WORLD CUP DRAW: HOW ARE AFRICA'S CHANCES?

The Draw was made few minutes ago. How would our brother's (African representatives) fare?

Please see the groupings:
GROUP A
Germany
Costa Rica
Poland
Ecuador

[B]GROUP B[/b]
England
Paraguay
Trinidad & Tobago
Sweden

GROUP C
Argentina
Ivory Coast
Serbia & Montenegro
Holland

GROUP D
Mexico
Iran
Angola
Portugal

GROUP E
Italy
Ghana
USA
Czech Republic

GROUP F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan

GROUP G
France
Switzerland
South Korea
Togo

GROUP H
Spain
Ukraine
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4466032.stm

for me interest in the world cup died when nigeria lost out. i dint even watch the draws. but i know it will be re-born when the world cup starts

well, after looking at the groups now, if i'm to say anything then it will be based on these countries pedigree in the game as i'm not privy to their present forms.
i'd say tunisia has a good chance of making it to the 2nd round. they should be able to beat saudi arabia and possibly ukraine.
i think ivory coast are worse off than other african countries cause i cant see them making it past argentina and holland.
ghana too is in a tough group as italy and usa and czech might prove unsurmountable for them.
togo too will not find it easy....

in all i think african nations have their work cut out for them. and most of them being first timers, it wont be a surprise if they all crash out in the first round.
i sincerly hope this would not be the case.

Sorry for the distorted arrangement. I know it looks really bad. Accept my apology.

If Ghana play-down their brazillian style then will qualify.
Its unfortunate that my plan of cheering the Eagles at the stand is dashed.

not only you. u said brazilian style.

11-Jun-06 ANG:POR Cologne
16-Jun-06 MEX:ANG Hanover
21-Jun-06 IRN:ANG Leipzig

10-Jun-06 ARG:CIV Hamburg
16-Jun-06 NED:CIV Stuttgart
21-Jun-06 CIV:SCG Munich

14-Jun-06 TUN:KSA Munich
19-Jun-06 ESP:TUN Stuttgart
23-Jun-06 UKR:TUN Berlin

13-Jun-06 KOR:TOG Frankfurt
19-Jun-06 TOG:SUI Dortmund
23-Jun-06 TOG:FRA Cologne

12-Jun-06 ITA:GHA Hanover
17-Jun-06 CZE:GHA Cologne
22-Jun-06 GHA:USA Nuremberg

Group C:
Ivory coast: Got a good team with some top-class players, disciplined set-up, and are difficult to play against. I think they'll come second behind either the Argies or Dutch.
Verdict: QF;

Group D:
Angola: Going no-where. I just hope we don't have some ridiculous score-line(like 7-0) that will set football back by some 25years. Seriously, I don't think they will adequately represent the strengths of African football.
Verdict: 3rd in group;

Group E:
Ghana: I quite fancy this Ghanian side to get past the group stages, as they play top-class stuff at times, andthey've got quality players. But I'm not sticking my neck out for them.
Verdict: 3rd in group;

Group G:
Togo: Are finishing bottom of the group.It's that simple. The swiss team is a strong one, as is the French team. For Togo to get anything from those two games, they'll need all the experience of Keshi and all the determination they can garner. The Korean team are a very dynamic side but I think Togo can get a draw from this game.
Verdict: 4th in group;

Group H:
Tunisia: I don't have any expexctations of this team at all. I actually forgot they were one of the Afrique reps.They have a way to dissapoint after so much promise. Anyway, they should give it a good fight.
Verdict: 3rd in group.

i tip angola and tunisia to make it to the next stage.

I was planning to travel to germany for the world cup but now nigeria is gone..I dont think it worths the trip. I could still go if my german friends are going home...i might go with them.

i'm a big fan of appiah but a bigger italian fan. i'll looking forward to that match. ghana is definitely gonna have it tough but italy should top the group. czech and USA are no beans either. it's a tough group.

whoever finishes second in that group won't have the best of luck as they'll likely face brasil in the 2nd round.

Tunisia seems to be the only likely 2nd round qualifiers. but going by their world cup precedents, it's hard to see them make it. togo will definitely go home after round one and will be lucky to score even one goal.

ivory coast will try their best but may also not make it beyond the second round.
ghana, angola, togo and ivory coast are not likely candidates to win a world cup game despite all their hype. most of the players will end up overwhelmed by the big name european players!

Sentiments aside, Africa's strongest teams remain nigeria, cameroun and tunisia and it's sad africa will not be represented by her best.

I am tipping Ivory Coast to qualify for second round while I am cock sure that the remaining African representatives that is Togo, Ghana, Tunisia and Angola will not go beyond first round.

ivory coast? no! the world cup would simply be too much for them and the guys are likely to get blown away by the 1st round

i would have tipped tunisia but despite all their credentials, they have never impressed at the world stage

the african team that has the best chance of getting to the second round is Togo but most likely they won't.

all african teams are coming home early!

All Afrrica's representatives to the world cup would be back for an early shower. sorry but i'm solidly behind brazil to win their 6th title.

Brazil? NO WAY. they are not getting it again! the god of soccer will not allow it.

GROUP C.....ivory coast are the strongest african qualifiers but are also in the toughest group. i don't see them getting 4 points from this group which is what i think it will take to qualify from this difficult group i.e a win and a draw.BUT with their ever impressive attack of didier drogba,aruna dindane,aruna kone,and bonaventure kalou what they lack is defensive discipline. if kolo toure,cyril domoraud and the rest of the backline can perform averagely well cote d'voire might spring a surprise at the expense of either the argies or the orangemen

GROUP D....angola is going to lose to both portugal and mexico with an outrageous scoreline in the case of portugal.they have nothing to offer the world cup only the presence of usual world cup whipping boys may spare them their blushes.there are 3 possibilities a.0 point from 3 losses b. 1 point from a draw with Iran, c. 3 points from a miraculous victory over iran. mexico and portugal surely going through in this one

GROUP D....angola is going to lose to both portugal and mexico with an outrageous scoreline in the case of portugal.they have nothing to offer the world cup only the presence of usual world cup whipping boys may spare them their blushes.there are 3 possibilities a.0 point from 3 losses b. 1 point from a draw with Iran, c. 3 points from a miraculous victory over iran. mexico and portugal surely going through in this one

GROUP E......... i don't see ghana qualifying from this group ahead of italy and czech republic. the ghanians have few players of proven internatinal quality and more importantly with experience at similar levels to the world cup.they depend too much on michael essien and captain stephen appiah's form for both creativity and goal scoring.they lack world class strikers and the only quality defender is ex captain samuel osei kuffour of AS Roma (if he's recalled).they are a good physical side and could have qualified in a few other groups, but not this one.

GROUP G..........many people have written off the togolese but i'm not so sure. anybody who watched france vs senegal in 2002,france vs greece in euro 2004 ,and in their world cup qualifiers against the swiss,irish,and isrealis, knows that the french hate playing against physical teams.coming with an ageing squad and a thierry henry who remains uninspiring in international tournamnents as their focal point,france is beatable and so is switzerland.the south koreans with their pace and stamina are always difficult to handle,but i think this is very open group although i give france and south korea the edge. the achilles heel of the togolese will be their inexperience at this level ,and overdependence on emmanuel adebayor's form .

GROUP H........ these perennial worl cup underacievers have the easiest draw of all the africans.if they do not implode as they usually do i see them qualifying from this group.BUT the tunisians have a way of disappointing at this stage,some say because there europeanstyle of football is tooo well known by their opponents.here they have 2 european opponents so let's keep our fingers crossed

Sorry but none of the African teams are making it through. We are no longer in the days of African teams being surprise packages! No beef, this is cold analysis:

Group C: Argentina-Ivory Coast-Serbia & Montenegro-Holland

Argentina and Italy are my tips to win this World Cup with Brazil a close second. My reasons for that conclusion will be dealt with later, but now let us concentrate on the Elephants. Looking at those draws must make horrible reading for any Elephants fan who really knows his football. What do the Elephants have to throw at an Argentina that contains the likes of Riquelme, Veron (he is back in form in case y'all don't know), Messi and Mascherano? Does anyone here in his right mind think that the Ivorian defence will be able to cope in a match that the midfield has already been lost? I don't think so. Ditto Holland. The only thing that the Ivorians might have against the Dutch is the fact that the current Dutch team is relatively inexperienced at the WC level, but did you follow them in qualifying? Had you done that then you'd realise that this team is deadly!
Serbia and Montenegro have always been dark horses, and it shocks me that people aren't even mentioning them. Did you know that the biggest loss in World Cup history was by Zaire (an African team) to Yugoslavia? Yugoslavia is the country that has officially changed their name to Serbia & Montenegro...

Verdict: Poor Elephants. 4th in group.


Group D: Mexico-Iran-Angola-Portugal

First things first, I am still very bitter about Nigeria's infinite fu[i].[/i]ck up in allowing these geezers sneak into the WC ahead of our good selves. But then maybe it was necessary so we learn a thing or two about how to crush small teams when they need to be crushed. Did anyone watch the Rwanda-Angola match? Rwanda had Angola under the cosh for long periods of that game and it was just an act of God (whatever that means) that made Angola go through. Someone should challenge me on that one! Mexico are perennial 2nd rounders in the WC, and it is not beans that they were seeded ahead of Portugal and Holland! I see them going through. Portugal are coached by Big Phil and do have a talented squad. The rest as they say is history...

Verdict: Angola and Iran to decide on who will prop up the group when they play.


Group E: Italy-Ghana-USA-Czech

Let's face it, barring any unforseen circumstances, and based purely on current form, Italy is topping this group. Here we have a team of young, hungry and talented players who have some good experience blended in with them and a great coach in Lippi. Did you watch Holland-Italy? The Czechs are touch and go true, but the Americans whether we like it or not have actually come of age in the beautiful game. What do Ghana have? FIFA Fair Play awardee Essien? Let's remember that he is over-rated. Or is it Juve reject Appiah? Did you see how Pirlo owned him in the 2 Milan-Fernabache UCL games? Let's get real here: on the day of Italy-Ghana, every Ghanaian will to a man scream rape!

Verdict: Ghana might just nick 3rd place, but they won't go through.


Group G: France-Switzerland-Korea-Togo

This isn't Senegal 2002, the French unlike in 2002 when Zidane and co had just 2 weeks between the end of the season and the start of the WC to rest and prepare will have a month! Togo unlike Senegal 2002 do not have all players playing in France and camping together once a week in preparation for the World Cup. Switzerland went to Hell and got a result against Turkey. Korea were 3rd (or was it 4th?) in the last WC and do play some sexy football.

Verdict: Togo enjoys the party and comes home bottom of the group.


Group H: Spain-Ukraine-Tunisia-Saudi Arabia

The problem with Tunisia is that it is full of Tunisians! Tunisia are the perennial under-acheivers of African football. Check the records! So if y'all want to bring in the argument of Spain being perennial underacheivers, the same applies to the Tunisians. But on the flip side of the coin, I think that of the teams going to the mundial from this continent, they actually have the bset chance of progressing, that is if they can manage a result against either the Spaniards or the Ukrainians. Saudi Arabia is at the worst case scenario a point for everyone in the group, so qualifying from that group might end up being a case of how well you beat the Saudis. Roger Lemmere over to you.

Verdict: I won't stick my neck on this one, but I think they could just get into the 2nd round!


Note that as far as I am concerned though, Africa starts and stops in Nigeria, so I will not be supporting any of these teams at the World Cup. Ti amo Italia.