2006 World Cup Soccer Betting

2006 FIFA World Cup Teams

This time around the current holders, Brazil, will have to play their way through the qualifying process as FIFA decided to scrap the holder's automatic place in the finals.

There will be 32 teams in the final.

The hosts, Germany, are guaranteed a place, and they will join 13 other teams from Europe. The African zone will send 5 representatives to Germany, while Asia and South America have been awarded 4.5 spots and the North America, Central America and the Caribbean Zone has 3.5 spots and Oceania Zone 0.5 spots.

This is how it all breaks down.

EUROPE

Europe has 14 slots for the 2006 World Cup. Germany qualifies automatically as host nation. 51 teams will compete for the remaining 13 slots from 8 groups. The eight group winners and the two best runner-up teams of the European qualifying groups will qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany. The other six second-placed teams will then be paired off to play each other over two-legged play-offs (home and away playoff games) to complete the final three berths.

SOUTH AMERICA

All 10 teams in the group play each other home and away and the top 4 teams qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.
The fifth placed team goes through a two-leg home and away play-off against the top team from the Oceania group with the winner qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.

Argentina (ARG)

AFRICA

The 30 nations were drawn into five groups of six teams.
The teams in each group play each other home and away with the five group winners qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.

Angola (ANG)

ASIA

The 32 nations were drawn into eight groups of four teams. The winners Iran, Kuwait, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Uzbekistan, Japan and Bahrain moved on to the Final Stage.
The eight teams in the Final Stage are divided in two groups. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, while the two third placed teams meet in a home and away play-off to decide who will face the fourth-place team from the North America, Central America and the Caribbean Zone in a two-leg play-off with the winner qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.

NORTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA and the CARIBBEAN

12 teams advance from the first round of matches. These 12 teams enter the second stage with 3 groups of 4 teams; the top two teams from each group advancing to the final stage of a final round of six teams.
United States, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico qualified for the Final Stage.
This stage is played as one group, with the top three teams qualifying for 2006 World Cup finals in Germany and the fourth placed team facing the fifth placed Asian team in a two-leg playoff for a berth in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.