2006 FIFA World Cup
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 2006 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. 32 teams qualified from this process for the final tournament.
Qualification
198 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. 13 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
Italy is the champion
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, relying heavily on a strong defensive effort to advance. They gained momentum in the knockout stage, knocking out favourites and defending champions Brazil 1–0 in the quarter-finals.
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.
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. Germany beat Portugal 3–1 the previous day in Stuttgart for third place.
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.
Final
The final started with each side scoring within the first 20 minutes. Zinedine Zidane opened the scoring with a controversial penalty, 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; an Italian goal 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. 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.
An unusual incident in the match was Zidane's angry reaction to comments made by Italian defender Marco Materazzi. Near the end of extra time, Zidane headbutted Materazzi in the chest in an off-the-ball incident. Referee Horacio Elizondo did not see the confrontation, but sent Zidane off based on the intervention of the fourth official Luis Medina Cantalejo. Materazzi's exact words are now publicly known. Zidane alleged they were insults to his family, and FIFA concluded they were not of a racist nature. [1] Both players received fines and suspensions for their actions.
Analysis
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.
Although Germany failed to make the final as in 2002 the tournament was considered a success for them.[2] The stadiums and transportation systems were state-of-the-art, and the German people were lauded for their hospitality and enthusiasm. One big innovation, which South Africa has already declared it will emulate, were the Fan Fests where millions of people watched the World Cup matches in public viewing areas. Germany also experienced a sudden increase in patriotic spirit with unprecedented flag waving whenever the German team played. [3]
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 until the 88' of the third place match.
Italy and France were the only teams to score multiple goals in the knockout round; Italy did so against Ukraine (3-0) and Germany (2-0), while 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 late goals). 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.
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. [4]
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. [8][9]
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. [10]
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
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:GERf | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 |
| Template:ECUf | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 |
| Template:POLf | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 |
| Template:CRCf | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 |
Group B
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:ENGf | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 |
| Template:SWEf | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| Template:PARf | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Template:TRIf | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 |
Group C
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:ARGf | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
| Template:NEDf | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Template:CIVf | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | −1 |
| Template:SCGf | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 |
Group D
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:PORf | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| Template:MEXf | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Template:ANGf | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
| Template:IRNf | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 |
Group E
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:ITAf | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| Template:GHAf | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Template:CZEf | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
| Template:USAf | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 |
Group F
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:BRAf | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 |
| Template:AUSf | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Template:CROf | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 |
| Template:JPNf | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 |
Group G
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:SUIf | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 |
| Template:FRAf | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
| Template:KORf | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
| Template:TOGf | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 |
Group H
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:ESPf | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
| Template:UKRf | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 |
| Template:TUNf | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 |
| Template:KSAf | 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 (AET), and penalty shoot outs are indicated by (PSO).
Bracket
Round of 16
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) .
| Template:GERf2 | 2–0 | Template:SWEf |
|---|---|---|
| Podolski 4', 12' | (Report) |
Attendance: 66,000
Referee: Simon (Brazil)
| Template:ARGf2 | 2–1 (AET) | Template:MEXf |
|---|---|---|
| Borgetti 10' (OG) Rodríguez 98' |
(Report) | Márquez 6' |
Attendance: 43,000
Referee: Busacca (Switzerland)
| Template:ENGf2 | 1–0 | Template:ECUf |
|---|---|---|
| Beckham 60' | (Report) |
Attendance: 52,000
Referee: De Bleeckere (Belgium)
| Template:PORf2 | 1–0 | Template:NEDf |
|---|---|---|
| Maniche 23' | (Report) |
Attendance: 41,000
Referee: Ivanov (Russia)
| Template:ITAf2 | 1–0 | Template:AUSf |
|---|---|---|
| Totti 95+' (pen) | (Report) |
Attendance: 46,000
Referee: Medina (Spain)
| Template:SUIf2 | 0–0 (AET) (0–3 PSO) | Template:UKRf |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
Attendance: 45,000
Referee: Archundia (Mexico)
| Template:BRAf2 | 3–0 | Template:GHAf |
|---|---|---|
| Ronaldo 5' Adriano 46+' Ze Roberto 84' |
(Report) |
Attendance: 65,000
Referee: Micheľ (Slovakia)
| Template:ESPf2 | 1–3 | Template:FRAf |
|---|---|---|
| Villa 28' (pen) | (Report) | Ribéry 41' Vieira 83' Zidane 92+' |
Attendance: 43,000
Referee: Rosetti (Italy)
Quarter-finals
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
| Template:GERf2 | 1–1 (AET) (4–2 PSO) | Template:ARGf |
|---|---|---|
| Klose 80' | (Report) | Ayala 49' |
Attendance: 72,000
Referee: Micheľ (Slovakia)
| Template:ITAf2 | 3–0 | Template:UKRf |
|---|---|---|
| Zambrotta 6' Toni 59', 69' |
(Report) |
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: De Bleeckere (Belgium)
| Template:ENGf2 | 0–0 (AET) (1–3 PSO) | Template:PORf |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
Attendance: 52,000
Referee: Elizondo (Argentina)
| Template:BRAf2 | 0–1 | Template:FRAf |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Henry 57' |
Attendance: 48,000
Referee: Medina (Spain)
Semi-finals
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
| Template:GERf2 | 0–2 (AET) | Template:ITAf |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Grosso 119' Del Piero 121+' |
Attendance: 65,000
Referee: Archundia (Mexico)
| Template:PORf2 | 0–1 | Template:FRAf |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Zidane 33' (pen) |
Attendance: 66,000
Referee: Larrionda (Uruguay)
Third place play-off
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
| Template:GERf2 | 3–1 | Template:PORf |
|---|---|---|
| Schweinsteiger 56', 78' Petit 60' (OG) |
(Report) | Nuno Gomes 88' |
Attendance: 52,000
Referee: Kamikawa (Japan)
Final
All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
| Template:ITAf2 | 1–1 (AET) (5–3 PSO) | Template:FRAf |
|---|---|---|
| Materazzi 19' | (Report) | Zidane 7' (pen) |
Attendance: 69,000
Referee: Elizondo (Argentina)
Awards
| 2006 World Cup Winners |
|---|
 Italy Fourth Title |
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.[11]
| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
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:
References and footnotes
- ^ Peake, Alex (2006-07-11). "Sick taunt that riled ZZ". The Sun. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
{{cite news}}: 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?". The BBC. 2006-06-26. Retrieved 2006-07-23.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ 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).
- ^ 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 web}}: 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) - ^ 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
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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