Brazil Croatia Australia Japan
* = Seeded Team
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile
& Partners]
Current holders, five-time winners and worthy favorites this time around, who can stop the Brazilians from cruising to their sixth world title?
Impressive in winning the 2005 Confederations Cup, topping the South American qualifying group (losing only to Argentina away and Ecuador at altitude) and with a seeminglyly endless supply of new talent, only injuries to key players look like derailing the Brazilian juggernaut.
Why even look for weak points in the Selecao when the sum of the parts threatens to conjure up the most potent attacking force in World Cup history? The embarrassment of Brazilian creative riches borders on the downright rude, with Ronaldinho, Kaka, Robinho, Adriano and Ronaldinho all commandeering the ball and the imagination, and in what order?
Not that the five-time winners have too many weak points. This is fifth-time around for coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, for a start, having steered Korea, UAE and Saudi Arabia at this stage besides lifting the actual trophy as Brazil coach back in 1994.
Goalkeeper? Not this time: Dida has held down his AC Milan berth for over five years and his judgement is just one of the many Euro-friendly strengths Brazil will bring to the table in Germany. Add the savvy and local knowledge of Lucio, Roque Junior and Ze Roberto and only the age of the defence could be considered a possible issue.
Difficult as it may be to accept, they really are human, famously succumbing as favourites in relatively recent memory.
But Brazil won't worry that only one non-European nation has won the tournament on European soil - as it was Pele's first, in 1958, and most of their players will feel at home. Whoever can beat them should win the big one - and will have earned it.
 |
 |
Brazil Kit 1 |
Brazil Kit 2 |
Brazil v Croatia 13 June; KO 21:00; Berlin
Brazil v Australia 18 June; KO 18:00; Munich
Brazil v Japan 22 June; KO 21:00; Dortmund
Carlos Alberto Parreira
1930, 1934, 1966 First Round; 1982 & 1990 Second round; 1954, 1986 Quarter Finals; 1938 & 1978 Third place; 1974 Fourth place; 1998 runners-up; 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002 Champions.
Solid favorites to repeat as winners
World Cup Betting
Brazil finished at the top of the South American qualifying group to qualify with ease.
Carlos Alberto Parreira is in his third spell as coach and won
the trophy in 1994 in the USA.
Buy World Cup Tickets
Goalkeepers Rogerio Ceni (Sao Paulo), Julio Cesar (Inter
Milan), Dida (AC Milan),
Defenders Cafu (AC Milan), Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid),
Cicinho (Real Madrid), Cris (Olympique Lyon), Juan (Bayer Leverkusen),
Gilberto (Hertha Berlin), Lucio (Bayern Munich), Luisao (Benfica)
Midfielders Edmilson (Barcelona), Emerson (Juventus), Juninho
Pernambucano (Olympique Lyon), Kaka (AC Milan), Ricardinho (Corinthians),
Gilberto Silva (Arsenal), Ze Roberto (Bayern Munich)
Forwards Adriano (Inter Milan), Fred (Olympique Lyon), Robinho
(Real Madrid), Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Ronaldinho (Barcelona)
Alongside Sweden, Croatia underwent a bruising battle for the right to progress from Group 8 - only for both nations to advance anyway. But the fact that the Croats beat their main rivals home and away yet only finished top of the group on goal difference perhaps masks a soft underbelly capable of being exploited in Germany. The draw with minnows Malta in September - in which 21-year-old playmaker Niko Kranjcar, son of coach Zlatko Kranjcar scored the visitors' only goal - was a real low point in the campaign.
Croatia suffered first-round elimination in 2002 and again at the European Championships in 2004 but the location of next year's tournament might help avoid a third straight such exit. Germany is home from home for a number of Kranjcar's squad including Werder Bremen striker Ivan Klasnic and former Bayern Munich brothers Niko and Robert Kovac. However, whether the current crop has the quality to match the 1998 squad of Boban, Prosinecki and Suker and advance from a devilish group is less certain.
 |
 |
Croatia Kit 1 |
Croatia Kit 2 |
Croatia v Brazil 13 June; KO 21:00; Berlin
Croatia v Japan 18 June; KO 15:00; Nuremberg
Croatia v Australia 22 June; KO 21:00; Stuttgart
2002 First Round; 1998 Third place
Something tells us they won't get out of this group.
World Cup Betting
Croatia topped Sweden in European Qualifying Group 8.
It's a father-and-son combination for the Croats with father Zlatko
as manager and son Niko Kranjar as midfield maestro.
Buy World Cup Tickets
Goalkeepers Tomislav Butina (Club Bruges), Joe
Didulica (Austria Vienna), Stipe Pletikosa (Hajduk Split),
Defenders Robert Kovac (Juventus), Dario Simic (AC Milan),
Josip Simunic (Hertha Berlin), Mario Tokic (Austria Vienna), Stjepan
Tomas (Galatasaray), Igor Tudor (Siena)
Midfielders Marko Babic (Bayer Leverkusen), Niko Kovac (Hertha
Berlin), Niko
Kranjcar (Hajduk Split), Ivan Leko (Club Bruges), Jerko Leko
(Dynamo Kiev), Luka Modric (Dinamo Zagreb), Anthony Seric (Panathinaikos),
Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Jurica Vranjes (Werder Bremen)
Forwards Bosko Balaban (Club Bruges), Ivan Bosnjak (Dinamo
Zagreb), Ivan Klasnic (Werder Bremen), Ivica
Olic (CSKA Moscow), Dado
Prso (Rangers)
What a year for football in Australia. The reenergised domestic scene received the perfect accompaniment when the Socceroos edged past World Cup veterans Uruguay in November to pinch only their second-ever finals appearance. The two-legged affair was awash with heroes, none more so than Middlesbrough 'keeper Mark Schwarzer courtesy of two penalty shootout saves and the free-roaming Harry Kewell, showing signs of his best form in the Sydney decider.
But what a task awaits Guus Hiddink's side in Germany. Every opponent in tricky Group F has a story attached. Meeting Brazil is a dream come true and one to savour regardless of the result. Japan will be a fellow AFC nation come the World Cup. And Croatia's side features a handful of Australia-born players who thought their international future lay with the land of their ancestry rather than of their birthplace. Reserve goalkeeper Joey Didulica and defenders Ante Seric and Joe Simunic all jumped ship when Croatia came calling while a number of stars including the likes of captain Mark Viduka and Tony Popovic remained with the green-and-gold. Right decision? June 22 will reveal all.
 |
 |
Australia Kit 1 |
Australia Kit 2 |
Australia v Japan 12 June; KO 18:00; Kaiserslautern
Australia v Brazil 18 June; KO 18:00; Munich
Australia v Croatia 22 June; KO 21:00; Stuttgart
Guus Hiddink
Second appearance, first round (1974)
Mark Viduka, Marco Bresciano
With nothing to lose, a dangerous outfit, their time may come but
not in 2006.
World Cup Betting
Australia came through the Oceania/South American play-off with Uruguay on penalties.
Guus Hiddink, who has lead South Korea and the Netherlands to World
Cup semi-finals, will continue to coach both Dutch club side PSV
Eindhoven and the Socceroos.
Buy World Cup Tickets
Australia Team In-depth Profile
Goalkeepers Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough), Zeljko Kalac
(AC Milan), Ante Covic (Hammarby
Defenders Michael Beauchamp (Central Coast Mariners), Stan
Lazaridis (free agent), Craig Moore (Newcastle United), Lucas Neill
(Blackburn Rovers), Tony Popovic (Crystal Palace), Mark Milligan
(Sydney FC)
Midfielders Marco Bresciano (Parma), Tim Cahill (Everton),
Scott Chipperfield (Basel), Jason Culina (PSV Eindhoven), Brett
Emerton (Blackburn Rovers), Vince Grella (Parma), Josip Skoko (Stoke
City on loan from Wigan Athletic), Mile Sterjovski (Basel), Luke
Wilkshire (Bristol City)
Forwards John Aloisi (Alaves), Harry Kewell (Liverpool),
Archie Thompson (PSV Eindhoven on loan from Melbourne Victory),
Mark Viduka (Middlesbrough), Josh Kennedy (Dinamo Dresden)
Japan and Japanese football have made great strides since the national team reached its first World Cup finals at France 1998. At the 2005 Confederations Cup, Japan drew with Brazil and beat Euro 2004 champions Greece with some ease. Japan are reigning Asian champions and qualified for Germany '06 at the top of their group.
Japan's patient possession football and 3-5-2 system (though Zico has been experimenting with a 4-4-2 line-up the players seem not to like) can cause problems for even the top teams.
In Nakata, Ono, Nakamura and Inamoto, Japan possess a quality and experienced engine room, the problem is putting the ball in the net and performing against supposedly weaker teams.
 |
 |
Japan Kit 1 |
Japan Kit 2 |
Japan v Australia 12 June; KO 18:00; Kaiserslautern
Japan v Croatia 18 June; KO 15:00; Nuremberg
Japan v Brazil 22 June; KO 21:00; Dortmund
Arthur Antunes Coimbra aka "Zico"
1998 First Round; 2002 Second Round
Shunsuke Nakamura, Hidetoshi Nakata
We think Nippon might squeeze out Croatia and gain revenge for
1998.
World Cup Betting
Japan edged out Iran in their Asian Qualifying Group.
Brazilian coach Zico, like German counterpart Jurgen Klinnsmann,
spends much of his time away from the country, whose soccer team
he manages.
Buy World Cup Tickets
Japan
In-Depth Team Profile
Confidence the key to Japan's success
Goalkeepers Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata), Yoichi
Doi (FC Tokyo), Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus Eight)
Defenders Makoto Tanaka (Jubilo Iwata), Tsuneyasu Miyamoto
(Gamba Osaka), Alessandro Santos (Urawa Reds), Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama
F Marinos), Keisuke Tsuboi (Urawa Reds), Akira Kaji (Gamba Osaka),
Yuichi Komano (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Koji Nakata (Basle, Switzerland)
Midfielders Takashi Fukunishi (Jubilo Iwata), Mitsuo Ogasawara
(Kashima Antlers), Shinji Ono (Urawa Reds), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba
Osaka), Hidetoshi Nakata (Bolton, England), Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic,
Scotland), Junichi Inamoto (West Bromwich Albion, England)
Forwards Seiichiro Maki (JEF United Chiba), Keiji Tamada
(Nagoya Grampus Eight), Atsushi Yanagisawa (Kashima Antlers), Masashi
Oguro (Grenoble, France), Naohiro Takahara (Hamburg, Germany)
For highlights of the qualifying rounds, read Soccerphile's Ozren Podnar's "Best
of the World Cup Qualifiers."
Group F World Cup 2010