World Cup 2006 Groups: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H

Group A Team Profiles: Germany | Costa Rica | Poland | Ecuador

Group A

 Germany
 Costa Rica
 Poland
 Ecuador

Group A Matches

Match # Date & Time Group Teams Result Venue
1 Fri 9th Jun 18:00 A  GER  CRC 4 - 2 Munich
2 Fri 9th Jun 21:00 A  POL  ECU 0 - 2 Gelsenkirchen
17 Wed 14th Jun 21:00 A  GER  POL 1 - 0 Dortmund
18 Thu 15th Jun 15:00 A  ECU  CRC 3 - 0 Hamburg
33 Tue 20th Jun 16:00 A  ECU  GER 0 - 3 Berlin
34 Tue 20th Jun 16:00 A  CRC  POL 1 - 2 Hanover

Match times shown are local times for Germany (CEST/GMT+0200). Click on match date/time to view match statistics.

Some might say fate smiled on Germany with this Group A draw, a group from which they'll be expected to make it to the 2nd Round comfortably. The home fans in Germany will accept nothing less from the host nation, and Germany certainly have the World Cup pedigree to back up those expectations.

Costa Rica have a decent record from their previous World Cup appearances where they reached the 2nd Round in 1990 and only missed out on the same by goal difference in 2002. Not bad considering Brazil were in the same group on both occasions. Certainly one to watch, and they could make it to the 2nd Round again.

Poland must also fancy their chances of advancing to the 2nd Round, although their record in international competitions hasn't been great, having gone out at the group stage in World Cup 2002 and failed to qualify for the 2004 European Championship. Poland and neighbours Germany have a history of tense matches between them and their Group A meeting promises more of the same, and could be a deciding factor in who progresses to the 2nd Round.

Ecuador are the Group A outsiders but could cause an upset along the way. They qualified largely thanks to an impressive record at their high-altitude home ground. Performing on foreign soil however, has been a problem and one they will need to address if they want to do well in World Cup 2006.