The wait is over.
The World Cup starts today in Germany. Teams from the United States and Saudi Arabia are among the 32 teams that will compete in 64 games over the next 31
days for the world championship of soccer that will be won in Berlin on July 9.
This SUSRIS IOI provides background information and links so you can follow your team or just to find out what all the 'buzz' is about.
WHAT: World championship of men's soccer held every four years.
WHERE: Cities throughout Germany.
SCHEDULE:
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First round - Today-June 23.
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Round of 16 - June 24-27.
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Quarterfinals - June 30-July 1.
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Semifinals - July 4-5.
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Third-place game - July 8.
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Final - July 9.
FORMAT:
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The 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four.
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In the first round, each team plays the other three in its group.
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A win is worth three points, a tie one and a loss none.
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The top two teams advance to the second round, where single-elimination begins.
THE FIELD:
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Group A - Costa Rica, Ecuador, Germany, Poland.
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Group B - England, Paraguay, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago.
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Group C - Argentina, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, Serbia-Montenegro.
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Group D - Angola, Iran, Mexico, Portugal.
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Group E - Czech Republic, Ghana, Italy, United
States.
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Group F - Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Japan. Group G - France, South Korea, Switzerland, Togo.
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Group H - Saudi Arabia, Spain, Tunisia, Ukraine.
Source: St. Pete Times
Television Coverage: ESPN/ESPN2 in the US
http://espn.go.com/
World Cup Resource
Sites
