2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
Encyclopedia
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany
, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition. The final distribution was as follows:
Each .5 indicates a place in inter-confederation matchups for the last two spots, namely playoffs between AFC and CONCACAF and between CONMEBOL and OFC.
A total of 194 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 847 qualifying matches were played, and 2464 goals were scored (an average of 2.91 per match).
(h) - qualified automatically as hosts
1Excludes appearances by Czechoslovakia
. If those are counted together, this is their 9th appearance, and their previous appearance was in 1990
.
2Includes 10 appearances by DFB representing West Germany between 1954 and 1990. Excludes 1 appearance by DVF representing East Germany between 1954 and 1990.
3Excludes appearances by pre-division Soviet Union. If those are counted together, this is their 8th appearance.
4Excludes appearances by pre-division Yugoslavia
. If those are counted together, this is their 10th appearance. This is also their first and\ last appearance under this name; at the previous qualifying tournament they had competed as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the two parts of the country finally split in June 2006.
13 of the 32 teams subsequently failed to qualify for the 2010 finals: Saudi Arabia (whose streak of 4 tournaments ended in 2006); Croatia and Tunisia (both 3); Costa Rica, Ecuador, Poland and Sweden (2); Angola, Czech Republic, Iran, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine (1).
The ten teams in bold qualified for the Football World Cup 2006.
The three teams in bold italics qualified for the Football World Cup 2006 through a single-pairing home-and-away playoff.
The three teams in italics qualified for the playoff, but did not qualify for the World Cup.
Group standings:
The draw for the playoffs was made on October 14, 2005.
This zone is played as a league system on a home-and-away basis involving all 10 teams in a tournament which began in September 2003. The top 4 teams qualify automatically for the 2006 World Cup Finals; the fifth-placed team played off with Oceania.
Final standings:
Group standings of the Final Round:
The top two teams in Oceania played against each other to earn the right to compete against the fifth-placed team from South America.
Group standings of the Final Round:
Australia then beat Solomon Islands
9-1 on aggregate. (1st leg: 7-0 on September 3, 2005; 2nd leg: 2-1 on September 6, 2005), and won the right to compete in the playoff against the fifth placed South American team. Their opponent was Uruguay
, as they qualified in 5th place on October 12, 2005. Australia finally prevailed 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after both play-off matches had ended 1-0 for the home team.
Group standings of the Final Round:
Uzbekistan
and Bahrain
(the 3rd place teams in each group) played a home-and-away match to determine Asia's representative in a playoff against CONCACAF
's 4th place team, and are displayed in italics. On September 3, 2005, Uzbekistan won the first game 1-0, but FIFA decided that the match was to be declared void and ordered a replay following a refereeing blunder. The referee awarded Uzbekistan a penalty kick in the 38th minute. The penalty kick was successful but the referee deemed that a Uzbekistani player had entered the box prematurely. Rather than ordering Uzbekistan to retake the penalty as he should have done, the referee awarded Bahrain a free kick. Uzbekistan protested the game and argued that the game should be replayed from the point the penalty kick was awarded. FIFA accepted their protest, but ordered the whole game be replayed. Uzbekistan felt that this ruling was unfair since it punished them even though the referee's mistake benefited their opposition.
The playoffs were postponed to October 8, 2005 in Uzbekistan and October 12, 2005 in Bahrain. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw, and the 2nd leg match was a 0-0 draw. Bahrain, having scored one away goal to Uzbekistan's zero, advanced to the playoff. Trinidad and Tobago
defeated Bahrain
, 2-1 aggregate, to advance to the 2006 FIFA World Cup
.
Group standings of the Final Round:
s were conducted, with the winners earning the last five places in the World Cup:
} vs (aggregate score 0-2)
} vs (aggregate score 1-1, Australia won penalty shootout 4-2)
14 goals Jared Borgetti
12 goals Stern John
11 goals Jaime Lozano
Pauleta
Emmanuel Adebayor
10 goals Ronaldo
Carlos Ruiz
9 goals Didier Drogba
Jan Koller
Ali Daei
Francisco Fonseca
Ruud van Nistelrooy
8 goals Paulo Wanchope
Obafemi Martins
Zlatan Ibrahimović
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th 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...
, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition. The final distribution was as follows:
- Europe - represented by UEFAUEFAThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
: 51 teams competing for 13 places (Germany qualified automatically as host nation for a total of 14 places) - Africa - the CAFConfederation of African FootballThe Confederation of African Football is the administrative and controlling body for African association football.CAF represents the national football associations of Africa, runs continental, national, and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those...
: 51 teams, 5 places - South America - CONMEBOLCONMEBOLThe South American Football Confederation , commonly known as CONMEBOL , is the continental governing body of association football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations...
: 10 teams, 4.5 places - Asia - the AFCAsian Football ConfederationThe Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
: 39 teams, 4.5 places - North, Central American and Caribbean - CONCACAFCONCACAFThe Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
: 34 teams, 3.5 places - OceaniaOceaniaOceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
- the OFCOceania Football ConfederationThe Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
: 12 teams, 0.5 places
Each .5 indicates a place in inter-confederation matchups for the last two spots, namely playoffs between AFC and CONCACAF and between CONMEBOL and OFC.
A total of 194 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 847 qualifying matches were played, and 2464 goals were scored (an average of 2.91 per match).
Qualified teams
| Team | Finals Appearance | Streak | Last Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 | – | |
| 14th | 9 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 2nd | 1 | 1974 1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded... |
|
| 18th | 18 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 3rd | 2 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 1st | 1 | – | |
| 3rd | 3 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 1st(1) | 1 | –(1) | |
| 2nd | 2 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 12th | 3 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 12th | 3 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| (h) | 16th(2) | 14(2) | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
| 1st | 1 | – | |
| 3rd | 1 | 1998 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
|
| 16th | 12 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 3rd | 3 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 7th | 6 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 13th | 4 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 8th | 1 | 1998 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
|
| 7th | 3 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 7th | 2 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 4th | 2 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 4th | 4 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 2nd(4) | 1 | 1998 1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final... |
|
| 12th | 8 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 11th | 2 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 8th | 1 | 1994 1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988... |
|
| 1st | 1 | – | |
| 1st | 1 | – | |
| 4th | 3 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
|
| 1st(3) | 1(3) | – | |
| 8th | 5 | 2002 2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0... |
(h) - qualified automatically as hosts
1Excludes appearances by Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
. If those are counted together, this is their 9th appearance, and their previous appearance was in 1990
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
.
2Includes 10 appearances by DFB representing West Germany between 1954 and 1990. Excludes 1 appearance by DVF representing East Germany between 1954 and 1990.
3Excludes appearances by pre-division Soviet Union. If those are counted together, this is their 8th appearance.
4Excludes appearances by pre-division Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
. If those are counted together, this is their 10th appearance. This is also their first and\ last appearance under this name; at the previous qualifying tournament they had competed as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the two parts of the country finally split in June 2006.
13 of the 32 teams subsequently failed to qualify for the 2010 finals: Saudi Arabia (whose streak of 4 tournaments ended in 2006); Croatia and Tunisia (both 3); Costa Rica, Ecuador, Poland and Sweden (2); Angola, Czech Republic, Iran, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine (1).
Europe (UEFA)
(14 berths, including Germany as host)The ten teams in bold qualified for the Football World Cup 2006.
The three teams in bold italics qualified for the Football World Cup 2006 through a single-pairing home-and-away playoff.
The three teams in italics qualified for the playoff, but did not qualify for the World Cup.
- Ukraine qualified for the 2006 World Cup on September 3, 2005.
- Croatia, England, Italy, Poland, Netherlands and Portugal qualified on October 8, 2005.
- France, Sweden and Serbia and Montenegro qualified on October 12, 2005.
- Czech Republic, Spain and Switzerland qualified through the playoffs on November 16, 2005
Group standings:
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1. | 1. | 1. |
| 2. | 2. | 2. | 2. |
| 3. | 3. | 3. | 3. |
| 4. | 4. | 4. | 4. |
| 5. | 5. | 5. | 5. |
| 6. | 6. | 6. | 6. |
| 7. | 7. | 7. | |
| Group 5 | Group 6 | Group 7 | Group 8 |
| 1. | 1. | 1. | 1. |
| 2. | 2. | 2. | 2. |
| 3. | 3. | 3. | 3. |
| 4. | 4. | 4. | 4. |
| 5. | 5. | 5. | 5. |
| 6. | 6. | 6. | 6. |
The draw for the playoffs was made on October 14, 2005.
South American (CONMEBOL)
(4 berths, after losing a playoff against Oceania)This zone is played as a league system on a home-and-away basis involving all 10 teams in a tournament which began in September 2003. The top 4 teams qualify automatically for the 2006 World Cup Finals; the fifth-placed team played off with Oceania.
- In bold: The 4 teams that clinched World Cup berths
- Argentina qualified for the 2006 World Cup on June 8, 2005.
- Brazil qualified on September 4, 2005.
- Paraguay and Ecuador got their ticket on October 8, 2005
- In italics: Qualified for a play-off against Australia.
- Uruguay had a home-and-away playoff against Oceania winner Australia on 12 and 16 November, having secured 5th place on October 12, 2005. The play-offs ended in a 1-0 victory for each home team, and Australia won the penalty shootoutPenalty shootout (football)A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
4-2.
- Uruguay had a home-and-away playoff against Oceania winner Australia on 12 and 16 November, having secured 5th place on October 12, 2005. The play-offs ended in a 1-0 victory for each home team, and Australia won the penalty shootout
Final standings:
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
| 4. |
| 5. |
| 6. |
| 7. |
| 8. |
| 9. |
| 10. |
Africa (CAF)
(5 berths)- Teams that have clinched a spot in the World Cup are in bold.
- Togo qualified with a 3-2 win over Congo on 8 October 2005.
- Ghana wins their group with the South Africa-Congo DR 2-2 draw on 8 October 2005.
- Côte d'Ivoire clinched their berth with the Cameroon-Egypt 1-1 draw, on 8 October 2005.
- Angola qualified for the 2006 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Rwanda on 8 October 2005.
- Tunisia qualified on 8 October 2005 with a 2-2 tie against Morocco.
Group standings of the Final Round:
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1. | 1. | 1. | 1. |
| 2. | 2. | 2. | 2. | 2. |
| 3. | 3. | 3. | 3. | 3. |
| 4. | 4. | 4. | 4. | 4. |
| 5. | 5. | 5. | 5. | 5. |
| 6. | 6. | 6. | 6. | 6. |
Oceania (OFC)
(1 berth after winning a playoff with South America)The top two teams in Oceania played against each other to earn the right to compete against the fifth-placed team from South America.
Group standings of the Final Round:
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
| 4. |
| 5. |
| 6. |
Australia then beat Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands national football team
The Solomon Islands national football team is the national team of the Solomon Islands and is controlled by Solomon Islands Football Federation. The team shocked the football world in the 2004 Oceania Nations Cup , tying Australia 2–2 to nip heavily-favored New Zealand for second place and a spot...
9-1 on aggregate. (1st leg: 7-0 on September 3, 2005; 2nd leg: 2-1 on September 6, 2005), and won the right to compete in the playoff against the fifth placed South American team. Their opponent was Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
, as they qualified in 5th place on October 12, 2005. Australia finally prevailed 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out after both play-off matches had ended 1-0 for the home team.
Asia (AFC)
(4 berths, after losing a playoff to CONCACAF)- Teams that have clinched berths for 2006 are bolded.
- Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea and Iran all qualified on June 8, 2005.
- Teams that have clinched a play-off place are in italics.
- Uzbekistan and Bahrain clinched play-off berths on August 17, 2005.
Group standings of the Final Round:
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| 1. | 1. |
| 2. | 2. |
| 3. | 3. |
| 4. | 4. |
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan national football team
The Uzbekistan national football team represents Uzbekistan in association football and is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, the governing body for football in Uzbekistan...
and Bahrain
Bahrain national football team
The Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...
(the 3rd place teams in each group) played a home-and-away match to determine Asia's representative in a playoff against CONCACAF
CONCACAF
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football is the continental governing body for association football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean...
's 4th place team, and are displayed in italics. On September 3, 2005, Uzbekistan won the first game 1-0, but FIFA decided that the match was to be declared void and ordered a replay following a refereeing blunder. The referee awarded Uzbekistan a penalty kick in the 38th minute. The penalty kick was successful but the referee deemed that a Uzbekistani player had entered the box prematurely. Rather than ordering Uzbekistan to retake the penalty as he should have done, the referee awarded Bahrain a free kick. Uzbekistan protested the game and argued that the game should be replayed from the point the penalty kick was awarded. FIFA accepted their protest, but ordered the whole game be replayed. Uzbekistan felt that this ruling was unfair since it punished them even though the referee's mistake benefited their opposition.
The playoffs were postponed to October 8, 2005 in Uzbekistan and October 12, 2005 in Bahrain. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw, and the 2nd leg match was a 0-0 draw. Bahrain, having scored one away goal to Uzbekistan's zero, advanced to the playoff. Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
defeated Bahrain
Bahrain national football team
The Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...
, 2-1 aggregate, to advance to the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th 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...
.
North America, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF)
(4 berths by winning a playoff with Asia)- World Cup finalists are bolded. Teams clinched berths in this order:
- United StatesUnited States men's national soccer teamThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
clinched the first berth to Germany with a 2-0 win over MexicoMexico national football teamThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
on September 3, 2005. - MexicoMexico national football teamThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
clinched the second of the three guaranteed berths on September 7, 2005 with a 5-0 win over PanamaPanama national football teamThe Panama national football team is the national team of Panama and is controlled by the Panamanian Football Federation. Panama reached the 2006 World Cup CONCACAF Final Round in the qualifiers and finished as runners-up at the final game of the 2005 Gold Cup...
. - Costa RicaCosta Rica national football teamThe Costa Rica national football team, nicknamed La Sele, is the national team of Costa Rica and is controlled by the Federación Costarricense de Fútbol. Costa Rica is the third most successful team in CONCACAF after Mexico and the United States...
clinched the final automatic berth on October 8, 2005 with a 3-0 win over the United StatesUnited States men's national soccer teamThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
. - Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago national football teamThe Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
, earned a playoff with the Asian 5th-place winner BahrainBahrain national football teamThe Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...
with a 2-1 victory over MexicoMexico national football teamThe Mexican national football team represents Mexico in association football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation , the governing body for football in Mexico. Mexico's home stadium is the Estadio Azteca and their head coach is José Manuel de la Torre...
on October 12, 2005. They subsequently won the playoff on November 16, 2005 on aggregate 2-1, clinching a 2006 berth.
- United States
Group standings of the Final Round:
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
| 4. |
| 5. |
| 6. |
Playoffs
On November 12 and November 16, 2005, five two-legged playoffPlayoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
s were conducted, with the winners earning the last five places in the World Cup:
- The six second-place teams from Europe that did not automatically qualify were drawn into three playoff matches. Full details of these playoffs can be found at 2006 FIFA World Cup - European Qualification Playoffs.
- Australia won the Oceania-South America Qualification Playoff penalty shootout 4-2 after both games were won 1:0 by the home team. Full details of this playoff can be found at 2006 FIFA World Cup - Oceania-South America Qualification Playoff.
- Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago national football teamThe Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
won the Asia-CONCACAF Qualification Playoff with an aggregate score of 2-1. Full details of this playoff can be found at 2006 FIFA World Cup - Asia-CONCACAF Qualification Playoff.
Summary
The teams that were involved in the playoffs are listed below. Qualifying countries shown in bold.- Europe (UEFA)
} vs (aggregate score 0-2)
-
- vs (aggregate score 6-2)
- vs (aggregate score 4-4, Switzerland won on away goals)
- Oceania (OFC) vs South America (CONMEBOL)
} vs (aggregate score 1-1, Australia won penalty shootout 4-2)
- Asia (AFC) vs North America, Central America & Caribbean (CONCACAF)
- vs (aggregate score 2-1)
Goalscorers
Included goals in the Inter-confederation play-offs.14 goals Jared Borgetti
Jared Borgetti
Jared Francisco Borgetti Echavarría is a retired Mexican footballer. Borgetti is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Mexican national team, with 46 goals. A prolific goal scorer at both club and national level, Borgetti was renowned for his heading ability...
12 goals Stern John
Stern John
Stern John is a Trinidadian football player currently playing for North East Stars in Trinidad. He played for a number of high profile English football clubs that included Nottingham Forest, Birmingham City and Coventry City.-Early Career in US:John moved to the United States to attend Mercer...
11 goals Jaime Lozano
Jaime Lozano
Jaime Arturo Lozano Espín is a Mexican football player currently playing for Morelia in the Mexican First Division. In Tigres, he played in the midfielder position with the number 21. However, at Cruz Azul he was employed as more of a defensive wingback...
Pauleta
Pauleta
Pedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes, OIH , commonly known as Pauleta , is a retired Portuguese footballer who played as a striker....
Emmanuel Adebayor
Emmanuel Adebayor
Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor is a Togolese footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur as a striker on loan from Manchester City. He plays in the same position for the Togo national team. Adebayor previously played for Metz, Monaco and Arsenal and was voted African Footballer of the Year for 2008...
10 goals Ronaldo
Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima , commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. Ronaldo is widely considered to be the greatest 'pure' striker in the history of the modern game, and by some accounts, in the history of football. Ronaldo was one of the...
Carlos Ruiz
9 goals Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
Jan Koller
Jan Koller
Jan Koller is Czech footballer currently playing in AFK Smetanova Lhota.As an international player he played as a striker for the Czech Republic national team. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for either the Czech Republic or the former Czechoslovakia, with 55 goals in 91 caps...
Ali Daei
Ali Daei
Ali Daei is an Iranian retired football player and former national team coach who currently manages a local Iranian team, Rah Ahan. He is a former captain of the Iran national football team, and is the world's all-time leading goalscorer in international matches...
Francisco Fonseca
Francisco Fonseca
José Francisco "Kikin" Fonseca Guzmán is a Mexican football striker. He currently plays for Atlante F.C..-Career:...
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooy, , is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Málaga CF in Spain's La Liga. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals...
8 goals Paulo Wanchope
Paulo Wanchope
Pablo César Wanchope Watson , more commonly known as Paulo Wanchope, is a Costa Rican former professional footballer. As of February 2009, Wanchope is the second most prolific goalscorer in the history of the national football team, behind Rolando Fonseca, with 45 goals in 73 international...
Obafemi Martins
Obafemi Martins
Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins is a Nigerian footballer who plays as a striker for Rubin Kazan and the Nigeria national team. He is known for his speed on the ball....
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....