World Cup Footie Seedings

[Frank Gallagher]

England seeded for 2006 World Cup  
   
 England have been placed among the top eight seeds for the 2006 World Cup.
 Sven-Goran Eriksson's side are in a top pool of hosts Germany, holders Brazil as well as Argentina, France, Italy, Spain and Mexico.
 
 England will now avoid meeting those countries in the group stages when the main draw for the tournament is made in Leipzig on Friday evening.
 
 Under the seeding system used by Fifa, England came out second to Brazil while Italy narrowly beat the US into eighth.
 
 Fifa's ranking co-effiecient saw performances at the 2002 World Cup, when England reached the quarter-finals, given twice as much weight as at 1998.
 
 They also took into account a country's world ranking over the last three years.
 
 "It's excellent news," Eriksson told the English Football Association website.
 
 "I think it's right too. We are one of the teams that have the potential to do very well in Germany and we have some of the best players in the world.
 
 "Finishing top of our qualification group with the second best record in the whole of Europe was a big achievement and I'm sure that has played a part in this decision."
 
 Serbia & Montenegro were the lowest placed European qualifier and have been placed in a special pot to stop three countries from the zone being in the same group.
 
 For the draw on Friday, around 3,700 people will be present in the auditorium at the huge trade fair hall in Leipzig's Neue Messe exhibition centre.
 
 It is being transformed into a football stadium for the occasion.
 
 The World Cup finals in Germany begins on 9 June 2006 and the final takes place in Munich on 9 July.
 
 
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 POT ONE
 Germany (hosts)
 Brazil (holders)
 Argentina
 England
 France
 Italy
 Mexico
 Spain
 
    POT TWO
 Australia
 Angola
 Ghana
 Ivory Coast
 Togo
 Tunisia
 Ecuador
 Paraguay
 
 
 
 POT THREE
 Croatia
 Czech Republic
 Netherlands
 Poland
 Portugal
 Sweden
 Switzerland
 Ukraine
 
   POT FOUR
 Iran
 Japan
 Saudi Arabia
 South Korea
 Costa Rica
 Trinidad & Tobago
 US
 Special pot: Sebria & Montenegro

[vansmack]

Shhh, don't tell anybody about the US squad almost being a seeded team.  Americans like a winner and people might start watching.
 
 Ah, who am I kidding?  It's still soccer and I prefer the bars with less people in them, especially fewer less knowledgable people.
 
 More importantly Mank, FIFA decided squads for the World Cup must be submitted by May 15 and no player will be allowed to appear for their clubs afterwards.  The only exception is the Champions League Final - that means no World Cup players in the FA Cup Final.

[Frank Gallagher]

Originally posted by vansmack:
  Shhh, don't tell anybody about the US squad almost being a seeded team.  Americans like a winner and people might start watching.
 
 Ah, who am I kidding?  It's still soccer and I prefer the bars with less people in them, especially fewer less knowledgable people.
 
 More importantly Mank, FIFA decided squads for the World Cup must be submitted by May 15 and no player will be allowed to appear for their clubs afterwards.  The only exception is the Champions League Final - that means no World Cup players in the FA Cup Final.

It's impressive the USA is seeded 9th....and got just pipped out of the top 8 by Italy. How far they have come in recent years.
 
 As for the FA Cup final....does anyone really care about that one anymore? It's just one rung up the ladder from the Carling Cup these days. Still a bollocks though. I wonder if they change the FA cup schedule, or just keep it as is to let the smaller teams go for it, because the big ones won't even try at this point. What's the point in going through all the rounds for you to be prevented from fielding your strongest team in the final.

[Barcelona]

This thing is a circus. How can Spain be a top seed? They had to play to these last minute playoffs against Slovakia. The criteria used by FIFA are a complete joke. The funniest thing though was the Trinidad Bahrein and Uruguay Australia games in four days including all these trips to the other side of the world.
 
 I don't care at all about the World Cup. Champions League is the one.

[Frank Gallagher]

Originally posted by Barcelona:
   
 
 I don't care at all about the World Cup. Champions League is the one.

I wonder why that is!   :roll:

[Barcelona]

Originally posted by Roadbike Mankie:
   

Originally posted by Barcelona:
   
 
 I don't care at all about the World Cup. Champions League is the one.

I wonder why that is!    :roll:  [/b]

Yes, maybe the day Catalunya has its own team I will be more interested in the World Cup.
 
 It's not that I don't care at all, just that I don't have a team I support as much as I support Barça. This time, I will go with Trinidad and Tobago and the African Teams.

[ChampionshipVinyl]

Some pleasant news!
 
 Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League and had the safety net of the UEFA Cup ripped away as well as they went down 2-1 to Benfica.

[Barcelona]

Sorry for Manchester United. Now, I don't want to see Chelsea or Bayern against Barça in the round of 16.
 
 Group A
 1. Juventus
 2. Bayern Munich
 
 Group B
 1. Arsenal
 2. Ajax
 
 Group C
 1. Barcelona
 2. Werder Bremen
 
 Group D
 1. Villareal
 2. Benfica
 
 Group E
 1. Milan
 2. PSV Eindhoven
 
 Group F
 1. Lyon
 2. Madrid
 
 Group G
 1. Liverpool
 2. Chelsea
 
 Group H
 1. Inter Milan
 2. Glasgow Rangers

[stu47]

US beats Mexico to make the '02 quarters...yeah, '98 was a disgrace, but did Mexico make it that much further
 
 then, we beat them in qualifying, are ahead of them in the world rankings....yet, they get seeded, we dont
 
 I call bullshit

[Frank Gallagher]

I wonder what the Glazer boys had to say when they went in the United locker room after the debacle!!!!    
 
 In reality, I was thinking the best thing for United would be third and then go and win the UEFA Cup, because that was their only hope of silverware this season......having said that, I am an optimistic minded die-hard, (even after the Glazers) so they will now be able to concentrate on winning the premiership by not having to look at the Champions League schedule to see which players to rest the week before a champs league match.
 
 Ferdinand, Ronaldo, RVN and O'Shea to go in the January window, buy a new centre back then bank the  rest of the money so the new manager can buy in the summer. Move Smith up front with Rooney and put Park in Ronaldo's position every game...Ole on the bench as a super sub. That would be my plan.

[freddyadu]

Where will be the place (bar/restaurant) to see the games in DC next summer?
 
 that is if I dont make the team first..

[Frank Gallagher]

Originally posted by freddyadu:
  Where will be the place (bar/restaurant) to see the games in DC next summer?
 
 that is if I dont make the team first..

I would say the Lucky Bar on Connecticut Ave. is probably your best chance.

[pip]

Goleo  and Pille The Erudite Ball... these might very well be the worst mascots ever. Only the Germans could come up with something so terribly lame.

[ggw]

Originally posted by pip:
  Goleo  and Pille The Erudite Ball... these might very well be the worst mascots ever. Only the Germans could come up with something so terribly lame.

I guess you haven't seen the mascots for the Turin Olympics:
 
  <img src="http://www.olympic.org/common/images/games/torino/v_mascotte_400.gif" alt=" - " />
 
 "Neve": she is a gentle, kind and elegant snowball; "Gliz": he is a lively, playful ice cube. They are the two symbolic characters of the XX Olympic Winter Games. They complement each other and personify the very essence of winter sports.
 
 The mascots were born from the pencil of Pedro Albuquerque, a 38-year old Portuguese designer who won the international competition launched by the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games in Turin (TOROC) on 25 March 2003. He was inspired by his passion for water and the incredible shapes this element takes on when it is transformed into snow or ice; by his research into the Italian spirit and the places hosting the Olympic Games; by the Olympic values; and by the technical characteristics of the various sporting disciplines of the Games.
 
 "Neve" and "Gliz" reflect the spirit of the Italian Olympic event: passion, enthusiasm, culture, elegance, and love of the environment and of sport. They are the symbol of a young generation that is full of life and energy.
 
 http://www.olympic.org/uk/games/torino/index_uk.asp

[Frank Gallagher]

The draw is this evening...what's the odds Germany (hosts) and Brasil (cos they're Brasil) get 'drawn' in weak groups.