As the draw for next year’s World Cup draws closer, FIFA and the World Cup Organizing Committee continues to intensify the build up with a series of promotional events and other related activities.
Leipzig has already been seized by FIFA World Cup fever with the municipal authorities rising to the occasion by decking out their city as befits a global event: precisely 78 billboards and hundreds of posters are helping citizens get into the mood for the draw on Friday. Shop windows everywhere have been dressed for the FIFA World Cup, and the Official Logo has been added to the signage at the city limits.
The biggest show in the city's history, presented by German TV star Reinhold Beckmann and supermodel Heidi Klum, will be broadcast to 145 countries by 150 TV and radio stations. Locals and visitors alike will be entertained by an extensive programme of supporting events.
An exhibition entitled 'Germany's World Cup winners' opens on Wednesday. This features memorabilia related to Germany's three FIFA World Cup triumphs in Bern, Munich and Rome ('The miracle of Bern', 'The Kaiser conquers Munich', 'One night in Rome'). Thursday brings a glittering highlight with the European premiere of the autobiographical film 'Pele forever', featuring football icon Pele. The legendary Brazilian will be present in person at the premiere.
On the same day, organisers are hoping to line up the "Biggest German national team of all time" in the form of a human chain leading from the city centre to the Zentralstadion. This will form the centrepiece of Leipzig Welcome Day and will feature a host of actors and sports personalities, including German national team captain Michael Ballack.
FIFA also produced a Facts and Figures piece in which T&T was featured. It was noted that T&T is officially the smallest country to ever compete in the FIFA World Cup Finals. The country’s population is just 1.088 million (last estimate July 2005). T&T is also the smallest country at Germany 2006 with an area of 5,128 km.
T&T also has the record now for the highest number of World Cup qualifying defeats for a qualified team.. T&T lost seven of it’s 20 matches, more than the previous record of six defeats held jointly by Paraguay and Uruguay in 2002. as well as by Costa Rica, Ecuador and Paraguay in 2006.
It was also noted that head coach Leo Beenhakker will participate in a World Cup for the second time after leading Holland in 1990, notching up three draws and one defeat. Beenhakker is now second on the all-time ranking of longest break between FIFA World Cup Finals as a coach, after Zagallo’s 24-year long break with Brazil between 1974 and 1998, and will join Austria’s Karl Rappan (Switzerland 1938-Switzerland 1954) and Sepp Herberger (Germany 1938-Germany 1954) who both returned to coaching World Cup teams after a 16-year break. And for the first time ever at a World Cup, Germany 2006 will feature three Dutch coaches, Beenhakker (T&T), Guus Hiddink (Australia) and Marco Van Basten (Netherlands).
It was also mentioned that the T&T player to have contested the most FIFA World Cup Qualifying Matches is Marvin Andrews with 38 games, followed by Russell Latapy with 36 appearances and Dwight Yorke with 35. Latapy and Yorke have both played in five different preliminary competitions (1990- 2006), along with Michael Maurice who collected 20 caps between World Cup 1982 and 1998. T&T made it through to its first finals on its eleventh attempt.
The Seeds have been announced
Hosts Germany, holders Brazil and Argentina, England, France, Italy, Mexico and Spain have been confirmed as the seeded teams in Friday's Final Draw for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany
This week the world of football turns the spotlight on Leipzig, venue of the Final Draw for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™. The anticipation is building with each passing day. Which teams will end up in the same group? Which nations will play in this or that venue?
From 5-8pm on Thursday, a chain of fans will stretch right through the heart of this Saxon city, providing a heartfelt welcome to the 32 participating nations. In line with the official slogan A time to make friends™, the route will be divided into 32 sections, each representing one of the FIFA World Cup finalists. Every football enthusiast in Germany is invited to take part, whether alone, with family, friends or colleagues - or even with their entire football team.
The more who turn out and take part the merrier, as Leipzig extends this unique welcome to the finalists on the eve of the draw. Everyone who participates has a role as a 'FIFA World Cup ambassador' and the event will be captured by roving outside broadcast units, transmitting footage around the world. Participants need bring only a small amount of stamina - and a smile for the cameras.
On the day of the draw itself, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder will be awarded honorary membership of the German Football Association (DFB) at a DFB Extraordinary General Meeting, which Schroder's successor, Angela Merkel, will also attend.
Anyone keen to get into the festive spirit is in for a special treat this year. The city's traditional Christmas market is open from 10am-10pm on Wednesday and Friday to mark the Final Draw, with Thursday opening extended until midnight. Visitors have plenty of time to enjoy a glass of mulled wine, whetting the appetite for the Christmas season as well as next year's FIFA World Cup. In addition, the world's biggest fixed advent calendar in Bottchergasse this year is dedicated to the FIFA World Cup.
Revellers will be well looked after too. A 'Honky Tonk Pub Festival Special' will take place across the city, starting on Friday at 8pm - an hour before the first act takes to the stage at the Final Draw. A total of 37 bands and DJs are scheduled to play to massed ranks of partygoers in a programme at venues including the Buddha Art Gallery (Neumarkt 9-19) and the Night Cafe (Petersstrasse 39-41), where Brazilectro are ready to dance the night away with Latin-flavoured club tunes. Everything is in place for a spectacular night celebrating the 2006 FIFA World Cup
The committee based its criteria for seeding the teams on the 32 finalists' performances at the World Cup finals in 2002 and 1998 (ratio 2:1) and the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking in the years 2005, 2004 and 2003 (ratio 1:1:1). Brazil consequently attained the maximum of 64 points. Italy with 44 points - a one-point lead over the USA (43) and six points ahead of the Netherlands (38) - also heads a group (cf. the complete tables).
The World Cup regulations stipulate that geographical criteria must also be taken into account in the draw. Each group may not include more than one team per confederation, with the exception of Europe, which has 14 representatives. Consequently, six of the eight groups will comprise two European teams. Serbia and Montenegro were allocated to a special pot to avoid drawing three European teams into one group. The reason for the decision allocating one of the nine remaining European representatives into this bowl was the FIFA/Coca-Cola Ranking in November 2005, in which Serbia and Montenegro occupied 47th place - the lowest position of the teams in question.
At the draw, Serbia and Montenegro will be allocated to one of the three groups that are headed by a non-European team, in other words, either Brazil, Argentina or Mexico.