Teams |
Played |
Win |
Draw |
Lose |
For |
Against |
Points |
France |
10 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
14 |
2 |
20 |
Switzerland |
10 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
18 |
7 |
18 |
Israel |
10 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
15 |
10 |
18 |
Republic of Ireland |
10 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
12 |
5 |
17 |
Cyprus |
10 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
8 |
20 |
4 |
Faroe Islands |
10 |
0 |
1 |
9 |
4 |
27 |
1 |
The winners of all 8 groups automatically qualify as do the best 2 runners-up.
The remaining 6 runners-up go into the play-offs. The 14th team from Europe will be
Germany.
A Qualifying Draw is planned for each continent, with the exception of South America,
where qualification began in September. The CONMEBOL qualifying league includes world
champions Brazil, who are not automatically awarded a place in the finals on this
occasion. Only the host nation qualify automatically, with the remaining 31 places being
allocated as follows:
Asian Football Confederation (AFC): 44 national associations / 4.5 places
Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF):
35 national associations / 3.5 places
South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL): 10 national associations / 4.5 places
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC): 11 national associations / 0.5 places
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA): 52 national associations / 13 places
The opening game is to be played on 9 June in München with the Final taking place a
month later on 9 July 2006 in Berlin's Olympiastadion. The ten other Host Cities are
Dortmund, Frankfurt, Gelsenkrichen, Hamburg, Hannover, Kaiserslautern, Köln, Leipzig,
München, Nürnberg and Stuttgart. As at France 1998 and Korea/Japan 2002, 32
nations will compete in Germany, with only the hosts qualifying automatically. Defending
champions Brazil are required to enter the qualifying tournament this time around.
FIFA decided on this change for two main reasons. The four years between tournaments is a
long time for a team to stay at its peak, and the holders' coaching staff tend to complain
at the lack of competitive match practice. The move also frees up an additional place in
the finals, leading to a more exciting qualifying tournament.
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