2006 FIFA World Cup
Template:Infobox Football World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the eighteenth instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000.
Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six populated continents participated in the qualification process which began in September 2003. Thirty-one teams qualified from this process, along with the host nation, Germany, for the finals tournament.
The tournament was won by Italy, their 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.
The 2006 World Cup stands as the most watched event in television history garnering an estimated 26.29 billion non-unique viewers, compiled over the course of the tournament. The final attracted an estimated audience of 715.1 million people.[1]
Hil Tanner scored the winning goal
Qualification
One-hundred and ninety-eight teams attempted to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Hosts Germany were granted automatic qualification with the remaining thirty-one finals places divided among the continental confederations. This was the first World Cup for which the holders were not granted automatic qualification. Thirteen places were contested by UEFA teams (Europe), five by CAF teams (Africa), four by CONMEBOL teams (South America), four by AFC teams (Asia), and three 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).
Eight nations qualified for the finals for the first time: Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Ghana, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine and Serbia & Montenegro. 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; Serbia & Montenegro had competed as Yugoslavia in 1998, as well as making up part of Yugoslav teams from 1930 to 1990. For the first time since the 1982 World Cup, all six confederations were represented at the finals tournament.
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 tournament were announced on 5 December 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.
| Pot A | Pot B | Pot C | Pot D | Special Pot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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On 9 December 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 actuality, however, 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.[5][6]
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:
- Greatest total goal difference in the three group matches
- Greatest number of goals scored in the three group matches
- If teams remained level after those criteria, a mini-group would be formed from those teams, who would be ranked on:
- Most points earned in matches against other teams in the tie
- Greatest goal difference in matches against other teams in the tie
- Greatest number of goals scored in matches against other teams in the tie
- 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.[7]
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.
Finals tournament
Overview
The finals tournament of the 2006 World Cup began on 9 June. The 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four teams each, within which the teams competed in a round-robin tournament to determine which two of those four teams would advance to the sixteen-team knock-out stage, which started on 24 June. In total, 64 games were played.
Hosting
Although Germany failed to win the Cup, the tournament was considered a great success for Germany in general.[8] The stadia and transportation systems were state-of-the-art, and the German people were lauded for their hospitality and enthusiasm and gained new friends world-wide. One big innovation was the Fan Fests, where millions of people watched the World Cup matches in public viewing areas. South Africa has already declared it will emulate this idea for the 2010 tournament. Germany also experienced a sudden increase in patriotic spirit with unprecedented flag waving, traditionally frowned upon by German society since World War II, whenever the German team played.[9]
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 deep into the knockout stages and 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 champions took part in the quarter-final round, with Ukraine and Euro 2004 runners-up Portugal as the only relative outsiders.
Argentina and Brazil were eliminated in the quarter-finals, leaving an all-European final four for only the fourth time (after the 1934, 1966 and 1982 tournaments).
Scoring
Despite the early goals that flooded the group stages, the knock-out phase had a much lower goals per match ratio. A prime example of the dearth of goals was Portugal, who only scored in the 23rd minute of the Round of 16, and did not score again until the 88th minute of the third place play-off. Italy, Germany, Argentina, Brazil and France were the only teams to score more than one goal in a knockout match. Germany was one of the exceptions to the rule, tending to play an attacking style of football throughout the knockout stage, which was reflected by their being the team that scored the most goals (14).
Germany's Miroslav Klose scored 5 goals to claim the Golden Boot, the lowest total to win the prize since 1962. No other player scored more than three goals. No player from the winning Italian squad scored more than two goals, though ten different players had scored for them, tying the record for the most goalscorers from any one team.
For the first time ever in the FIFA World Cup, the first and last goals of the tournament were scored by defenders. Philipp Lahm the German wing-back scored the opener against Costa Rica after only 5 minutes of the first match. In the final, Marco Materazzi, the Italian centre back, out-jumped Patrick Vieira and headed in the last goal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
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 1998 World Cup. Players received a record-breaking 345 yellow cards and 28 red cards, with Valentin Ivanov handing out 16 yellow and 4 red cards in the round of 16 match between Portugal and the Netherlands. Portugal had two players suspended for each of the quarter-final and semi-final matches, respectively. FIFA President Sepp Blatter 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 tournament also saw English referee Graham Poll mistakenly hand out three yellow cards to Croatia's Josip Šimunić in their match against Australia.
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.[10]
Route to the final
Italy progressed to the knock-out stage due to a strong defence, conceding only one goal (an own goal) in the group stage, and a great display of attacking variation. They finished the tournament with ten different players accounting for their twelve goals. A close call came for the Azzurri in the Round of 16, the Italians requiring a controversial Francesco Totti penalty deep into stoppage time in order to put the Australians out. Italy had spent much of the match with only ten men on the field, following a much-debated red card shown to centre-back Marco Materazzi. After this, their route to the final became easier, first beating the Ukraine 3-0 in the quarter-finals, courtesy of two goals from Serie A top scorer Luca Toni, and then the 2–0 semi-final win over Germany, who were the runners-up in 2002 and also the host nation this time around. Italy scored both goals in the dying minutes of extra time (through Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero), putting an end to the Germans' record of never losing a match in Dortmund. Following the first goal, the Germans, desperate to equalise, pushed players further up the field, presenting the Italians with the opportunity to go two up, which they accepted with due aplomb.
France overcame a slow start in the group stage, carrying the momentum from their final group match (a 2-0 win over Togo) into the knockout stage. The team's veterans of the Golden Generation (like Zinedine Zidane, Claude Makélélé and Lilian Thuram), who had come out of retirement for the World Cup, combined with the more youthful talents of Florent Malouda and Franck Ribéry, found their form as they came from behind to defeat Spain 3-1, having conceded the first goal of the match in the 28th minute. They then knocked out the favourites and defending champions, Brazil, beating them 1-0 in the quarter-finals, allowing their opponents only one shot on goal in the process. In the semi-finals, backed by a crowd bent on showing their dislike of France's opponents, Portugal, and a strong defensive effort by Thuram, Zidane's 33rd minute penalty proved the winning goal in another 1-0 win.
On 8 July, Germany beat Portugal 3–1 in Stuttgart for third place, with Bastian Schweinsteiger's two goals making up for his own dismal tournament. Petit scored an own-goal on the hour, sandwiched between Schweinsteiger's goals, before Nuno Gomes rounded off the match with what could only be described as a consolation goal in the 88th minute.
Final
The final started with each side scoring within the first 20 minutes. Zinedine Zidane opened the scoring by converting a controversial seventh-minute penalty kick,[11] which glanced off the underside of the crossbar and into the goal. Marco Materazzi then levelled the scores in the 19th minute following an Andrea Pirlo corner. Both teams had chances to score the winning goal in normal time - Luca Toni hit the crossbar for Italy, later having a header disallowed for offside, while France were not granted a second penalty in the 53rd minute when Florent Malouda was felled in the box. France appeared to be the better side with over ten more shots than the Italian team. They were unable to capitalise, however, and the score remained at one goal each.
At the end of the regulation 90 minutes, the score was still level at 1–1, and the match was forced into extra time. Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon made a potentially game-saving save in extra time when he tipped a Zidane header over the crossbar. Further controversy ensued near the end of extra time, when Zidane headbutted Materazzi in the chest in an off-the-ball incident and was sent off. Extra time produced no further goals and a penalty shootout followed, which Italy won 5–3. France's David Trezeguet, the man who scored the Golden Goal against Italy in Euro 2000, was the only player not to score his penalty; his spot kick hit the crossbar. It was the first all-European final since Italy won the 1982 FIFA World Cup, and the second final (1994 was first, although Italy lost that time) to be decided on penalties. It was also Italy's first world title in 24 years, and their fourth overall, putting them one ahead of Germany/West Germany and only one behind Brazil. The victory also led to Italy topping the FIFA Coca Cola Rankings in February 2007 for the first time since November 1993.
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
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Germany
|
9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 |
 Ecuador
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
 Poland
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 |
 Costa Rica
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 |
Group B
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 England
|
7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 |
 Sweden
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
 Paraguay
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 Trinidad and Tobago
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
Group C
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina
|
7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
 Netherlands
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7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
 Ivory Coast
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3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 |
 Serbia and Montenegro
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 |
Group D
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Portugal
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9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
 Mexico
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
 Angola
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2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
 Iran
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 |
Group E
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Italy
|
7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
 Ghana
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
 Czech Republic
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
 United States
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 |
Group F
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brazil
|
9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 |
 Australia
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
 Croatia
|
2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
 Japan
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 |
Group G
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Switzerland
|
7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 |
 France
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
 South Korea
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
 Togo
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 |
Group H
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spain
|
9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
 Ukraine
|
6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
 Tunisia
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 |
 Saudi Arabia
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 |
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 (a.e.t.), and penalty shoot outs are indicated by (pen.).
Bracket
Round of 16
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) .
| Portugal | 1 – 0 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
Maniche  23'Costinha  31'  45+1'Deco 73' 78' |
(Report) | Boulahrouz 8' 63' van Bronckhorst 59' 90+5' |
| Switzerland | 0 – 0 (a.e.t.) | Ukraine |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
Quarter-finals
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
| Germany | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| Klose 80' |
(Report) | Ayala 49' Cufré  (as unused substitute after full time) |
Semi-finals
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
Third place play-off
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
| Germany | 3 – 1 | Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Schweinsteiger 56' 78' Petit 60' (o.g.) |
(Report) | Nuno Gomes 88' |
Final
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
Awards
FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) also granted a Man of the Match award to one player in each match. Italy's Andrea Pirlo won the most Man of the Match awards, with three in total.
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 from the second round onwards.[12]
| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
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Scorers
Miroslav Klose received the adidas 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:
References and footnotes
- ^ "World Cup and Television" (PDF). FIFA. 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ During the World Cup, many of the stadia were known by different names, as FIFA prohibits sponsorship of stadia 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 stadia also had a lower capacity for the World Cup, as FIFA regulations ban standing room, nonetheless this was accommodated as several stadiums had an UEFA 5-star ranking. Of the twelve hosting stadia, only Zentralstadion in Leipzig is within the boundaries of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
- ^ Please note that the links to location maps are linked to an external site.
- ^ Seated capacity. Some stadiums have greater capacity for German league games due to standing room.
- ^ Wilson, Paul (2005-12-11). "An easy group? Draw your own conclusions". The Observer. Retrieved 2006-06-26.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Palmer, Kevin (2006-05-24). "Group C Tactics Board". Retrieved 2006-06-26.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ 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) - ^ "Even in losing, Germany a winner". The Miami Herald. 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2006-07-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "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) - ^ "Who's to blame for Cup card frenzy?". BBC Sport. 2006-06-26. Retrieved 2006-07-23.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Italy wins World Cup". CBC Sports. 2006-07-09. Retrieved 2006-10-05.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Associated Press (2006-07-07). "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
- Official Artistic and Cultural Programme to the FIFA World Cup 2006™ curated by André Heller
Other sites
- Official World Cup Charity (confirmation at FIFA website)
- Footballing World - World Cup Analysis
- BBC 2006 World Cup coverage
- ESPN 2006 World Cup coverage
- USATODAY 2006 World Cup Bracket
- The New York Times 2006 World Cup Flash
International association football | ||
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| World (FIFA) |  | |
| Asia (AFC) | ||
| Africa (CAF) | ||
| North America (CONCACAF) | ||
| South America (CONMEBOL) | ||
| Oceania (OFC) | ||
| Europe (UEFA) | ||
| Inter-Continental |
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| Non-FIFA | ||
Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) | |
| Tournaments |
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| Qualification | |
| Finals | |
| Squads | |
| Final draw | |
| Broadcasters | |
| Bids | |
| Officials | |
| Team appearances | |
| Overall records |
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| Miscellaneous | |
2006 FIFA World Cup finalists | |
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| Champions | |
| Runners-up | |
| Third place | |
| Fourth place | |
| Quarter-finals | |
| Round of 16 | |
| Group stage | |
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