World Cup Soccer - 2006 Germany

FIFA World Cup 2006
Germany official poster
24 in. x 30 in.
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Football fans flock to Germany in 2006

In June 2006, 3.2 million guests are expected to attend the 18th FIFA World Cup Soccer games to be held in Germany. About 1/3 of those guests, it is estimated, will come from abroad. Even so, far more tickets have been requested than can be awarded. It is estimated that billions will watched the televised events -- from home, with friends, in a local sports bar, or perhaps from one of the 200 German towns that will be setting up public screenings in parks, stadiums, and market squares.

The games will be played in new or vastly renovated stadiums spread across 12 German cities. Teams qualifying for the first time in the 2006 tournament are Ghana, The Ivory Coast, Angola, Togo, Ukraine, and Trinidad & Tobago. In all, 32 countries representing 6 continents will compete in 64 matches. The final match between the top two teams will be played on July 9 in Berlin, the nation's capital city.

Book: German
Football: History,
Culture, Society &
the World Cup 2006
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Germany & the World Cup

The FIFA World Cup was last held in Germany in 1974. In that year, only 16 teams competed in the final competition. The German team beat their Dutch neighbors in the final match to take home their second FIFA trophy ever. The Germans had won their first World Cup match 20 years earlier in 1954. This win played a special role in inspiring Germany and instilling a sense of national pride following the economic and moral devastation of World War II.

In 1990, the year of the country's reunification, Germany won the World Cup tournament for a third time. The German national team has taken second place 4 times in the history of the tournament and is, alongside Brazil, one of the most successful and skilled FIFA teams. The famed German forward Gerd Müller has for decades held the record for the most career World Cup goals at 14, although he only played in two tournaments.

Why Germany?

With over 10 million spectators attending German national Bundesliga games each year, it is clear that the Germans have a special love for soccer. But this is not the only condition that makes Germany an excellent venue for hosting this international sporting event. The Germans have a first-rate modern infrastructure and a well-developed transportation system. In addition, Germany has a number of high-interest tourist attractions to entertain guests when they are not at the stadium. During the 2006 competition, the world will have an opportunity to experience modern Germany and its diverse landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and the hospitality of its people.

The host cities

The soccer tournament is financially sponsored by the German government and the individual host states and cities, which are busily preparing for the arrival of their international guests. The German federal government is providing an additional 30 million euros to sponsor an arts and cultural program of events leading up to the tournament and to entertain guests when they are not at the games.

See World Cup 2006 Host City posters.

Berlin: The formerly divided capital city of Germany is the setting of the World Cup finale on June 9, which will take place in the Olympic stadium. The sprawling city on the Spree River is characterized by contrasts: historical architecture alongside modern high rises, the traditional interwoven with the alternative and revolutionary. Once a battlefield at the center of the Cold War, Berlin has experienced renewal as a cultural and economic magnet with cosmopolitain flair.

Cologne: This city founded by the Romans along the Rhine River is known for its enormous Gothic cathedral, its raucous carnival celebrations, its own beer brewing technique, and its unique Kölsch dialect. The city's RheinEnergie Stadium, which holds a crowd of 45,000, is being completed renovated for the World Cup games. That the 2002 champion team Brazil will play there is apt since Cologne has the largest Brazilian population in Germany.

Dortmund: After World War II, the largest city in the Ruhr region made the transformation from coal mining to microchips. The once industrial stronghold has in more recent times become known for its culture and technology. Home to the Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund, the city's Westfalenstadion seats 60,000, making it the largest in Germany.

Frankfurt: As major European center of finance and banking with one of Europe's busiest airports, Frankfurt is an international metropolis. But at the same time, its old city center, the museum mile along the Main river, and its reputation as the birthplace of Goethe, Germany's most celebrated poet, reveals the city's rich cultural roots. Each year the city hosts the largest book fair in the world. Frankfurt's Waldstadion holds 48,000 fans and is being completely renovated for the World Cup.

Gelsenkirchen: Located in the Ruhr region, Gelsenkirchen is known for its coal, iron, and steel industries. Also forward-looking in its approach to energy, the city is home to the world's largest solar power plant. The city's own football team Schalke04 has won the German national championship seven times.

Hamburg: The economy and geography of Germany's second largest city is largely defined by its location as a gateway to the North Sea. With its many waterways, the city on the Elbe River has more bridges than either Venice or Amsterdam. Hamburg is close to the birth of football in Germany, as it was home to the country's first soccer club. Today, the city has two teams: Hamburg SV and St. Pauli.

Hanover: Host to the 2000 World Expo, CeBit, and a myriad of other trade fairs and conferences, Hanover is quite accustomed to accomodating thousands of guests at once. Hanover's distinctive Sports Park with its indoor and outdoor stadiums has been the venue for sports tournaments of many kinds. The city is also home to Europe's only surviving original Baroque garden, Herrenhausen Royal Gardens, dating from 1666.

Kaiserslautern: Kaiserslautern is a lively student town that abuts the Palatinate forest, the largest wooded area in Germany. For six months out of the year - from April to October - the city hosts a World Garden Show that includes a Japanese garden and Europe's largest dinosaur exhibit. The city is also know for its soccer team FC Kaiserslautern, which has won the German national champion title four times.

Leipzig: A good number of Germany's intellectuals and artists have at some point called Leipzig home - Leibniz, Bach, Goethe, Schiller, Nietzsche, and Wagner, to name only a handful. The city also played a leading role in the 1989 revolution that eventually led to the German reunification. It seems fitting that a city that has contributed so much culturally to Germany would also be the birthplace of the Deutsche Bundesliga, the German National Football League.

Munich: High tech and tradition meet in Munich. It is the birthplace of the world famous Oktoberfest, houses some of the world's finest artworks, and is also home to Siemens, BMW, and 20,000 other high tech firms. The English Garden, Europe's largest municipal park, is near the heart of the city. Munich hosted the 1972 Olympics and provided the setting for the 1974 World Cup finale. The 2006 matches will be played in the new Allianz arena.

Nuremberg: Far removed from its glory days as part of the medieval German Reich and its season of gloom due to its association with the National Socialists, Nuremberg has developed into thriving commerical, industrial, and hi-tech center. Like in most German cities, modernity and tradition co-mingle here. Every December, the town of half a million inhabitants hosts its annual Christkindlesmarkt, the largest Christmas market in the world. The city's football team FC Nuremberg has taken the German national title 9 times.

Stuttgart: How fitting that the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium should belong to the city of Stuttgart, home to the country's top automobile makers Porsche and Daimler-Chrysler. Its industry and commerce have given it the highest per capita income of any city in Germany. The city is one of the greenest in Europe, as two-thirds of its lands consist of woods, parks, and gardens. Beyond the city limits are rolling green hills, vineyards, and the gateway to the Black Forest, one of Germany's most beloved tourist attractions.