoul)

Norway, Thursday 1st June. (Oslo)

Ghana, Sunday 4th June. (Glasgow)

South Korea in the 2006 World Cup
Group G
Tuesday, 13th June
South Korea vs Togo
Frankfurt -- (15:00)

Sunday, 18th June
France vs South Korea
Leipzig -- (21:00)

Friday, 23rd June
Switzerland vs South Korea
Hannover -- (21:00)

Knockout Stage
Group G winner travels to Cologne and the runner-up goes to Hannover.

If South Korea are runners-up, they will stay in Hannover for another 4 days.

South Korea World Cup Squad 2006
Asian Tigers

Goalkeepers:
1 Woon-Jae Lee (Suwon Bluewings)
20 Yong-Dae Kim (Seongnam Ilwha)
21 Young-Kwang Kim (Chunnam Dragons)

Defenders:
2 Young-Chul Kim (Seongnam Ilwha)
3 Dong-Jin Kim (FC Seoul)4 Jin-Chul Choi (Chonbuk Motors)
6 Jin-Kyu Kim (Jubilo Iwata, Japan)
12 Young-Pyo Lee (Tottenham Hotspur, England)
22 Chong-Gug Song (Suwon Bluewings)
23 Won-hee Cho (Suwon Bluewings)

Midfielders:
5 Nam-Il Kim (Suwon Bluewings)
7 Ji-Sung Park (Manchester United, England)
8 Do-Heon Kim (Seongnam Ilwha)
13 Eul-Yong Lee (Trabzonspor)
15 Ji-hoon Baek (FC Seoul)
17 Ho Lee (Ulsan Tigers)
18 Sang-Sik Kim (Seongnam Ilwha)

Forwards:
9 Jung-Hwan Ahn (MSV Duisburg, Germany)
10 Chu-Young Park (FC Seoul)
11 Ki-Hyun Seol (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England)
14 Chun-Soo Lee (Ulsan Tigers)
16 Kyung-Ho Chung (Gwangju Sangmu)
19 Jae-Jin Cho (Shimizu S-Pulse, Japan)

Trainer:
Dick Advocaat (Holland).

Players to watch:
7 Ji-Sung Park (Manchester United, England)
12 Young-Pyo Lee (Tottenham Hotspur, England)

Destination South Korea

South Korea Travel Notes:
Find out more about South Korea @ Travel Notes.

Serbia and Montenegro in the World Cup Finals

Serbia and Montenegro qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on October 12th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Serbia and Montenegro's 1st appearance in the World Cup Finals, although Yugoslavia made nine appearances (the last one being France 98).

Best World Cup Performance:
The former Yugoslavia made it to the semi-finals twice; Uruguay 1930 and Chile 1962.

Serbia and Montenegro World Cup Preparations

Serbia and Montenegro will base themselves in the Münsterland area of Nordrhein-Westfalen.

Serbia-Montenegro Team Hotel
Hotel Weissenburg:
Gantweg 18, Billerbeck:
Serbia and Montenegro will be staying at the hotel, in Billerbeck, that Schalke 04 regularly use to prepare themselves for home games. Just an hour from Gelsenkirchen, the team are ideally placed for their second group game; againt Argentina. The hotel itself is family-run and offers the players the use of a swimming-pool, sauna and solarium.

Serbia and Montenegro will use the training facilities at the Helker Berg, with space for a few thousand spectators on the grass banks around the oval.

Accommodation in Billerbeck:
For Serbian fans who want to stay near their team.

Serbia-Montenegro Friendly Matches
Beat Tunisia (1-0), Wednesday 1st March. (Rades, Tunisia)
Mateja Kezman scored the only goal of the game with a header (11).

Uruguay, Saturday 27th May. (Belgrade)

Serbia and Montenegro in the 2006 World Cup
Group C
Sunday, 11th June
Serbia and Montenegro vs Holland
Leipzig -- (15:00)

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

Wednesday, 21st June
Côte d'Ivoire vs Serbia and Montenegro
München -- (21:00)

Knockout Stage
Group C winner travels to Leipzig and the runner-up goes to Nuernberg.

Serbia and Montenegro World Cup Squad 2006
Plavi

Goalkeepers:
1 Dragoslav Jevric (Anakaraspor, Turkey)
12 Oliver Kovacevic (CSKA Sofia, Bulgaria)
23 Vladimir Stojkovic (Nantes, France)

Defenders:
3 Ivica Dragutinovic (Sevilla, Spain)
5 Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United, England)
6 Goran Gavrancic (Dynamo Kiev, Ukraine)
13 Dusan Basta (Red Star Belgrade)
14 Nenad Djordjevic (Partizan Belgrade)
15 Milan Dudic (Red Star Belgrade)
20 Mladen Krstajic (Schalke 04, Germany)

Midfielders:
2 Ivan Ergic (Basle, Switzerland)
4 Igor Duljaj (Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine)
7 Ognjen Koroman (Portsmouth, England)
10 Dejan Stankovic, (Inter Milan, Italy)
11 Predrag Djordjevic (Olympiakos Piraeus, Greece)
17 Albert Nadj (Partizan Belgrade)
18 Zvonimir Vukic (Partizan Belgrade)
22 Sasa Ilic (Galatasaray, Turkey)

Forwards:
8 Mateja Kezman (Atletico Madrid, Spain)
9 Savo Milosevic (Osasuna, Spain)
16 Mirko Vucinic (Lecce, Italy)
19 Nikola Zigic (Red Star Belgrade)
21 Danijel Ljuboja (VfB Stuttgart, Germany)

Trainer:
Ilija Petkovic.

Players to watch:
10 Dejan Stankovic, (Inter Milan, Italy)
8 Mateja Kezman (Atletico Madrid, Spain)
19 Nikola Zigic (Red Star Belgrade)

Destination Serbia and Montenegro

Serbia and Montenegro Travel Notes:
Find out more about Serbia and Montenegro @ Travel Notes.

Saudi Arabia in the World Cup Finals

Saudi Arabia qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on June 8th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Saudi Arabia's 4th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Saudi Arabia reached the last 16 in USA 1994.

Saudi Arabia World Cup Preparations

Saudi Arabia have chosen to base themselves in Bad Nauheim, famous for its spa and hot springs and only 35 minutes from Frankfurt International Airport.

Saudi Arabia Team Hotel
Hotel Dolce:
Noerdlicher Park 16, Bad Nauheim.
The Art Nouveau-style Dolce International Bad Nauheim is just half an hour away from Frankfurt. Set on a hill, Dolce Bad Nauheim overlooks the historical 'Kurpark'. The hotel has 160 bedrooms and suites, 27 conference and banqueting rooms, an art nouveau theatre, as well as the Dolce Spa with an indoor swimming pool, sauna, solarium, massage-treatment and a gym.

Hotels in Bad Nauheim:
There are a selection of other hotels to choose from, if you want to be near the Saudi Arabia team in Bad Nauheim and enjoy the spa.

Saudi Arabia Friendly Matches
Lost to Portugal (0-3), Wednesday 1st March. (Dusseldorf)

Drew with Iraq (2-2), Wednesday 15th March. (Jeddah)
Goals from Nawaf Al Temyat and Sami Al Jaber.

Lost to Poland (1-2), Tuesday 28th March. (Riyadh)
Redha Taker headed a free-kick to equalise after 27 minutes.

Lost to Belgium (1-2), Thursday 11th May. (Sittard, Holland)
A Bart Goor own goal (31).

Beat Togo (1-0), Sunday 14th May. (Amsterdam)
Solitary goal from: Malek Ali Al Hawsawi (85).

Czech Republic, Friday 26th May. (Innsbruck)

Turkey, Wednesday 31st May. (Offenbach)

Argentina, Sunday 4th June. (in Germany)

Bosnia-Herzegovina, Wednesday 7th June. (Munich)

Saudi Arabia in the 2006 World Cup
Group H
Wednesday, 14th June
Tunisia vs Saudi Arabia
München -- (18:00)

Monday, 19th June
Saudi Arabia vs Ukraine
Hamburg -- (18:00)

Friday, 23rd June
Saudi Arabia vs Spain
Kaiserslautern -- (16:00)

Knockout Stage
Group H winner travels to Hannover and the runner-up goes to Cologne.

Saudi Arabia World Cup Squad 2006
Al Sogour (Falcons)

Goalkeepers:
1 Mohammad Al Deayea (Al-Hilal)
21 Mabrouk Zaid (Al-Ittihad)
22 Mohammad Khoja (Al-Shabab)

Defenders:
2 Ahmed Dokhi (Al-Ittihad)
3 Redha Tukar (Al-Ittihad)
4 Hamad Al Montashari (Al-Ittihad)
5 Naif Al Qadi (Al-Ahli)
12 Abdulaziz Khathran (Al-Hilal)
13 Hussein Sulimani (Al-Ahli)
15 Ahmed Al Bahri (Al-Ittifak)
19 Mohammed Massad (Al-Ahli)

Midfielders:
6 Omar Al Ghamdi (Al-Hilal)
7 Mohammed Ameen (Al-Ittihad)
8 Mohammad Noor (Al-Ittihad)
10 Mohammad Al Shlhoub (Al-Hilal)
14 Saud Khariri (Al-Ittihad)
16 Khaled Aziz (Al-Hilal)
18 Nawaf Al Temyat (Al-Hilal)

Forwards:
9 Sami Al Jaber (Al-Hilal)
11 Saad Al Harthi (Al-Nasr)
20 Yasser Al Kahtani (Al-Hilal)
17 Mohammed Al Anbar (Al-Hilal)
23 Malek Mouath (Al-Ahli)

Trainer:
Gabriel Calderon (Argentina).

Players to watch:
21 Mabrouk Zaid (Al-Ittihad)
4 Hamad Al Montashari (Al-Ittihad)
9 Sami Al Jaber (Al-Hilal)

Destination Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia Travel Notes:
Find out more about Saudi Arabia @ Travel Notes.

Portugal in the World Cup Finals

Portugal qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on October 8th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Portugal's 4th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Third -- England 1966.

Portugal World Cup Preparations

Portugal have also chosen the former West German capital, Bonn, as their World Cup base and will use the same training facilities as Japan, at the Sportpark Nord.

Portugal Team Hotel
Dorint Venusberg:
AN Der Casselsruhe 1, Bonn.
A countryside hotel with personal service, the Dorint Sofitel Venusberg overlooks the town of Bonn, the Rhine and the Siebengebirge. Close to Kölner Flughafen (31km) yet set in something of a natural park, this location was considered the best choice for Portugal's 2006 World Cup campaign.

It was also used by Bayern Munich before the start of the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Hotels in Bonn:
Staying in Bonn is great for Portugal fans who want to be near their team but there will be more of a party atmosphere in nearby Cologne; especially as the Brazilian fans will be staying there. Portugal play their first game in Köln and both the following fixtures in Frankfurt and Gelsenkirchen are easy to get to from Bonn.

Portugal Friendly Matches
Beat Saudi Arabia (3-0), Wednesday 1st March. (Dusseldorf)
Goals from: Cristiano Ronaldo (30) (86) and Nuno Maniche (45).

Cape Verde Islands, Saturday 27th May. (Evora, Portugal)

Luxembourg, Saturday 3rd June. (Metz)

Portugal in the 2006 World Cup
Group D
Sunday, 11th June
Angola vs Portugal
Köln -- (21:00)

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

Wednesday, 21st June
Portugal vs Mexico
Gelsenkirchen -- (16:00)

Knockout Stage
Group D winner travels to Nürnberg and the runner-up goes to Leipzig.

Portugal World Cup Squad 2006
Selecção

Goalkeepers:
1 Ricardo (Sporting)
12 Quim (Benfica)
22 Bruno Vale (Estrela Amadora)

Defenders:
2 Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea, England)
3 Marco Caneira (Sporting)
4 Ricardo Costa (Porto)
5 Fernando Meira (VfB Stuttgart, Germany)
13 Miguel (Valencia, Spain)
14 Nuno Valente (Everton, England)
16 Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea, England)

Midfielders:
6 Costinha (Dynamo Moscow, Russia)
7 Luis Figo (Inter Milan, Italy)
8 Armando Petit (Benfica)
10 Hugo Viana (Valencia, Spain)
11 Simao Sabrosa (Benfica)
17 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, England)
18 Nuno Maniche (Chelsea, England)
19 Tiago (Olympique Lyon, France)
20 Deco (Barcelona, Spain)

Forwards:
9 Pauleta (Paris Saint-Germain, France)
15 Luis Boa Morte (Fulham, England)
21 Nuno Gomes (Benfica)
23 Helder Postiga (Saint Etienne, France)

Trainer:
Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil).

Players to watch:
17 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, England)
9 Pauleta (Paris Saint-Germain, France)

Destination Portugal

Portugal Travel Notes:
Find out more about Portugal @ Travel Notes.

Poland in the World Cup Finals

Poland qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on October 8th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Poland's 7th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Third -- Germany 74 and Spain 82.

Poland World Cup Preparations

Poland Team Hotel
Gilde Sporthotel Fuchsbachtal:
Bergstrasse 54, Barsinghausen.
Like Paraguay, Poland are not interested in a luxury stay at an historic Castle during the World Cup Finals, rather they've chosen the Sportschule Barsinghausen Gilde, near Hannover, as their base.

Hotels in Hannover:
Hannover would be a good base for Polish fans, during the group phase at least. Poland play their last game in Hannover, while both Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen are only a couple of hours away by train, or easily reached by motorway. Fans can also reach Barsinghausen by S-Bahn in half an hour and the # 501 bus goes from the station to the Sporthotel.

If you'd rather stay in Barsinghausen, check out the Echo Hotel; a modern, friendly hotel with bright and comfortable rooms.

Poland Friendly Matches
Lost to USA (0-1), Wednesday March 1st. (Kaiserslautern)

Beat Saudi Arabia (2-1), Tuesday 28th March. (Riyadh)
Goals from: Lukasz Sosin (7) and (63).

Lost to Lithuania (0-1), Tuesday 2nd May. (Belchatow)

Beat Faroe Islands (4-0), Sunday 14th May. (Wronki)
Goalscorers: Sebastian Mila (15), Grzegorz Rasiak (48) (84), Marek Saganowski (73).

Colombia, Tuesday 30th May. (Chorzow)

Croatia, Saturday 3rd June. (Wolfsburg)

Poland in the 2006 World Cup
Group A
Friday, 9th June
Poland vs Ecuador
Gelsenkirchen -- (21:00)

Wednesday, 14th June
Germany vs Poland
Dortmund -- (21:00)

Tuesday, 20th June
Costa Rica vs Poland
Hannover -- (16:00)

Knockout Stage
Group A winner travels to Munich and the runner-up goes to Stuttgart.

Poland World Cup Squad 2006
Bialo-czerwoni

Goalkeepers:
1 Artur Boruc (Celtic, Scotland)
12 Tomasz Kuszczak (West Bromwich Albion, England)
22 Lukasz Fabianski (Legia Warsaw)

Defenders:
2 Mariusz Jop (FK Moscow, Russia)
3 Seweryn Gancarczyk (Metallist Charkow, Ukraine)
4 Marcin Baszczynski (Wisla Krakow)
6 Jacek Bak (Al Rayan, Qatar)
14 Michal Zewlakow (Anderlecht, Belgium)
17 Dariusz Dudka (Wisla Krakow)
18 Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine)

Drafted in:
Bartosz Bosacki (Lech Poznan)

Midfielders:
5 Kamil Kosowski (Southampton, England)
7 Radoslaw Sobolewski (Wisla Krakow)
8 Jacek Krzynowek (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)
10 Miroslaw Szymkowiak (Trabzonspor, Turkey)
13 Sebastian Mila (Austria Vienna, Austria)
15 Ebi Smolarek (Borussia Dortmund, Germany)
16 Arek Radomski (Austria Vienna, Austria)
19 Damian Gorawski (FK Moscow, Russia) - OUT
20 Piotr Giza (Cracovia)

Forwards:
9 Maciej Zurawski (Celtic, Scotland)
11 Grzegorz Rasiak (Southampton, England)
21 Ireneusz Jelen (Wisla Plock)
23 Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)

Trainer:
Pawel Janas.

Players to watch:
9 Maciej Zurawski (Celtic, Scotland)
15 Ebi Smolarek (Borussia Dortmund, Germany)

Destination Poland

Poland Travel Notes:
Find out more about Poland @ Travel Notes.

Paraguay in the World Cup Finals

Paraguay qualified for the 2006 World Cup Finals on October 8th, 2005.

World Cup Appearances:
Germany 2006 is Paraguay's 7th appearance in the World Cup Finals.

Best World Cup Performance:
Last 16 in Mexico 86 and France 98.

Paraguay World Cup Preparations

Paraguay make their final World Cup preparations in Austria, before flying around Europe to play a few friendlies and then head to Germany; where they will base themselves in Oberhaching, 10km from Munich.

Paraguay Team Hotel
No luxury hotel for Paraguay, they've decided to concentrate on the football and will stay at the Oberhaching Sportschule.

Hotels in Munich:
Munich is quite a way from where Paraguay will be playing during the group stage (in Frankfurt, Berlin and Kaiserslautern) but if Paraguay finish runners-up in Group B, they'll play their Second Round match in Munich.

Paraguay Friendly Matches
Drew with Wales (0-0), Wednesday 1st March. (Cardiff)

Lost to Mexico (1-2), Wednesday 29th March. (Chicago)
Paraguay's goal scored by Nelson Cuevas (2).

Norway, Wednesday 24th May. (Oslo)

Denmark, Saturday 27th May. (Aarhus)

Georgia, Wednesday 31st May. (Tbilisi)

Paraguay in the 2006 World Cup
Group B
Saturday, 10th June
England vs Paraguay
Frankfurt -- (15:00)

Thursday, 15th June
Sweden vs Paraguay
Berlin -- (21:00)

Tuesday, 20th June
Paraguay vs Trinidad and Tobago
Kaiserslautern -- (21:00)

Knockout Stage
Group B winner travels to Stuttgart and the runner-up goes to Munich.

Paraguay World Cup Squad 2006
Albirrojos

Goalkeepers:
1 Justo Villar (Newell's Old Boys, Argentina)
12 Derlis Gomez (Sportivo Luqueno)
22 Aldo Bobadilla (Libertad)

Defenders:
2 Jorge Nunez (Estudiantes, Argentina)
3 Delio Toledo (Real Zaragoza, Spain)
4 Carlos Gamarra (Palmeiras, Brazil)
5 Julio Cesar Caceres (River Plate, Argentina)
14 Paulo Da Silva (Toluca, Mexico)
15 Julio Manzur (Santos, Brazil)
21 Denis Caniza (Cruz Azul, Mexico)

Midfielders:
6 Carlos Bonet (Libertad)
8 Edgar Barreto (NEC Nijmegen, Holland)
10 Roberto Acuna (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain)
11 Diego Gavilan (Newell's Old Boys, Argentina)
13 Carlos Paredes (Reggina, Italy)
16 Cristian Riveros (Libertad)
17 Jose Montiel (Olimpia)
19 Julio Dos Santos (Bayern Munich, Germany)

Forwards:
7 Salvador Cabanas (Jaguares Chiapas, Mexico)
9 Roque Santa Cruz (Bayern Munich, Germany)
18 Nelson Valdez (Werder Bremen, Germany)
20 Jose Cardozo (unattached)
23 Nelson Cuevas (Pachuca, Mexico)

Trainer:
Anibal Ruiz.

Players to watch:
9 Roque Santa Cruz (Bayern Munich, Germany)
18 Nelson Valdez (Werder Bremen, Germany)
13 Carlos Paredes (Reggina, Italy)

Destination Paraguay

Paraguay Travel Notes:
Find out more about Paraguay @ Travel Notes.