Dutch, Czechs the big threats

The unbeaten Dutch topped their qualifying group with 10 wins and two draws while the Czechs, who reached the semi-finals of Euro 2004, finished second in the same group and secured their place in next summer’s finals through the play-offs.

They were not seeded for the finals in Germany from June 9 to July 9 because both failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup while the Czechs also missed the 1998 tournament.

FIFA determined the top eight seeds among the 32 teams by awarding points based on performances in the last two World Cups and FIFA world rankings over the last three years.

World champions Brazil, hosts Germany, England, Spain, Mexico, France, Argentina and Italy earned the seeding slots.

The only other team ranked among the top eight in the world to miss out on a seeded place were the United States who paid the price for being ranked 32nd and last in the World Cup finals in France eight years ago.

Today’s draw takes place at the Neue Messe Trade Hall in front of nearly 4,000 invited guests, including 31 of the 32 national coaches, in a 90-minute ceremony starting 2.30 pm Trinidad and Tobago time.

Portugal, ranked 10th in the world and also unbeaten in their qualifying campaign, are another dangerous floater.

They finished runners-up when hosts of last year’s European Championship and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who took his native Brazil to a World Cup triumph in 2002, is bidding to become the first man to win the trophy with two countries.

The format for the finals will follow the formula used at the first 32-team finals in France eight years ago.

The eight seeds will be allocated to one of the eight four-team first round groups with the others added according to geographical criteria.

No more than two European teams will be in one group while teams from the CONCACAF, African, Asian and South American confederations will also be kept apart.

Among the most intensely interested nations will be those taking part for the first time, including no less than four from Africa— Ghana, Ivory Coast, Angola and Togo. Ukraine and Trinidad and Tobago are also debutants.

Germany have already been allocated slot A1 in the draw, guaranteeing that as hosts they open the tournament in Munich on June 9 before playing matches in Dortmund on June 14 and Berlin on June 20.

Brazil, as champions, have been allocated position F1, determining a first round programme which also ensures they play in the bigger stadiums in the opening round.

Brazil start their campaign in Berlin on June 13 before playing in Munich on June 18 and Dortmund on June 22.

Those draw positions ensure that Germany and Brazil, finalists in 2002, cannot meet before the final again if both finish top of their groups. The top two from each first round group qualify for knockout games in the last 16.

Apart from the seeds and the draw positions of Germany and Brazil, the rest of today’s draw is impossible to predict despite intense speculation in the world’s media.

A headline in Wednesday’s Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper proclaimed: "Germany is threatened with extremely difficult group" but the hosts could just as easily get a relatively comfortable draw, and much will depend on whether they come up against the Netherlands or the Czechs.

The draw will be televised live to 150 countries and an estimated global audience of around 350 million people.

Footballing personalities Pele, Lothar Matthaeus and Andriy Shevchenko are all expected to take part in the ceremony which will be compered by FIFA’s director of communications Markus Siegler.