The final draw for the 2006 Men's World Cup paired up several well known opponents, starting in Group B, where for the second straight World Cup, England will face Sweden in the first round. In Group G, qualifying rivals France and Switzerland, who battled in UEFA Group 4, meet again. Brazil, Australia, and Japan, who regularly meet at Confederations Cup tournaments, are together again in Group F. But the consensus Group of Death is likely to be Group C, made up of Argentina, Côte d’Ivoire, Serbia-Montenegro, and the Netherlands. The tournament's opening match will be Germany-Costa Rica, FRI 09 JUN 2006 in München.
» Group A: Germany, Costa Rica, Poland, Ecuador
» Group B: England, Paraguay, Trinidad-Tobago, Sweden
» Group C: Argentina, Côte d'Ivoire, Serbia-Mont, Netherlands
» Group D: Mexico, Iran, Angola, Portugal
» Group E: Italy, Ghana, United States, Czech Rep
» Group F: Brazil, Croatia, Australia, Japan
» Group G: France, Switzerland, Korea Rep, Togo
» Group H: Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia