As it happens, “Taller, bigger and faster!" is not Frankfurt’s official motto, but a newcomer to the banking and finance metropolis on the River Main might think it ought to be. Some of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe characterise the skyline, the streets in the compact centre are a hive of bustle and activity, and evidence of the city’s varied and thoroughly multicultural population is to be seen everywhere.

However, fittingly for such an important communications and transport hub, Germany’s fifth-largest city is also known for the warm welcome it extends to visitors. Next Monday, Frankfurt again opens her doors to the world, as the eyes of the global footballing family turn to the Congress Center and the Official Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 at 19.30 CET.

Host of stars and VIPs
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter will also attend next Monday’s Official Draw, where representatives of the 16-strong starting field will finally learn the identity of their group-stage opponents. FIFA’s Head of Women’s Competitions Tatjana Haenni will present and supervise the draw, with goalkeeping legend Oliver Kahn and top model and women’s football ambassador Adriana Karembeu making the draw itself. German pop-rock combo Wir sind Helden top the bill in a glittering and glamorous 45-minute show.

"The draw marks the start of the countdown to the kick-off of the Women’s World Cup," said Blatter, while the city itself, home to Germany’s most successful women’s club FFC Frankfurt, is already abuzz with excitement in the build-up to the event. OC President Steffi Jones, also a native of the city, expects to welcome more than 600 guests and some 200 media representatives from all over the world.

The capital of the women’s game
The people of Frankfurt are well-informed about the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 and Monday’s draw, partly thanks to an extensive and colourful poster and tram advertising campaign. The women’s game is the centre of attention at present and, as you would expect, FIFA.com is in the thick of things.

We will provide our users and visitors to the official FIFA website with up-to-date coverage of events, with comprehensive news, previews and interviews. The draw will be streamed live on FIFA.com and is available worldwide, except for the USA and Germany. And afterwards, we looking forward to hearing your views, opinions and analyses in our popular Have Your Say feature.

Pride and passion in Prinz’s home town
"You sense how much people are looking forward to the World Cup. Some 350,000 tickets have already been sold – and that's before anybody knows who’s playing whom," remarked Germany captain Birgit Prinz.

The Frankfurt-born striker has been named FIFA World Player of the Year three times, and is thrilled at the prospect of entertaining the crowds in her home town, which will also stage next summer’s Final on 17 July 2011: "The support has been tremendous at recent matches. 45,000 came to our game with Brazil in Frankfurt, and it was 30,000 for the USA match in Augsburg. Not so very long ago, figures like that would have been beyond our wildest dreams."

The football world turns its attentions to Germany this Monday, 29 November 2010, as another major milestone on the road to the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011™ is reached. The official draw for the finals takes place from 19:30 CET at the Frankfurt Congress Centre, where each of the 16 participating teams will finally find out who they will be facing at next year's festival of women's football.

'The real countdown'
The 45-minute show will also reveal where the 32 matches will be played and which team will compete against hosts Germany in the Opening Match at the Berlin Olympiastadion on 26 June 2011. "The draw marks the start of the real countdown to the FIFA Women's World Cup," said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. "We're all excited to see which teams the draw will pair together."

The evening will be hosted by FIFA Head of Women's Competitions Tatjana Haenni, while goalkeeping legend Oliver Kahn and Adriana Karembeu, top model and women's football ambassador, will conduct the draw. German pop-rock quartet Wir Sind Helden are set to provide the entertainment: "We're honoured to be a part of it," the band told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview.

Galaxy of stars
Over 600 guests and around 200 media representatives are expected at the Frankfurt Congress Centre. The likes of Worawi Makudi, FIFA Executive Committee member, and Steffi Jones, President of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), will be joined by Governor of Hessen Volker Bouffier, Mayor of Frankfurt Petra Roth, DFB (German FA) President Dr. Theo Zwanziger, DFB General Secretary Wolfgang Niersbach as well as many other ambassadors from the nine host cities and 16 participating nations.

Germany, only the second European nation to host a FIFA Women's World Cup after Sweden in 1995, have made a record nine stadiums available for the tournament in the host cities of Berlin, Frankfurt, Augsburg, Dresden, Bochum, Wolfsburg, Leverkusen, Sinsheim and Monchengladbach.

FIFA.com brings you the action
"In addition to smooth organisation, we want to present ourselves as excellent hosts and lay the foundations for a wonderful atmosphere at the first ever FIFA Women's World Cup to be held in Germany," said LOC President Jones. Germany captain and record FIFA Women's World Cup goalscorer Birgit Prinz was also full of enthusiasm: "I can't wait to play in all those sold-out World Cup stadiums."

The draw for the finals will be broadcast in over 200 countries worldwide, and you can keep track all of the action live on FIFA.com. The show will be broadcast live via video stream on the official FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 website, excluding the USA and Germany.

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter heads a long list of VIP guests set to attend the Official Draw for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011™ at the Frankfurt Congress Center on 29 November 2010. The draw assistants will be goalkeeping legend Oliver Kahn and top model and women’s football ambassador Adriana Karembeu, who will draw the 16 participating nations into four groups, which will in turn determine the match schedule and thus the team to play holders and hosts Germany in the opening match at Berlin’s Olympic stadium on 26 June 2011.

FIFA’s Head of Women’s Competitions, Tatjana Haenni, will supervise the draw, and the entertainment will be provided by famous German band Wir sind Helden.

LOC President Steffi Jones expects more than 600 people at the Congress Center, including FIFA Executive Committee member and chairman of the FIFA Committee for Women’s Football and the FIFA Women's World Cup™ Worawi Makudi, Minister President of Hesse Volker Bouffier, Mayor of Frankfurt Petra Roth, German FA (DFB) President Dr Theo Zwanziger, DFB General Secretary Wolfgang Niersbach, representatives of the nine host cities and all 16 qualified teams. The Frankfurt event will be covered by more than 200 accredited media representatives from around the world, and TV coverage will be shown in more than 200 countries.

“The draw marks the countdown to the kick-off of the Women’s World Cup. We will soon know which teams will be facing each other, and the motivation to do well in the tournament will start to grow. We are now all eager to discover what exciting matches the draw will bring,” said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.

“The official draw is an absolute highlight on the road to the World Cup in 2011, and a major challenge for the Local Organising Committee. Naturally, we want the event to go off without a hitch, but we also want to show that we’re welcoming hosts, laying down a marker for the atmosphere we want to create at the first FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany,” commented LOC President Steffi Jones.

The official team workshop will take place the day after the draw. Representatives of the 16 participating nations will hear a detailed LOC report on the current state of preparations, after which the national delegations will visit their assigned host cities.

Two stars on show – the celebrities making the draw
Oliver Kahn (born in Karlsruhe on 15 June 1969): The former Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper, who earned 86 caps between 1995 and 2006 and was named as the best player at the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, is a living legend of the global game. With Bayern, Kahn won eight times the German championship, six times the German Cup, as well as the UEFA Champions League in 2001. After 557 Bundesliga appearances for Karlsruhe and Bayern, he played his final match in September 2008. A FIFA World Cup™ runner-up in 2002, he now works as a studio analyst.
[img]http://www.young-germany.de/typo3temp/pics/7d44d1f2bb.jpg[/img]

Adriana Karembeu (born in Brezno, Slovakia on 17 September 1971): The Slovak supermodel has been an ambassador for French women’s football since 2010. In December 2005, Adriana Karembeu was a VIP guest of the LOC at the Final Draw for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Leipzig. Her husband, Christian Karembeu, whose clubs included Sampdoria and Real Madrid, was a 1998 FIFA World Cup™ winner with France.

2 - Germany will become the second European nation to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ finals, following on from Sweden in 1995. The USA (1999 and 2003) and China PR (1991 and 2007) have each hosted the tournament twice.

9 – The matches at Germany 2011 will be played across nine stadiums: Berlin, Frankfurt, Augsburg, Dresden, Bochum, Wolfsburg, Leverkusen, Sinsheim and Monchengladbach. This is the highest number of host cities in tournament history, with USA 1999 next in line with eight. The 2003 finals, also held in the USA, used only six stadiums.

8 – Eight nations have appeared at every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup to date: Brazil, China PR, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden and USA.

122 – The number of nations seeking to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup has almost tripled since the tournament’s inception. Qualifying for the 1991 finals featured 45 teams, a figure that has increased to 122 for Germany 2011. The number of qualifying matches played has risen from 110 to 355 over the same period.

1,194,221 - The 1999 finals were the best-attended to date. A total of 1,194,221 spectators flocked to the stadiums for an average attendance of 37,300. The final at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles attracted a crowd of 90,185, which remains a record for a women’s football match.

14 – In four appearances at the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals, Birgit Prinz has scored 14 goals. Not surprisingly, the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year is the leading scorer in tournament history.

3 – Three goals have been scored in the very first minute of matches at the finals. Back in 1991, Sweden’s Lena Videkull netted the fastest goal in the history of the tournament when firing her country’s opener against Japan after just 30 seconds.

16 - Ifeanyi Chiejine of Nigeria is the youngest player ever to appear at the finals. She was a mere 16 years and one month old when she appeared for her country against Denmark in 1999. At the other end of the scale, Brazil’s Meg is the tournament’s oldest player: she was 39 years and five months old when Brazil played Sweden in 1991.

5 - USA stalwart Kristine Lilly is the only player to feature at all five FIFA Women’s World Cups (1991, 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007) so far.

539 - The 148 matches at the finals to date have produced 539 goals. The honour of scoring the 500th goal fell to Norway’s Ragnhild Gulbrandsen against Ghana in 2007.

85 – At the five tournaments to date, USA have scored 85 goals, one more than Germany’s tally of 84.

Qualified teams

Host
GERMANY

AFC (3):
AUSTRALIA
JAPAN
KOREA DPR

CAF (2):
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
NIGERIA

CONCACAF (2.5):
CANADA
MEXICO
USA

CONMEBOL (2):
BRAZIL
COLOMBIA

OFC (1):
NEW ZEALAND

UEFA (4.5):
ENGLAND
FRANCE
NORWAY
SWEDEN

Principles

► None of the groups may feature more than one team from each geographic region.
► Exception: Group A will have two teams from Europe.

Decision of the Committee

► Germany (as host) is automatically placed in Group A, position 1 (A1)
► Japan (AFC) will be placed in Group B, position 1 (B1)
► USA (CONCACAF) will be placed in Group C, position 1 (C1)
► Brazil (CONMEBOL) will be placed in Group D, position 1 (D1).

Pot Allocations

Teams - ranking in brackets according to FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking of November 2010:

Pot 1:
GERMANY (UEFA/2 - white ball)
JAPAN (AFC/5 - red ball)
USA (CONCACAF/1 - yellow ball)
BRAZIL (CONMEBOL/3 - blue ball)

Pot 2:
AUSTRALIA (AFC/12)
KOREA DPR (AFC/6)
CANADA (CONCACAF/9)
MEXICO (CONCACAF/22)

Pot 3:
NIGERIA (CAF/27)
EQUATORIAL GUINEA (CAF/62)
NEW ZEALAND (OFC/23)
COLOMBIA(CONMEBOL/32)

Pot 4:
ENGLAND (UEFA/10)
FRANCE (UEFA/
SWEDEN (UEFA/4)
NORWAY (UEFA/7)

Draw procedure

Pot 1:

► The draw starts with pot 1
► Germany, as the host, will be seeded in Group A
► Japan, as the best-ranked team from the AFC, will be seeded in Group B
► USA, as the best-ranked team from CONCACAF, will be seeded in Group C
► Brazil, as the best-ranked team from CONMEBOL, will be seeded in Group D
► Their positions in the groups will be A1 Germany, B1 Japan, C1 USA, D1 Brazil.

Pot 2

► Principle – No more than one team from a confederation in each group
► Australia and Korea DPR may not be drawn in Group B, which already has an AFC team (Japan).
► Canada and Mexico may not be drawn in Group C, which already has a CONCACAF team (USA)

Pot 3

► Principle - No second team from the same confederation can be in the same group.
► Colombia may not be drawn in Group D, which already has a CONMEBOL team (Brazil).
► The first non-CONMEBOL team (Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, New Zealand) must go in Group D with the seeded team from CONMEBOL (Brazil), unless Colombia is drawn as the first team, then it proceeds as normal from left to right.

Pot 4

► Principle – Only 1 group with 2 teams from UEFA
► Second UEFA team in Group A with Germany

zoraro:

Thanks Semi for the beautiful coverage. Will be waiting for the fixtures, if your list is in the proper order  though it means

1. Ger - Can, Nig - Fra
2. Ger - Nig, Can - Fra
3. Ger - Fra, Nig - Can

Good that we are not meeting the Germans first. Still a very tough group though. There is a slight mistake in your group C , Colombia is there also.

toba:

I think Germany can pounce 16 goals past Nigeria at the world cup proper unlike in a friendly match

mbulela:

Semi,
I am not interested in women football but i am hugely impressed by the work and details contained in this thread.
Well done to you and to our girls!!

Silvia Neid, Germany coach
"I’m satisfied, but there’s no way we can start thinking we’re already through to the quarter-finals, and there’s no way we’ll underestimate our opponents. We’re just pleased we know who we’re playing against at last. During the Christmas holiday, we’ll start thinking about how we’ll watch and analyse our opponents. I still have a lot to do in the next six months, and the time will fly by. We have to ensure we’re not thrown off course by the huge expectations in the country, because we put ourselves under enough pressure as it is. We’ve got to go out and enjoy ourselves. And if things go our way, especially when we attack, we’re hard to stop. Our initial target is clear enough: we want to come through the group stage. We’ll take it step by step. Our ultimate target is to retain the trophy. That would be tremendous, and we’ll do whatever it takes."

Bruno Bini, France coach
"Once we’d found out who our three group opponents were, my first thought was: ‘Not Germany again!' But we don’t play the Germans until the third match, so we have enough time before that to collect the points we need to make the knockout rounds. I could say we’re aiming for second place, but I’m well aware that Nigeria and Canada will be saying exactly the same thing. I’ve not seen those two teams yet, so I can’t say a lot about them. But I can say this: we have a very strong  team, and our group opponents won’t be looking forward to playing us."

Carolina Morace, Canada coach
"Obviously, playing the holders Germany in front of their home crowd in the opening match is a big ask. But the Germans might be a little nervous in the circumstances too. I see no reason why we shouldn’t take something from the opening match, provided we play well. But obviously, the Germans are favourites to win the group, although I have to say they didn’t exactly dominate us in our recent friendly. It's always hard against Nigeria and France, the Africans in particular are physically strong. What’s important for us is to prepare well, and spend as long as possible together as a group. Our domestic league isn’t that strong, so we have to try and close the gap to the better teams by working very hard indeed when we do come together."

Ngozi Eucharia Uche, Nigeria coach
"This is a really difficult group, but we’re looking forward to the challenge. I think all three of our opponents are equally hard to play, but we’ll prepare as well as we can and give it our best shot. Our juniors made it to the final of the U-20 World Cup in Germany a few months ago, so our goal is to see if we can cause as much of a sensation ourselves. I’m optimistic, because we have such talented youngsters. None of the teams is invincible, and all 16 could win the World Cup. That's football. It's not decided on paper, it’s settled out on the pitch!"

Reigning world champions Germany are the favourites to come out on top in Group A, although with Canada, Nigeria and France making up the section, the hosts can take absolutely nothing for granted. While the Germans will have to handle the pressure of performing in front of their own fans, the battle-hardened Nigerians and Canadians can be expected to mount a strong challenge and the French showed what they can do in a hugely impressive qualifying display. With no reputation to protect and nothing to lose, Les Bleues are sure to pose a danger to their esteemed rivals.

The favourite
Germany. Given their record on the big stage and their current form, the hosts will be expected to top the section. That said, they face plenty of pitfalls in a potentially challenging pool, and though they overwhelmed Nigeria and Canada in recent friendlies, they cannot afford to be complacent.

The players to watch
Nadine Angerer (GER), Ariane Hingst (GER), Birgit Prinz (GER), Inka Grings (GER), Christine Sinclair (CAN), Josee Belanger (CAN), Jonelle Filigno (CAN), Stella Mbachu (NGA), Perpetua Nkwocha (NGA), Sonia Bompastor (FRA), Camille Abily (FRA), Sandrine Soubeyrand (FRA) and Eugenie Le Sommer (FRA).

The big game
Canada-Nigeria The last-day duel between these two competition regulars could well have a big bearing on the final outcome in the group. The two have appeared in nine FIFA Women’s World Cup™ finals altogether but have only met once, a 3-3 draw in the group phase at Sweden 1995, with both sides failing to make the next round on that occasion.

The stat
14 - The number of goals Prinz has scored in 22 FIFA Women’s World Cup matches, making her the highest scorer in the history of the competition.

Have your say
Can Germany cope with the pressure of playing on home soil? Which team has the best chance of upsetting the host nation?

The first ever FIFA Women's World Cup™ to take place in Germany will kick off with the opening match in Berlin on 26 June 2011 at 18:00 CET, with the final starting at 20:45 CET on 17 July in Frankfurt. The kick-off times for both these matches, as well as the tournament's remaining 30 fixtures, were agreed upon by FIFA and the OC along with its official television partners.

"I'm delighted that an agreement could be reached which suits all parties," said OC President Steffi Jones. "Now fans will be able to plan even more games into their viewing schedules. Both the opening match and the final are on during prime-time hours."

The group stage matches, between 26 June and 6 July, will kick off at 14:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 20:45 CET, while games from the quarter-finals onwards will kick off at 13:00 and 20:45 CET. With the exception of the opening match in Berlin, all of host nation Germany's matches have been scheduled for 20:45 CET.

The sale of individual tickets will continue until 31 December 2010 on a 'first come, first served' basis. Aside from the opening match, the final and the other group games involving hosts Germany, other fixtures, such as the match for third place in Sinsheim and the four quarter-finals, have been in particularly high demand.

The 32 Germany 2011 matches will take place in the nine host cities of Augsburg, Berlin, Bochum, Dresden, Frankfurt, Leverkusen, Monchengladbach, Sinsheim and Wolfsburg.

_{SPEEDCELL, the official match ball of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011}

Pace, power and team spirit, three of football’s most essential attributes, are perfectly encapsulated by the breathtaking design of the SPEEDCELL, the official match ball of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011™, which was ceremonially unveiled by FIFA and adidas at Monday’s Official Draw in Frankfurt. The audience and millions watching on TV were captivated by the ball’s refreshing colour scheme, and accurate reflection of the pace and dynamism of the world’s favourite sport.

The design of the SPEEDCELL incorporates significant symbolic elements, including an 11-line graphic representing the 11 players in a team, thus emphasising the need for togetherness and unity of purpose. "The ball is a real eye-catcher, and the name says it all. It's really fast, and a real challenge for goalkeepers like me, although it could be a powerful weapon for our strikers," said Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer.

The SPEEDCELL features Grip'n'Groove material technology, ensuring an exceptionally smooth flight and perfect contact between boot and ball in all weather and climate conditions. Angerer’s Germany team-mate Saskia Bartusiak is certain that the ball will maximise the entertainment for fans and players alike at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011: "A cool design, and cool colours. The ball keeps its promise: it’s quick. I reckon we’ll see plenty of goals at this World Cup!"

Germany struck 21 goals at the 2007 edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in China. By contrast, Angerer was not obliged to retrieve the ball from the back of her own net even once, as Silvia Neid’s team strode to the title in emphatic style. Young midfielder Kim Kulig, a FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup winner on home soil last summer but already a regular for the senior side, is hoping to repeat her heroics at the highest level next June and July. The SPEEDCELL should work in her favour: "The ball’s very fast, which means a very high pace indeed!"

How often will the official ball of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 hit the back of the net in Germany just a few months from now? It is impossible to predict, but one thing is certain: the SPEEDCELL is a perfect complement to the increasing appeal of women’s football, based on lithe movement and a commitment to attack. The new ball appears destined to occupy a central role at an exciting and goal-laden tournament next summer.

Officials of world football governing body, Fifa and the local organizing committee of the Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 will visit all 15 countries that have qualified for the championship on an awareness-creation tour which will begin this month.

The ‘welcome tour’ information said the NFF chief media officer Ademola Olajire and made available to Mastersportsng.com on Thursday starts in Australia and New Zealand this month, with the party expected in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Abuja on January 18, 2011 for the event the following day.

According to a letter signed by Fifa general secretary, Jerome Valcke and Fifa Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 LOC head, Steffi Jones and sent to the NFF president, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, the objectives of the tour includes creation of awareness of the championship and women’s football in general, assisting in increasing interest in and knowledge of the women’s teams and improvement of presentation of the women’s national teams to the media. The LOC also seeks to prepare the national team for their stay in Germany next summer and to inform the participating member association about the on-going preparations for the finals.

A delegation of between two and four people consisting of a Fifa headquarters representative, development officer, women’s football instructor and media officer will be supported by LOC president, Steffi Jones, media officer Jens Grittner, logistics chief Marcus Beeck, Markus Jestaedt and Uwe Standop.

The one-day event that will be split into two parts, Fifa and LOC part, will see talks and presentations on Fifa’s activities in women’s football, the Fifa Women’s World Cups, member association and the women’s national teams, as well as the ‘official countdown event’.

Nigeria will play in Group A of the 6th Fifa Women’s World Cup in Germany next year alongside hosts Germany, Canada and France.