The essential reference book to have for preparing and watching the 2006 tournament in Germany this Summer. Everything is here, from the historical perspective to line-up for each match. The book has the statistics, the groupings, team and player profiles, the venues and the trivia. A historical perspective since 1930 is given with extensive game and round commentary. One chapter recalls the most memorable games in each tournament. Another chapter is devoted to the best and brightest players. The qualifying rounds of the international soccer competition are summarised, highlighting the pivotal games for each of the 32 qualifying nations. the twelve German venues for the tournament are described, assessing the pros and cons of each site. The centrepiece of the book is an entry for each qualifying team describing the country, previous appearances and history, qualifying games, key players, player pool, probable line-up and a short discussion of how the team will fare in this competition. Many interesting features, anecdotes, and trivia on the participating teams are sprinkled throughout the text.