Head Coach: Rudi Völler

» Hans-Joerg Butt G
» Oliver Kahn G
» Jens Lehmann G
» Sebastian Kehl D
» Thomas Linke D
» Christoph Metzelder D
» Marko Rehmer D
» Franko Baumann D
» Christian Ziege D
» Joerg Boehme M
» Michael Ballack M
» Lars Ricken M
» Torsten Frings M
» Dietmar Hamann M
» Jens Jeremies M
» Carsten Ramelow M
» Bernd Schneider M
» Gerald Asamoah F
» Oliver Bierhoff F
» Marco Bode F
» Carsten Jancker F
» Miroslav Klose F
» Oliver Neuville F

GET FULL PLAYER CARDS IN OUR GAME TRACKER

Michael Ballack: An elegant midfielder who carries the ball with style and grace, Michael Ballack will be one of the breakout stars at this year's World Cup. He was Germany's top scorer in qualifying, netting six goals in nine games.

Oliver Kahn: Kahn presents a daunting presence in net as one of the world's best goalkeepers. As team captain, he provides natural leadership on the pitch and is absolutely crucial to Germany attaining success in Japan and South Korea.

Oliver Neuville: Swift of foot coming up the middle of the pitch or out on the wing, Oliver Neuville is a resourceful attacker who has a knack for scoring crucial goals. Possesses a cultured right foot that he uses to score from outside the penalty-area.

Franz Beckenbauer: Nicknamed "The Kaiser," Franz Beckenbauer earned 103 caps and captained West Germany to the 1974 World Cup on home soil. Beckenbauer revolutionized the position of the attacking sweeper (known as the libero) and is one of the greatest players of all-time.

Gerd Müller: Gerd Müller netted 14 goals for West Germany in the 1970 and 1974 World Cup, and is the all-time leading scorer in the competition. Nicknamed "Der Bomber," Müller earned 62 caps and scored 68 goals, still one of the most amazing strike records in international competition.

Scouting Report

Style of play: Germany is a very disciplined side, noted for its workmanlike efficiency, flawless execution and technical precision. Coach Rudi Voller usually goes with a 3-5-2 formation, backed by a trio of solid defenders supported by a libero or a more traditional sweeper. Germany dictates the pace of the game by distributing the ball across the width of the field amongst its midfielders. They rarely score goals on the counterattack, instead relying on a slow, deliberate build up from its own half of the field to create scoring chances. The Germans are also a very patient side as they wear their opponents down by controlling the ball and wait for an opening before springing its strikers forward on a break towards goal.

Strengths:
Goalkeeping -- Oliver Kahn is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He's an excellent shot-stopper, is very athletic and is sure-handed when dealing with crosses. As team captain, he organizes his defenders effectively and provides leadership on the pitch.
Undying resolve -- The great German teams of the past have been known for their unity. This year's squad is no different. Germany is bound by an incredible team spirit and is always able to come back to win games when things look bleak.
Technical skill -- Germany is a technically skilled side that moves the ball around with precision and efficiency. They are a disciplined team that isn’t easily frustrated. They don't concede many direct free kicks by making reckless challenges. Instead, they use precise tackling to strip opposing players of the ball and winning possession.

Weaknesses:
Key injuries -- Playmaker Mehmet Scholl, midfielders Sebastian Deisler and Jorg Heinrich, central defender Jens Nowotny and defensive stalwart Christian Worns (all of them regular starters) will miss the competition due to injury. Defender Marco Rehmer is struggling with an ankle injury, further compounding Germany's woes.
Confidence -- Germany is suffering from a lack of confidence due to its poor recent form. The Germans washed out of Euro 2000 in the opening group stage and are still smiting from that embarrassing 5-1 loss against England last year in Munich during qualification. The memory of those defeats continue to linger and will be a huge distraction.
Attack -- Germany will have difficulty scoring goals. Forward Oliver Bierhoff is past his prime, Carsten Jancker has failed to impress at the international level and Miroslav Klose is unproven. The loss of Mehmet Scholl to injury doesn't help matters.

Key injuries/omissions: Playmaker Mehmet Scholl, midfielders Sebastian Deisler and Jorg Heinrich, and defenders Jens Nowotny and Christian Worns (all of them regular starters) will miss the competition due to injury. Coach Rudi Voller called up midfielders Lars Ricken and Jorg Bohme to replace Deisler and Heinrich…. Key playmaker Michael Ballack arrived at training camp in Japan with a bruised foot, but it isn’t expected to keep him our of Germany’s starting line up… Defender Marco Rehmer is struggling with an ankle injury and might not see a lot of first-team action…

Outlook: Germany's qualifying route to the World Cup was rather bumpy and a recent 1-0 loss to Wales in an exhibition match suggests German soccer is on the decline. They also enter the tournament with a long laundry list of key injuries. However, the Germans are anxious to prove they are still among soccer's elite and will be looking to reestablish their reputation at the World Cup. Germany will have a tough time of it in Group E, as Cameroon will provide strong competition. Still, they should edge out the Republic of Ireland for second place to advance to the next round. Passage to the quarterfinals could prove to be too much for the ailing Germans as potential opponents in the second round include arch rivals England, Argentina, Spain and Sweden.

The Country

Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Capital: Berlin

Area: 357,021 sq km

Population:82,797,408 (July 2000 est.)

Government type: Federal republic

Climate: Temperate and marine.

Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Serbo-Croatian, Italian, Russian, Greek, Polish, Spanish).

Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 1.7%, unaffiliated or other 26.3%.

Languages: German

History: The two World Wars devastated Germany, as the country became occupied by the Allied nations of the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. The start of the Cold War left Germany divided into two states in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany and the eastern German Democratic Republic. West Germany involved itself in Western economic and security organizations, while communist East Germany was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War brought down the Berlin Wall and led to German re-unification in 1990.

Bob Lenarduzzi

This really is an interesting group because there are so many variants and variables involved. Germany has history and they have tradition, but they don't have a good squad of players right now.

The (Roy) Keane thing could be a positive for (Ireland), because based on the fact the rest of the players are unified in not wanting him there, I think that speaks volumes. Ireland is not dependent on one player; they work as a group, and this will pull them even more together.

I don't think Saudi Arabia has enough to get to the next round.

Cameroon is an enigma. They could be good, or they could be crap. I hope they're great because I think the World Cup needs countries that play with the reckless abandon they play with. From a spectator point of view, you hope they get out of this group.

Prediction: 1) Germany 2) Cameroon

Jason de Vos

This is a really tough group to call. Germany lacks pace at the back. They're struggling with injuries, and they don't have the same strength and depth that they used to have. But, it's still Germany, and that works in their favour, that tradition and history they have. When push comes to shove on the big stage, they'll pull it together.

Cameroon's coach has come in and really stressed that they have to be responsible defensively. That's always been the knock against Cameroon, is that they play fire-engine soccer and in their desire to play an attractive offensive game, they sometimes completely neglect what they have to do at the other end. They really have to be sensible about how they go about things. Offensively they have some very good players, and if they can pull it all together and cut out the silly mistakes at the back, they could win this group.

That being said, they are an enigma, and they could very well find themselves going home on the first plane depending on how they begin the tournament. I think the first game against Ireland (CBC, June 1, 3:30 pm Local) is crucial. If they can win that game, I think they will have set themselves up quite well.

The whole Roy Keane thing is a massive story, no matter how you look at it. The fact that (the Irish) team have all signed a letter stating they don't want him back, it's very interesting. The team seems unified in his absence. The question is whether that unity and team cohesiveness will be enough to get them through. I don't know that it will. I think a lot of that is going to hinge on that first game against Cameroon.

I don't see Saudi Arabia progressing beyond the opening group. They may pick up a point and alter the outcome of the group that way, but as for progression, I don't think it will happen for them.

Prediction: 1) Cameroon 2) Germany

Federation founded: 1900

FIFA member since: 1904

Current FIFA Ranking: #11

1st round matches:
June 1 vs. Saudi Arabia in Sapporo
June 5 vs. Republic of Ireland in Ibaraki
June 11 vs. Cameroon in Shizuoka

2002 qualification route: Germany finished in second place in Europe Group 9 behind England and then defeated Ukraine 5-2 on aggregate in a two-legged playoff.

Record in qualifying: 6 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss
Goals for: 19 Goals against: 12

Qualifying results:
Germany 2 Greece 0
England 0 Germany 1
Germany 2 Albania 1
Greece 2 Germany 4
Finland 2 Germany 2
Albania 0 Germany 2
Germany 1 England 5
Germany 0 Finland 0
Playoffs
Ukraine 1 Germany 1
Germany 4 Ukraine 1

Number of previous World Cup appearances: 14

All-time record: 78 GP -- 45 W, 17 D, 16 L Goals for: 162 Goals against: 103

World Cup History:
(1950 to 1990 – competed as West Germany)
1930 – Did not enter
1934 – Semi-finals/3rd place
1938 - First round
1950 – Did not enter
1954 - Winners
1958 – Semi-finals/4th place
1962 – Quarter-finals
1966 – Runners-up
1970 – Semi-finals/3rd place
1974 - Winners
1978 - Second round
1982 – Runners-up
1986 – Runners-up
1990 - Winners
1994 – Quarter-finals
1998 – Quarter-finals

Biggest victory: 6-0 vs Mexico in 1978.
Biggest defeat: 3-8 vs Hungary in 1954.
Overall top scorer: Gerd Müller, 14 goals.
Most appearances: Lothar Matthäus, 25 matches.
Hosted the World Cup: 1974

Past Achievements:
World Cup Champions: 1954 in Switzerland, 1974 in West Germany, 1990 in Italy
World Cup Finalists: 1966 in England, 1982 in Spain, 1986 in Mexico
World Cup Semi-Finalists: 1934 in Italy, 1970 in Mexico
European Champions: 1972 in Belgium, 1980 in Italy, 1996 in England
European Championship Finalists: 1976 in Yugoslavia, 1992 in Sweden