GROUP A

GERMANY

Forget the talk of Germany in disarray. Even if it’s true, you know the Germans will get it together. For a start, no host nation has ever failed to qualify for the second round. Once there, in the knock-out phase, it’s agreed “anything can happen.” Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has done it his way, largely from his home in California, and though recent results have been anything but spectacular, no one who knows soccer believes that the Germans will go quietly.

POLAND

Polish soccer had its day in the 1970s, particularly in 1974 when the World Cup was last played in Germany. That year, the lively Poles finished third and were widely admired for an old-fashioned adherence to two genuine wingers, Grzergorz Lato and Robert Gadocha. Polish soccer still seems old-fashioned, but in a solid and stodgy way – something out of Eastern Europe that has not quite caught up with the rest of the world. More than half of coach Pawel Janas’s team play with foreign clubs, but none are key players for their teams. Sandwiched Between its solid defense and the goal-scoring skills of Maciej Zurawski and Eusebiusz Smolarek up front lies a very ordinary midfield.

COSTA RICA

Always known for free flowing, attacking soccer, Costa Rica will offer something tougher and more defensive. The team has the honor or the nightmare of opening the tournament against host Germany. “We have a clear chance of winning,” was the optimistic view of forward Cristian Bolanos. Said veteran Paulo Wanchope, “We won’t be overawed. Many of us have a lot of experience in international play.”

ECUADOR

The knock on Ecuador is that it will have difficulty playing at sea-level. Its qualifying games were played in Quito – more than 9,000 feet up in the Andes – where it beat both Brazil and Argentina and thumped fellow qualifier Paraguay 5-2. Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has dismissed Ecuador’s success as entirely due to altitude, and Ecuador’s coach Luis Fernando Suarez has admitted that “the altitude is a factor, but we have shown that our team is capable of winning.” Still, goalkeeper Cristian Mora’s boast, “Ecuador can shock the world,” has a hollow ring.

GROUP B

ENGLAND

Whether or not Wayne Rooney recovers from his famously fractured metatarsal in time to play, England has a formidable team: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, John Terry,Michael Owen, and Joe Cole are exceptional, if not world class, players. Conditions in Germany are about as close as the team can get to playing at home – very necessary for England, which won its only world title in 1966 in London. A potential champion, for sure, but the much-vaunted blue-collar, no-frills quality of English soccer brings with it a noticeable lack of subtlety, something that repeatedly lets the team down in international competition. That vital continental “touch” was something that Swedish coach Sven Goran Eriksson, who will leave the job as soon as the World Cup is over, was supposed to bring. This is his last chance to produce, because England has won nothing in his five-plus years in charge.

PARAGUAY

Regarded as the most defense-minded of all South American teams, Paraguay logically has one of the world’s best defenders as its captain: 35-year-old Carlos Gamarra. Add in 34-year-old midfielder Robert Acuna and the team begins to sound a little geriatric. But there are plenty of promising youngsters too, notably the Bayern Munich duo of midfielder Julio Dos Santos (23) and goal scorer Roque Santa Cruz (24). And Uruguayan-born coach Anibal Ruiz believes that in Carlos Paredes he has “the best midfielder in South America.”

SWEDEN

In attack, Sweden has a trio of dangerous, dynamic players – Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrik Larsson, and Fredrik Ljungberg. After that, there’s little to get excited about – a solid defense and a workmanlike midfield. They won’t be wildly exciting, but the Swedes will once again come in the “difficult-to-beat” category. Not good news for England, which is in the same group and hasn’t managed to beat Sweden since May, 1968. In 1994, the Swedes, under coach Tommy Svensson, were the surprise team of the tournament, finishing in third place. Svensson believes that this team, under coach Lars Lagerback, can repeat that success.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

Romantic it certainly is – “Trinibago”, with barely 1.2 million inhabitants, is the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup finals. But it will probably be grimly realistic on the field, where a team made up largely of players with British second division clubs, will face the full might of England, Sweden, and Paraguay. The wiles and goals of captain and former Manchester United forward Dwight Yorke will be important, as will the huge experience of Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker. It may be difficult for Beenhakker to impose his Dutch vision of soccer – on-the-ground passing and ball possession – with the cruder long-ball game played in Britain by most of his team.

GROUP C

ARGENTINA

Not much in the way of boasting has been heard from the Argentines, who are still reeling from their first-round elimination in 2002.Yet they are among the contenders simply because of the unquestioned technical quality of their defenders, midfielders, and forwards alike. Coach Jose Pekerman made his name winning three world titles with the Argentine youth team and his side is a young one. Midfielder Roman Riquelme is the main man, but much may depend on the form of the “new Maradona,” 18-year-old Lionel Messi.

NETHERLANDS

The Dutch – an attacking team in the image of coach Marco van Basten, one of the greatest goalscorers of all time – had the best record in Europe during qualifying. The forwards – Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, along with newcomer Dirk Kujit and 21-year-old midfielder Hedwiges Maduro – dazzle. Even the defenders, like Giovanni van Bronckhorst, have great attacking skills. But the Dutch so often find a way to beat themselves. In November they were soundly beaten 3-1 in Amsterdam by Italy, and suddenly all the old fears of Dutch inconsistency seemed very much alive again.

IVORY COAST

Of the five African nations present in Germany, Ivory Coast looks to be the strongest. The draw was not kind to the “Elephants” though, dumping them in the “group of death.” All 23 of coach Henri Michel’s players are with foreign clubs, 13 of them in France. The three major stars play in England: defenders Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue (Arsenal) and striker Didier Drogba (Chelsea).This is the main reason for optimism.

SERBIA & MONTENEGRO

Serbia & Montenegro is overwhelmingly Serbian, from coach Ilija Petkovic to 21 of the 23 players. Petkovic has, in Dejan Stankovic, an excellent midfield organizer, with Mateja Kezman the goalscorer up front. The most likely partner for Kezman is 6-foot-6-inch Nikola Zigic. But defense rather than goalscoring is this team’s strength – a “difficult to beat” team that, in 10 qualifying games, conceded only one goal.

GROUP D

PORTUGAL

There’s talent galore on Portugal’s roster – think Deco, Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Carvalho – plus the experience of Brazilian coach Felipe Scolari, who coached Brazil to the title in 2002. But Portugal has a history of not performing when the big game arrives, as in the European final two years ago, when Portugal lost to the very ordinary Greeks. But it is claimed that a lesson was learned then, and now is the time when this impressive roster will prove itself.

MEXICO

One day, soccermad Mexico will pull its weight in the World Cup. It has played in 12, but all it has to show is two quarterfinal defeats. The traditional, maddening, fault is playing well enough to win those games but losing them anyway. Now the Mexicans have an Argentine coach, Ricardo La Volpe, and more steel to their game. La Volpe has controversially added two naturalized players: Guillermo Franco (from Argentina) and Zinha (Brazil) to the team. Expectations are especially high, which means more pressure.

ANGOLA

Over the years, many Angolan players have played in the Portuguese league, even for Portugal. The close connection of Angola with its former colonial master will continue in Germany – the draw has put the two countries in the same group. Angola, a World Cup debutante, has no high profile players, but forwards Akwa and Mantorras have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons – Akwa for his partying, Mantorras for his stinging attacks on coach Goncalves.

IRAN

In two previous World Cup appearances (1978 and 1998), Iran failed to get out of the first round. Hopes of anything better in Germany are slight. Croatian-born coach Branko Ivankovic will rely heavily on four German-based players – midfielders Mehdi Mahdavikia, Fereydoon Zandi, and Ali Karimi, and forward Vahid Hashemian. Iran also brings a huge weight of political baggage – German organizers have rated the team a no. 1 security concern.

GROUP E

CZECH REPUBLIC

Quite how the Czechs have risen to the no.2 spot in FIFA’s world rankings is a mystery only FIFA itself can answer. The team is certainly impressive, but it has won nothing. The doubters point to the age of the star players: Pavel Nedved, Tomas Galasek, and Karel Poborsky are all 33,while the injury-prone pair of Jan Smicer and Jan Koller are 32. Coach Karel Bruckner, at 66, is no youngster either. But there are splendid younger players: goalkeeper Peter Cech, regarded as the best in the world, midfielder Tomas Rosicky, and goal scorer Milan Baros are all under 25.

GHANA

At last, Ghana, a power in African soccer since the 1970s and twice the winner of the under-17 World Cup, has qualified for the big one. During the two-year qualifying period, Ghana went through four coaches, with Serbian-born Ratomir Dujkovic finally leading the “Black Stars” to the promised land. The Ghanaians have plenty of global experience; 19 players on the roster play outside Ghana, some for top clubs, including captain Stephen Appiah (Fenerbahce) and Michael Essien (Chelsea).

ITALY

After an impressive qualifying campaign (one loss in 10 games) followed by two resounding wins in friendlies (3-1 over Holland, 4-1 over Germany), the Italy suddenly found itself beset by a major game-fixing scandal. Still, with the best defensive pair in the world game – Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro – and the tricky attacking skills of Francesco Totti, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Del Piero, and Filipo Inzaghi, Italy, as always, is among the favorites.

AMERICA

Qualification for the World Cup in North America is almost a formality and allows little real testing of the team. But coach Bruce Arena’s squad is nevertheless one that other nations would prefer to avoid. Solid players at every position, plus flashes of brilliance from strikers Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley underline the team’s strengths. The immediate problem is to emerge from a tough group.

GROUP H

UKRAINE

This is the first appearance in the finals for Ukraine, coached by Oleg Blokhin, a star in 1970s when he played for the USSR. Now a member of parliament, Blokhin has alternated claims that his team is capable of winning it all and that his team is not good enough. There is a lack of international experience (most of his players are with Ukrainian clubs), but he does have a superb game-winner in Andrii Shevchenko, arguably the sharpest finisher in the world today.

SPAIN

As ever, Spain is gorged with talent, but is widely expected, as ever, to flop. To be fair, the Spanish have been desperately unlucky with bad referee calls, which removed them prematurely from the two World Cups (1994 and 2002) and two European championships (1996 and 2000). Could this be the year when Raul, Jose Antonio Reyes, Xabi Alonso, Abres Iniesta, Carlos Puyol, Iker Casillas, and Cesc Fabregas – the talent really is outstanding – finally make things work?

SAUDI ARABIA

The coach of Saudi Arabia, Marcos Paqueta, is Brazilian, the playing style is somewhat Brazilian, but the World Cup results are definitely not Brazilian. In 2002, the Saudis started off being beaten 8-0 by Germany and ended up with the worst record of all 32 teams: three losses, no goals scored, 12 conceded. It can’t be that bad again, but this is a team on which all of the players play for the domestic league. Despite goal keeper Al Deayea’s world-record of 181 appearances for his country, the team is damagingly short of international experience.

TUNISIA

This will be Tunisia’s fourth World Cup, but there has been very little to show for the visits so far: nine games played, just one victory – over Mexico in 1987. The most recent tournaments, in 1998 and 2002, have produced two ties and four losses. The unlikely task for French-born coach Roger Lemerre is to engineer Tunisia’s first-ever qualification for the second round. Tunisia has the reputation of being Africa’s most organized team. It features 14 players with European clubs, one of whom – striker Francileudo dos Santos – is a naturalized Brazilian. Goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel, aged 40, will be the oldest player in the tournament

GROUP F

BRAZIL

The super favorites, the nation with so many top class players that everyone jokes it could enter two teams – and the final would feature Brazil A vs. Brazil B. The talent is undeniable; where most teams lack even one world-class player, Brazil can claim at least three – Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaka – plus a roster full of not-quite-so-brilliant players for every position. But as Pele has warned, “the big opponent of Brazil is being the favorite.” World Cup favorites rarely fare well: Brazil in 1950 and Hungary in 1954 were both overwhelming favorites, and both lost in the final. And, as Ronaldo ha said, “all of the opponents will be extra motivated to try to beat Brazil.”

JAPAN

The strong Brazilian influence in Japan’s pro league has carried over to the national team, where former Brazilian great Zico is the coach. There’s also a naturalized Brazilian (Alex) on the team. Odd, then, that the Brazilian specialty -scoring goals – is Zico’s biggest headache. In an attempt to produce some goals, he’s included no fewer than five strikers on his roster. Playing at home in the 2002 World Cup, Japan advanced to the second round and is now the reigning Asian champion. But it’s a big step up to coping with German conditions in a group that includes their acknowledged masters … Brazil.

AUSTRALIA

This will be the second World Cup appearance for the Socceroos (the first was in 1974, also in Germany), thanks to a penalty shoot-out playoff win over Uruguay. The team is a foreign legion – only two play for Australian clubs – but includes two genuine stars in Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell, both of whom play in the English Premier League. Otherwise, it’s a meat-and-potatoes team with a gritty approach that Dutch coach Guus Hiddink hopes will get results.

CROATIA

Croatia topped its qualifying group with an unbeaten record and recorded home-and-away wins over chief rival Sweden. As a dubious reward, it finds itself opening the tournament against Brazil. Coach Zlatko Kranjcar has an established line up, with his son Niko and the vastly experienced Igor Tudor controlling midfield, and the rangy Dado Prso to score goals up front. But Croatia is a small country (less than 5 million people) with a limited player pool, meaning there isn’t much bench strength available.

GROUP G

SWITZERLAND

In 1938, the Swiss upset Adolf Hitler when they knocked his muchfancied Germany out of the World Cup. They’ve qualified for five finals since then, and have achieved nothing. But they’re tough, and their top players are now with top clubs – e.g. Johann Vogel with AC Milan and Philippe Senderos at Arsenal. Looking apprehensively back at the qualifying games, when the best France could do was to tie Switzerland twice, French coach Raymond Domenech warned, “the Swiss could turn out to be a nightmare for us.”

FRANCE

The core of the French team is comprised of six players who played on the championship team in 1998: Fabian Barthez, Lilian Thuram, Patrick Vieira,Thierry Henry,David Trezeguet,and Zinedine Zidane, who was the inspirational player in 1998. Zidane has already announced that he will retire from the national team after this tournament, so there is an air of “win one for Zizou” about France’s campaign. But coach Raymond Domenech, who has veered between saying that victory in the qualifying games was more important than showing flair to declaring that style is more important than winning,has yet to produce a confident-looking team. Qualification was a roller coaster, with success achieved only in the final game. Aloso, the trauma of the first-round exit in 2002 still haunts the French.

SOUTH KOREA

The big problem for the South Koreans is that they seriously overachieved as the host team four years ago. Reaching the semifinals amazed everyone, but it is a feat that is not likely to be repeated in Germany. If anything, the team looks slightly stronger, because it now has two players with top English clubs – Lee Young-Pyo (Tottenham), and Park Ji-sung (Manchester United). The style of relentless running and quick interchange of short passes remains unchanged. Coach Dick Advocaat – like the 2002 coach Guus Hiddink, a Dutchman – has warned that “not playing at home” makes things a lot more difficult, and his belief that,”we are a very,very difficult team to beat,” falls a little short of a ringing endorsement for a repeat run to the semis.

TOGO

Nigerian Stephen Keshi coached Togo to qualification for its first World Cup, but was promptly fired when Togo failed even to score a goal in the subsequent African nations Cup. In February, German Otto Pfister took over. His first task: to repair the damage that a very public spat between Keshi and star striker Emmanuel Adebayor had done to the team’s morale.

Next, Pfister encouraged everyone to ignore the rankings. “You have Togo at number 59, but it doesn’t matter, anyone can beat anyone on their day.”