<b>Group A:</b>
A1: Germany
A2: Costa Rica
A3: Poland
A4: Ecuador

<b>Group B:</b>
B1: England
B2: Paraguay
B3: Trinidad &amp; Tobago
B4: Sweden

<b>Group C:</b>
C1: Argentina
C2: Ivory Coast
C3: Serbia &amp; Montenegro
C4: Holland

<b> Group D:</b>
D1: Mexiko
D2: Iran
D3: Angola
D4: Portugal

<b>Group E:</b>
E1: Italy
E2: Ghana
E3: USA
E4: Czech Republic

<b>Group F:</b>
F1: Brasil
F2: Croatia
F3: Australia
F4: Japan

<b>Group G:</b>
G1: France
G2: Switzerland
G3: South Korea
G4: Togo

<b>Group H</b>
H1: Spain
H2: Ukraine
H3: Tunisia
H4: Saudi Arabia

It looks very difficult for the USA to get past the first round. Italy and Czechs are both very strong, and Ghana were tipped as one of the &quot;dark horses&quot;.

Still, it could be worse - you could follow Serbia and Montenegro.

Were I a betting person, I'd put odds on France easily winning their group.

France makes the easy look difficult and the difficult look nearly impossible.

Three lions on a cert! (This would take forever to explain).

England will walk their group, spank the poles (which sounds a bit rude) and duff up the argies in the quarters in what should be the usual low-key, no pressure environment that usually occurs when we two meet. After that - who knows?

There's also no &quot;group of death&quot;. That's not right. Not right at all.

Also the yanks are doomed.

David...

As always your heroes will find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and then cry how the referees have done them in (see Euro 2004)...

If US does get out of the group, and I'm assuming they would be second in the group at best, it gets worst. They will face Brazil, in the first knockout stage. (again, assuming that Brazil will come out on top of their group, an easy assumption to make)

Not good.........

David,

even though I am German, I'll put a wager on your team. Last chance for a while to win something, I guess. The guys don't get younger and with their quality they should have won something before anyway.

I just hope that Jules Rimet is indeed still gleaming and you guys don't disappoint me again like you did when losing in that memorable match against Portugal at the Euro 2004.

<b>david_west</b>,

I also believe England will end up on top of the group, but I disagree with you as to who they will face in the first knockout stage. I believe Poland will end up on top of that group, so the match of the hour in the second stage could be England vs Germany.

It should be a classic........

And David...

Hope you English leaves your hooligans home for this World Cup...one of the advantages of the last one was that it was in the Orient and kind of expensive for the English hooligans to get there.

Actually the German police is more worried about the local German hooligans and some very violent groups from Poland.

The 2 clashed just recently in some border towns.

<b>http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/tourneys/2005-12-09-world-cup-violence_x.htm</b>

HSV: THis will be the last hurrah for Campbell, Beckham etc. Howver we have young talent in droves. Most English people would rather see Sean Wright Phillips in that position than Beckham and Terry and King (or Carragher) for Ferdinand and Campbell.

Once the old guard has gone you'll see some new blood.

I'll play the germans any day of the week, they're as weak now as they have ever been.

As to hooliganism - frankly this is a bit out of date. You want hoolies - go to germany, holland, poland etc. It's pretty much died out here. And incidentally such hooligans as there are are not deterred by cost - they have very high disposable incomes.

I see the Germans are saying &quot;come, even if you haven't got a ticket&quot; and are putting on fan's parties and events to keep them occupied. They're assuming 100,000 English will make the trip.