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Template:Infobox Football World Cup

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th staging of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international association football world championship tournament. It was held from June 9 to July 9 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Italy won its fourth world championship, defeating France 5–3 in a penalty shootout after extra time finished in a 1–1 draw. Germany defeated Portugal 3–1 to finish third.

Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six continents participated in the qualification process which began in December 2003. Thirty-two teams qualified from this process for the final tournament.

Qualification

One-hundred and ninety-eight teams attempted to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Hosts Germany were granted automatic qualification; the remaining 31 finals places were divided by continental confederation. Thirteen places were contested by UEFA teams (Europe), 5 by CAF teams (Africa), 4 by CONMEBOL teams (South America), 4 by AFC teams (Asia), and 3 by CONCACAF teams (North and Central America and Caribbean). The remaining two places were decided by playoffs between AFC and CONCACAF and between CONMEBOL and OFC (Oceania).

Seven nations qualified for the finals for the first time: Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Ghana, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago and Ukraine. Czech Republic and Ukraine were making their first appearance as independent nations, but had previously been represented as part of Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union respectively.

Finals tournament

Route to the Finals

The finals tournament of the 2006 World Cup began on June 9 with a group stage for which the 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four teams each. Within each group, the teams competed in a round-robin tournament to determine which two of those four teams would advance to the 16-team knockout stage, which started on June 24. In total, 64 games were played.

France overcame a slow start in the group stage, but they gained momentum in their final round robin match and and went strongly in knockout stage. The team's Golden generation veterans who came out of retirement, like Zinedine Zidane and Lillian Thuram, found their form as they defeating Spain in a 3-1 come from behind victory. Then they knocking out favourites and defending champions Brazil 1–0 in the quarter-finals, holding Brazil to only one shot on goal. In the semi-finals, backed by an anti-Portugal crowd and a strong defensive effort by Thuram, Zidane's 37' penalty stood as the winner in another 1-0 win.

Italy progressed with a strong defence and a balanced attack — they only conceded two goals (an own goal and a penalty) throughout, and finished the tournament with ten different players accounting for their twelve goals. A close call came against Australia in the round of 16, in which Italy prevailed after Francesco Totti converted a controversial penalty deep into stoppage time, giving Italy a 1–0 win. Subsequently their 2–0 semi-final win over Germany, runners-up from 2002 and host country, was earned in dramatic fashion. Although Germany had never previously lost a match in Dortmund, Italy beat them, continuing their World Cup dominance over the Germans with two quick goals by Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero moments before the end of extra time.

On July 8, 2006, Germany beat Portugal 3–1 in Stuttgart for third place.

In the final, played in Berlin on July 9 2006, Italy, led by coach Marcello Lippi, beat France on penalties after extra time, winning the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 24 years, and collecting their fourth title.

Final

The final started with each side scoring within the first 20 minutes. Zinedine Zidane opened the scoring by converting a controversial penalty spot kick, and Marco Materazzi levelled the scores from an Andrea Pirlo corner. Both teams had chances to score a winning goal: Luca Toni hit the crossbar for Italy; a Toni header was disallowed as offside; France was not granted a second penalty in the 53rd minute when Florent Malouda was taken down in the box.

After the regulation 90 minutes, the score was level at 1–1, forcing extra time to be played. Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon made a potentially game saving save in extra time when he pushed a Zidane header over the crossbar. The extra time was goalless and a penalty shootout followed, which Italy won 5–3 as France's David Trézéguet, the man who scored the Golden Goal against Italy in Euro 2000, missed. It was the first all-European final since Italy won the 1982 FIFA World Cup, and the second final (1994 was first, with Italy's loss) to be decided on penalties.

Near the end of extra time, Zidane headbutted Materazzi in the chest in an off-the-ball incident after being verbally provoked. Referee Horacio Elizondo did not see the confrontation, but sent Zidane off based on the intervention of the fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo. The media initially speculated that Materazzi made racial slurs, though this was later denied by both players and FIFA. Zidane alleged that Materazzi insulted his mother and sister. Both players received fines and suspensions for their actions.

Analysis

Hosting

Although Germany failed to make the final as in 2002 the tournament was considered a success for them. The stadiums and transportation systems were state-of-the-art, and the German people were lauded for their hospitality and enthusiasm. One big innovation were the Fan Fests where millions of people watched the World Cup matches in public viewing areas, and South Africa has already declared it will emulate this idea for the upcoming 2010 tournament. Germany also experienced a sudden increase in patriotic spirit with unprecedented flag waving whenever the German team played.

Traditional powers dominate

Despite early success by Australia, Ecuador and Ghana, the tournament marked a return to dominance of the traditional football powers. Four years after a 2002 tournament in which teams from North America (United States), Africa (Senegal), and Asia (South Korea) made it to the knockout stages and a relatively unheralded UEFA side (Turkey) finished third, all eight seeded teams progressed to the knockout stages, and none of the quarter-finalists were from outside Europe or South America. Six former champion teams and 2004 Euro runners-up Portugal all took part in the quarter-final round, with Ukraine as the only relative outsiders.

The tournament once again proved that European teams dominate on European soil, while South American teams dominate on non-European soil, a trend broken only once with Brazil's win at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden. Brazil and Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals, leaving an all-European final four.

Scoring

In terms of on-the-pitch activities, despite the early goals that flooded the group stages, the knockout phase could not live up to the expectations provided by the group matches, with instead players such as Fabio Cannavaro of Italy and Lilian Thuram of France starring in more defensive matches. A prime example of this was Portugal who only scored at the 23' in the round of 16, and they did not score again until the 88' of the third place match (which was a consolatory goal).

Italy, Germany, Argentina, and France were the only teams to score multiple goals in a match during the knockout round; Italy did so against twice, against Ukraine (3-0) and Germany (2-0). Germany shutout Sweden 2-0, Argentina beat Mexico 2-1, and France defeated Spain 3-1.

Germany's Miroslav Klose scored 5 goals to claim the Golden Boot, the lowest in decades, while next most was 3 among numerous players. No player from the champion winners Italy had scored more than two goals, though ten different players had scored, while five goals out of 12 were scored by substitutes, and four goals were scored by defenders.

Despite the low number of goals, the knockout matches were generally considered more spectacular in contrast to the cynically regarded 1990 World Cup. These include Brazil-France (noted for Zinedine Zidane's midfield mastery), Argentina-Germany (Germany's late equalizer and the penalty shootout), and Germany-Italy (the numerous scoring chances by both sides in extra-time until Italy's two goals in the last two minutes of extra-time). The third place playoff as usual lived up to expectations as an offense-oriented match, with numerous scoring chances from both sides, though Germany was the first to convert.

Historical Repeats

Unlike the 2002 World Cup, several notable rivalries, both recent and long-standing, were stirred up in the knockout stages. Notable ones include Holland-Portugal (Euro 2004 semi-finals), England-Portugal (Euro 2004 quarter-finals), Brazil-France (1998 World Cup finals), France-Portugal (Euro 2000 semi-finals), Argentina-Germany (1986 and 1990 World Cup finals), Italy-Germany (1970 semi-finals, 1982 finals of World Cup), and Italy-France (1998 World Cup quarter-finals, Euro 2000 finals).

Indeed, 2006 World Cup mirrors the 1990 tournament; the host lost in the semi-final but won the third place match, and Germany won in Rome while Italy won in Berlin.

Italy has continued a streak of reaching the World Cup final every 12 years (1970, 1982, 1994, 2006), winning in 1982 and 2006.

Unprecedented number of cards

In comparison to earlier World Cups, the tournament was notable for the number of yellow and red cards given out, breaking the record set by the 1990 World Cup. Players received a record-breaking 345 yellow cards and 28 red cards, with the round of 16 match between Portugal and the Netherlands accounting for 16 and 4, respectively, by itself. Portugal had two players suspended for each of the quarter-final and semi-final matches, respectively (they also had one player suspended and another injured for the third-place match). FIFA President Sepp Blatter has hinted that he may allow some rule changes for future tournaments so that earlier accumulated bookings will not force players to miss the final, should their teams make it that far.

The high number of yellow and red cards shown also prompted discussion about the referees. FIFA Officials and President Sepp Blatter received criticism for allegedly making rules too rigid and taking discretion away from referees.

The tournament also saw English referee Graham Poll give 3 yellow cards to one Croatian player in their match against Australia. It was the first time this had happened in a World Cup match, as Poll had forgotten to send off the player after the latter's second booking.

Venues

Twelve cities were selected to host World Cup finals matches.

Squads

Squads for the 2006 World Cup consisted of 23 players, same as the previous edition in 2002. Each national association had to confirm its 23-player squad in May 2006.

Groups

Seeds

The eight seeded teams for the 2006 cup were announced on December 5, 2005. The seeds comprised Pot A in the draw. Pot B contained the unseeded qualifiers from South America, Africa and Oceania; Pot C contained eight of the nine remaining European sides, excluding Serbia and Montenegro. Pot D contained unseeded sides from the CONCACAF region and Asia. A special pot contained Serbia and Montenegro: this was done to ensure that no group contained three European teams. In the special pot, Serbia and Montenegro (white ball) was drawn first, then their group was drawn (black ball) from the three seeded non-European nations, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.

It had been predetermined that as hosts, Germany would be placed in Group A, thus being assured of the venues of their group matches in advance of the draw. FIFA had also announced in advance that Brazil (the defending champions) would be allocated to Group F.

On December 9, 2005 the draw was held and the group assignments and order of fixtures were determined. After the draw was completed, many football commentators remarked that group C appeared to be the group of death in the World Cup, although in actuality, the group was among the first to be settled; Argentina and the Netherlands both qualified with a game to spare with comfortable wins over Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Serbia and Montenegro respectively.

Group system

The first round, or group stage, saw the thirty-two teams divided into eight groups of four teams. Each group was a round-robin of six games, where each team played one match against each of the other teams in the same group. Teams were awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and none for a defeat. The teams coming first and second in each group qualified for the second round.

Ranking criteria

If teams were level on points, they were ranked on the following criteria in order:

1. Greatest total goal difference in the three group matches
2. Greatest number of goals scored in the three group matches
3. If teams remained level after those criteria, a mini-group would be formed from those teams, who would be ranked on:
   1. Most points earned in matches against other teams in the tie
   2. Greatest goal difference in matches against other teams in the tie
   3. Greatest number of goals scored in matches against other teams in the tie
   4. If teams remained level after all these criteria, FIFA would hold a drawing of lots

In the original version of the rules for the final tournament, the ranking criteria were in a different order, with head-to-head results taking precedence over total goal difference. The rules were changed to the above in advance of the tournament, but older versions were still available on the FIFA and UEFA websites, causing some confusion among those trying to identify the correct criteria.

In any event, the final tournament saw only two pairs of teams level on points: Argentina and The Netherlands at 7 points in Group C; Tunisia and Saudi Arabia at 1 point in Group H. Both of these ties were resolved on total goal difference. Also, in both cases the teams had tied their match, so the order of ranking criteria made no difference.

First round

In the following tables:

• Pts = total points accumulated
• Pld = total games played
• W = total games won
• D = total games drawn (tied)
• L = total games lost
• GF = total goals scored (goals for)
• GA = total goals conceded (goals against)
• GD = goal difference (GF−GA)

The teams placed first and second (shaded in green) qualified to the round of 16. Full results and goalscorers are available in the article for each group.

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Knockout stage

The knockout stage was a single-elimination tournament involving the sixteen teams that qualified from the group stage of the tournament. There were four rounds of matches, with each round eliminating half of the teams entering that round. The successive rounds were: Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, Final. There was also a play-off to decide third/fourth place. For each game in the knockout stage, a draw was followed by thirty minutes of extra time (two fifteen minute halves); if scores were still level there would be a penalty shootout (at least five penalties each, and more if necessary) to determine who progressed to the next round. Scores after extra time are indicated by (AET), and penalty shoot outs are indicated by (PSO).

Bracket

Template:Round16ext

Round of 16

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) .

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Quarter-finals

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

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Semi-finals

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Third place play-off

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

Final

All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)

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Awards

2006 World Cup Winners
Italy Fourth Title

Golden Shoe Winner	Golden Ball Winner	Yashin Award	Best Young Player	FIFA Fair Play Trophy	Most Entertaining Team
Miroslav Klose	Zinedine Zidane	Gianluigi Buffon	Lukas Podolski	Template:BRAf & Template:ESPf	Template:PORf

FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) also granted a Man of the Match award to one player in each match.

All star team

The "all star team" is a squad consisting of the 23 most impressive players at the 2006 World Cup, as selected by FIFA's Technical Study Group. The team was chosen from a shortlist of over 50 players, and was selected based on performances through the second round.

Scorers

Miroslav Klose received the Golden Shoe Award for scoring five goals in the World Cup. This was the lowest number of goals scored by a tournament's top goalscorer since six players tied on four goals each in 1962. In total, 147 goals were scored (four of which were own goals).

See also

• 2006 FIFA World Cup:

• Broadcasting rights
• Controversies
• Crime concerns
• Disciplinary record
• Full team rankings
• Miscellany
• Officials
• Qualification
• Seeding
• Sponsorship
• Squads
• FIFA World Cup records

• Teamgeist
• WAGs
• Template:Wikitravel

References and footnotes

1. Peake, Alex (2006-07-11). "Sick taunt that riled ZZ". The Sun. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
2. "Even in losing, Germany a winner". The Miami Herald. 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2006-07-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. "South African to learn lessons from Germany". The 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany. 2006-07-09. Retrieved 2006-07-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. "Who's to blame for Cup card frenzy?". The BBC. 2006-06-26. Retrieved 2006-07-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. During the World Cup, many of the stadiums were known by different names, as FIFA prohibits sponsorship of stadiums unless the stadium sponsors were also official FIFA sponsors. For example, Allianz Arena was known during the competition as "FIFA World Cup Stadium, Munich" (or in German: "FIFA WM-Stadion München"). On the Allianz Arena in Munich even the letters of the company Allianz were removed or covered. These new names are reflected in the table. Some of the stadiums also have a lower capacity for the World Cup, as FIFA regulations ban standing room, nonetheless this was accomodated as several stadiums had an UEFA 5-star ranking. Of the twelve hosting stadiums, only Zentralstadion in Leipzig is on the area of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
6. Please note that the links to location maps are linked to an external site.
7. Seated capacity. Some stadiums have greater capacity for German league games due to standing room.
8. Wilson, Paul (2005-12-11). "An easy group? Draw your own conclusions". The Observer. Retrieved 2006-06-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
9. Palmer, Kevin (2006-05-24). "Group C Tactics Board". Retrieved 2006-06-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
10. O'Dea, Joseph (2006-05-18). "FIFA changes World Cup tie-breaking rules". Retrieved 2006-06-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
11. Associated Press (July 7, 2006). "France, Italy dominate World Cup all-star squad". CBC. Retrieved 2006-08-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

Official sites

• Official FIFA World Cup site
• Organizing Committee Site
• 2006 World Cup Fan Guide

Other sites

• Official World Cup Charity (confirmation at FIFA website)
• BBC 2006 World Cup coverage
• ESPN 2006 World Cup coverage
• USATODAY 2006 World Cup Bracket
• The New York Times 2006 World Cup Flash

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v t e International association football
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World (FIFA)	FIFA World Cup U-20 U-17 FIFA Confederations Cup FIFA Gold Cup Olympic Games Youth Olympic Games
Asia (AFC)	AFC Asian Cup U-23 U-20 U-17 AFC Challenge Cup AFC Solidarity Cup Asian Games Regional ASEAN CAFA EAFF SAFF WAFF Arabian Gulf Cup East Asian Games Far Eastern Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games West Asian Games
Africa (CAF)	CAF Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 CAF African Nations Championship African Games Regional CECAFA COSAFA UNIFFAC WAFU Central African Games Indian Ocean Island Games
North America (CONCACAF)	CONCACAF Gold Cup U-23 U-20 U-17 U-15 CONCACAF Championship CONCACAF Nations League CONCACAF Cup NAFC Championship CCCF Championship Central America and Caribbean Games Regional North American Nations Cup Copa Centroamericana CFU Championship Caribbean Cup LIFA Cup WIFA Cup Central America Games
South America (CONMEBOL)	CONMEBOL Copa América U-23 U-20 U-17 U-15 South American Games Regional Bolivarian Games
Oceania (OFC)	OFC Nations Cup U-23 U-19 U-17 Regional Melanesia Cup Polynesia Cup Pacific Games Pacific Mini Games
Europe (UEFA)	UEFA European Championship U-21 U-19 U-17 UEFA Nations League Regional Central European Cup Balkan Cup Baltic Cup British Home Championship Nordic Championship
Inter-Continental	CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions CPF Panamerican Championship CAF-AFC Afro-Asian Cup of Nations AFC–OFC Challenge Cup FIFA Arab Cup Palestine Cup Kuneitra Cup Overseas Cup Afro-Asian Games Arab Games Francophone Games GANEFO Goodwill Games Islamic Games Islamic Solidarity Games Lusofonia Games Mediterranean Cup Mediterranean Games Pan American Games
Non-FIFA	CONIFA World Football Cup CONIFA European Football Cup CONIFA South America Football Cup CONIFA Africa Football Cup FIFI Wild Cup UIAFA Great European Tournament Island Games Micronesian Games Universiade World Unity Football Alliance
See also Geography Codes Player/Club of the Century Women's football

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