Perhaps the two most compelling groups came to their surprising conclusions on THU 22 JUN 2006. more...

Few teams saw their second round uncertainty resolved on SUN 18 JUN 2006. more...

There were two surprising comebacks in one match, a repeat of recent history, and a cracking goal on TUE 13 JUN 2006. more...

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. more...

Crowd trouble at their last Germany 2006 qualifiers has led to FIFA sanctions for Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Croatia. Rival fans threw objects – including ripped out seats – at one another during Serbia-Mont's home match against Bosnia-Herz in UEFA Group 7 on WED 12 OCT 2005, leading to a closed door ban for Serbia-Mont's first qualifier for Euro 2008. That nation was also fined €23,000 [US$27,000], with Bosnia-Herz fined €26,000 [US$31,000]. Croatia's Group 8 match against Hungary on the same day was also marred by crowd disturbances, leading to another €26,000 fine.

Six more slots on the Germany 2006 guest list were taken after the UEFA group phase matches on SAT 08 OCT 2005. more...

The first UEFA place at Germany 2006 was claimed in the UEFA group phase on SAT 03 SEP 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on SAT 26 MAR 2005. more...

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 08 SEP 2004. more...