FRANKFURT, Germany, 6 December 2003 — Saudi Arabia, who slumped in the 2002 World Cup finals, were pitted against Indonesia, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka in Group 8 of the Asian qualifying competition for the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany in the draw here yesterday.
Japan, who hosted the 2002 edition together with South Korea, face Oman, India and Singapore in Group 3.
South Korea, who reached the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup finals that they co-hosted with Japan, will play against Lebanon, Vietnam and the Maldives in Group 7.
In the draw, made by former South Korean star Cha Bum Kun and the first Japanese player to play in a European professional league, Yasuhiko Okudera, China were pitted against Kuwait, Malaysia and Hong Kong in Group 4. Thailand will be hoping for better form when they take on the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and North Korea in Group 5. Group 1 features Iran, Qatar, Jordan and Laos, who were drawn as the first team, while Uzbekistan, Iraq, Palestine and Taiwan make up Group 2 and Bahrain, Syria, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in Group 6.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic will face off for the third time in four years as the two were drawn to play in the same group in the qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup.
England, meanwhile, will have some Polish nightmares apart from having to play a virtual United Kingdom championship against Northern Ireland and Wales as they aim to qualify. The European groups marked the end of the draw which featured 157 countries from the zones of the ruling body FIFA, who will fight for 31 berths to join hosts Germany at the June 9-July 9, 2006, finals. Laos was the first team out of the pots, in the Asian zone. The Czechs recently defeated the Dutch to earn direct qualification for the Euro 2004 finals. Now they meet again in World Cup qualifying Group 1 along with Romania, Finland, Macedonia, Armenia and Andorra. England, meanwhile, were beaten by Poland as they failed to qualify for the first World Cup in Germany in 1974. Now the two meet again in Group 6 which also features two further teams from the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as Azerbaijan and Austria.
The 1998 World Cup winners France meet Ireland, Switzerland, Israel, Cyprus and the Faroe Islands in Group 4. Three-time champions Italy are in Group 5 with Slovenia, Scotland, Norway, Belarus and Moldova.
Group 2 features, among others, Turkey, Denmark and Greece. Portugal meet Russia and Slovakia in Group 3. Spain are in Group 7 as Belgium and Serbia-Montenegro while Sweden and Croatia meet in Group 8. Only the group winners qualify directly.
In the African zone, Tunisia faces a tough Group 5 challenge from North African rivals Morocco as well as Kenya, Guinea, Malawi and Botswana. Top seeds and 2002 World Cup quarterfinalists Senegal meet, among others, Mali and Zambia. South Africa are in Group 2 alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burkina Faso. Group 3 features Cameroon and Egypt and Nigeria were drawn into Group 4 with Zimbabwe, Algeria, Angola, Gabon and Rwanda.
In the CONCACAF zone, top seeds Mexico will play the winner of the first-round tie between Dominica and Barbados. The United States face the winner of Grenada and Guyana and third seed Costa Rica meet either Cuba or the Cayman Islands before the qualifying session is completed with two group stages.
