LEIPZIG, Germany — Hosts Germany will play Costa Rica in the opening game of the 2006 World Cup in Munich on June 9 as the draw yesterday put Saudi Arabia in an easy group. The finals end July 9 in Berlin.
The Kingdom, which had made it to four consecutive World Cup finals, have every chance of making it to the second round again when they start their Group H campaign against Tunisia. The other two teams in the group are Spain and Ukraine.
Saudi Arabia were the last team to be picked in the draw and this proved lucky for them as they missed the bigger names in the other seven groups. The Group C looks the toughest with Argentina, the Netherlands, Serbia and Montenegro and the African delight Ivory Coast being clubbed together.
Hosts Germany, apart from Costa Rica, will have to negotiate the effervescent Poland and Ecuador to advance.
England Manager Sven Goran Eriksson will be confident his side can progress in Group B against Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago and his native Sweden.
Mexico face World Cup debutants Angola in Group D as well as Iran and Euro 2004 finalists Portugal. Italy face a tricky Group E made up of Ghana, the United States and the Czech Republic.
Defending champions Brazil top Group F where they come up against Croatia in their opening game before facing Australia and Japan.
Champions from 1998, France, take on qualification opponents Switzerland as well as South Korea and new boys Togo in Group G.
It was also decided that the ball for the finals will be largely in traditional black and white for the first time since 1994. The new ball, unveiled during the draw in Leipzig yesterday, is called the “+Teamgeist” and features just a little gold coloring around the long panels.
In France in 1998 the “Tricolore” was the first multicolored ball to be used in the finals. In 2002 in South Korea and Japan the “Fevernova” ball was a beige color with a large gold, black and red design.
German sporting goods maker Adidas hopes to sell 10 million of the official balls. “It’s been good in training,” England captain David Beckham, who is sponsored by Adidas, said from Madrid in a recorded video presentation. “It’s very classic looking. Black and white — it’s all about football.”
Adidas, who have provided the official World Cup ball since 1970, had hoped to equip balls at the 2006 finals with microchips but FIFA decided the goal line technology was not ready and FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he did not expect it to be used in the foreseeable future.
The draw ceremony was watched by an estimated record television audience of 320 millions. German supermodel Heidi Klum and popular German TV presenter Reinhold Beckmann hosted the show broadcast around the globe.
