FIFA's World Cup Draw To Be Held Friday

                  

This entry is dedicated to my readership across the pond in the UK. 

On Friday, Team USA will know where they will be for the 2006 World Cup.  They will be placed in a 4-country pool with one of these "top seeded" teams:  Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico and Spain.  Needless to say...the United States BARELY missed out on being one of the top seeds.  BARELY.  Just by one point. 

Now....I'm no soccer fan.  In fact, I detest it is some ways.  However, for some dumb reason...I do pay attention to the World Cup.  It is such a huge global event, it is hard to not be interested.  Add to the fact that the United States actually has a decent team....this may be the one that makes soccer soar in the US.  The United States team is rated #8 in the world.

So how does this draw work???

*The eight seeded teams will be drawn into eight different groups. Germany [the hosts] have already been allocated Group A and Brazil [the defending World Cup Champion] in Group F.

*The eight unseeded European sides, in pot three, will be drawn.

*The lowest-ranked European side, Serbia and Montenegro, will be allocated to one of the groups containing either Brazil, Argentina or Mexico to ensure there is no more than two European sides in any group.

*The pot containing the five African countries, Australia and the two remaining South American sides, pot two, will be drawn.

*The pot containing the four Asian countries, the USA, Costa Rica and Trinidad, pot four, will be drawn.