The 2006 FIFA World Cup finals are scheduled to take place in Germany between 9 June and 9 July 2006. 32 Teams from all over the world r gona compete in the World cup.This is the 18th tat the best teams frm all over the world r gona play for this beauty
About the Trophy
With the Jules Rimet Cup being awarded permanently to Brazil after their third FIFA World Cup triumph in Mexico City in 1970, FIFA commissioned a new trophy for the tenth FIFA World Cup in 1974. The FIFA World Cup Trophy is made of solid gold and malachite.
The trophy is 36 cm high, made of solid 18-carat gold and weighs 4,970 grams. The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite and has room for 17 small plaques bearing the name of the winners - space enough for the World Champions up to the year 2038. The current FIFA World Cup Trophy cannot be won outright, as the regulations state that it shall remain FIFA's own possession. The World Cup winners retain it until the next tournament and are awarded a gold-plated replica.
The 32 Teams of the 197 Countries , who participated in the qualifiers are frm 4 different coninents are given below..Europe is gona have most countries on the field
Africa
* Angola (first time qualifier)
* Côte d'Ivoire (first time qualifier)
* Ghana (first time qualifier)
* Togo (first time qualifier)
* Tunisia
Asia
* Iran
* Japan
* Korea Republic
* Saudi Arabia
I hope someday INDIA would also be in this list!!!!!
Oceania
* Australia
South America
* Argentina
* Brazil
* Ecuador
* Paraguay
Europe
* Croatia
* Czech Republic
* England
* France
* Germany (host)
* Italy
* Netherlands
* Poland
* Portugal
* Serbia and Montenegro
* Spain
* Switzerland
* Sweden
* Ukraine (first time qualifier)
North America, Central America & Caribbean
* Costa Rica
* Mexico
* Trinidad and Tobago (first time qualifier)
* United States
On December 9, 2005 a draw was held and the group were decided. Group E and Group C are being termed as the groups of death in the World Cup .
Schedule
Mascots
The mascots for the competition are the lion Goleo VI and Pille a talking football.
Goleo VI, commonly known as Goleo, is the official mascot for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.Pille is one of the official mascots, along with Goleo VI, for the Football World Cup 2006 to be held in Germany. Pille is a speaking football.
The Ball
For FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 ,the ball is +Teamgeist
The ball is produced by technology so advanced the German sportswear Adidas giant assured the performance is "unprecedented."
Overview:
New panel shape and carcass construction of the +TEAMGEIST leads to:
Increased precision for straight and curved shots: With the +TEAMGEIST, every pass, every shot, every dribble, is as consistently accurate, powerful and fast as the last.
*Improved all weather performance for consistent play in any condition.
* Revolutionary Panel Shape: eliminates surface irregularities to create a
perfectly round ball for greater accuracy
* New Carcass: improves accuracy and power
* Complete Underglass Print: significantly decreases abrasion of design
* Thermal Bonding: seamless panels create a smooth, consistent kicking
surface .
World Cup venues
The 2006 World Cup's 64 games will be shared around 12 venues in Germany, with the first match in Munich on 9 June and the showpiece final in Berlin a month later.
The Map below shows the list of Venues:
About the Venues
1.Berlin - Olympiastadion
Gross Capacity: 74,220
Total Seating Capacity: 66,021
The venue for the 1936 Olympics has been renovated at a cost of £165m and, 70 years on, will host another global sporting spectacular on 9 July.
After five games, one a quarter-final, it will host the World Cup final.
Hertha Berlin played the first match at their new-look, 76,000-capacity Olympiastadion in July 2004.
2.Dortmund - Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion)
Gross Capacity: 82,582
Total Seating Capacity: 67,285
The Signal Iduna Park, formerly the Westfalenstadion, is a site to behold during Borussia Dortmund matches and averaged gates of 77,000 in 2004/05.
It was the highest figure in Europe and due in no small part to the huge terraced area in the Sudtribuhne.
The 82,500 capacity drops to 67,000 for internationals, which are all-seated.
The ground, which hosts the first semi-final, was initially built for the 1974 World Cup and has been changed since with the corners being filled in.
3.Frankfurt - Commerzbank Arena
Gross Capacity:48,132
Total Seating Capacity: 43,324
Work began on upgrading Eintracht Frankfurt's famous Waldstadion in 2002 and lasted three years.
The result is the stunning, light and airy Commerzbank Arena which features a transparent, retractable roof supported by a webbed grid of steel wires.
The ground was given a dry-run for the World Cup at the 2005 Confederations Cup when it was chosen as the venue for the final between Brazil and Argentina.
The "new" Waldstadion will host five matches, including a quarter-final.
4.Gelsenkirchen - AufSchalke Arena
Gross Capacity: 53,804
Total Seating Capacity: 48,426
The AufSchalke Arena opened in August 2001 and within three years hosted a Champions League final, with Porto winners over Monaco in May 2004.
Now a World Cup awaits and the crowning moment will be a quarter-final.
The 53,000-capacity ground is at the cutting edge of stadium technology, incorporating electronic admission, a removable pitch and retractable roof.
Schalke 04's home is now known as the Veltins-Arena after the naming rights were sold to the German brewery.
5.Hamburg - AOL Arena
Gross Capacity:55,055
Total Seating Capacity: 45,442 (*)
West Germany famously lost in Hamburg during the 1974 World Cup finals to their cross-border rivals East Germany.
The venue for the 1-0 defeat - the Volksparkstadion - is no more, having been replaced by the AOL Arena.
The old ground was raised in four stages and the pitch rotated in a two-year project completed in 2000.
The 55,000 capacity for Hamburg SV home games will be reduced due to standing restrictions for the five scheduled games, including one quarter-final.
6.Hanover - AWD Arena
Gross Capacity: 50,652
Total Seating Capacity: 39,297
The AWD Arena, formerly known as the Niedersachsenstadion, will host four group games and a second-round match.
Hannover 96's home since 1959, having opened five years earlier, the venue has been renovated for the World Cup at a cost of £43m.
The relic of the old, bowl-shaped ground has been built up on all sides and an overhanging roof has been added.
The 50,000 capacity for Bundesliga matches will be reduced to 39,000 during the World Cup.
7.Kaiserslautern Fritz-Walter-Stadion
Gross Capacity: 43,450
Total Seating Capacity: 39,820
The Fritz-Walter-Stadion has been upgraded in preparation for the World Cup, but unlike the other 11 venues it has retained some of its character.
Capacity for the tournament is 43,000 in a stadium that has grown upon existing, steeply-banked stands over time since first opening in 1920.
FC Kaiserslautern's home is also known as Betzenberg, due to its location on Betzenberg Mountain.
It will welcome four group games before hosting the fifth second-round match.
8.Cologne - RheinEnergieStadion
Gross Capacity: 46,120
Total Seating Capacity: 40,590
The RheinEnergieStadion has been rebuilt stand-by-stand in time for the World Cup and the finished article is a compact, 46,000 capacity arena.
The stands are almost on top of the pitch and a far-cry from the former incarnation which had a running track.
The rebuilding process cost £75m over the course of two years until the ground opened its doors in March 2004.
A further two years on, FC Koln's ground will host four group matches and one second-round knockout meeting.
9.Leipzig - Zentralstadion
Gross Capacity: 44,199
Total Seating Capacity: 38,898
Zentralstadion has been dubbed the "stadium within a stadium" as the new ground was built within the walls of the city's old 100,000 capacity venue.
The original arena, built in 1956, had fallen into disrepair in the 1990s.
While facilities have improved beyond recognition, the seating has diminished and it is one of the World Cup's smaller venues, holding just 38,000.
It is also the cheapest of the five new tournament stadia, built at £60m.
10.Munich - Allianz Arena
Gross Capacity: 66,016
Total Seating Capacity: 59,416
One of five new stadia built for the World Cup, the 59,000 capacity Allianz Arena cost the most at £190m.
The three-tiered ground north of Munich will host the tournament's first match.
It is quite a sight, both inside and out where a spectacular translucent facade, made up of 2,874 panels, is lit up at night in a variety of colours.
Munich's rival teams - Bayern and TSV 1860 - share the stadium. But it was Englishman Owen Hargreaves who scored the ground's first Bundesliga goal.
The three colours r on different occasions
1.White-The Arena at night...
2.Red-If FC Bayern Munich is playing....
3.Blue-If the Lions are the hosts.
11.Nuremberg - Franken-Stadion
Gross Capacity:41,926
Total Seating Capacity: 36,898
The Franken-Stadion has had a number of facelifts down the years, the most recent costing £38m in readiness for participation at the World Cup.
The tournament's smallest venue first opened in 1928 and was a marching area for the Hitler Youth in the 1930s.
It had an overhaul in 1963 and changed name from the Urban Stadium in another redevelopment between 1987 and 1991.
The 36,000-capacity stadium's latest changes coincided with tenants 1 FC Nurnberg returning to the top-flight.
12.Stuttgart - Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion
Gross Capacity: 53,200
Total Seating Capacity: 47,757
Stuttgart's Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion will host six matches, including the penultimate game for third place.
The ground, which used to be called the Neckar-Stadion, hosted Germany's first match after the Second World War.
It also witnessed the country's first international as a reunified country in 1990 and the international retirement of present coach Jurgen Klinsmann.Stuttgart's 47,000-capacity ground was also the venue for the 1993 athletics World Championships.
Ohhh...Forgot ....Here is the OFFICIAL Poster of FIFA World Cup 2006
Hope u guys liked my post , was preparing it over a span of days.......Hoping for some nice replies....
