View source for 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification

{{Infobox international football competition
| tourney_name   = 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
| year           = 
| alt            =
| caption        =
| dates          = {{nowrap|6 September 2003 – 16 November 2005}}
| num_teams      = 197
| confederations = 6
| matches        = {{#expr: <!--AFC-->134 +<!--CAF-->190 +<!--CONCACAF-->110 +<!--CONMEBOL-->90 +<!--OFC-->39 +<!--UEFA-->282 +<!--play-off-->4}}
| goals          = {{#expr: <!--AFC-->400 +<!--CAF-->506 +<!--CONCACAF-->377 +<!--CONMEBOL-->235 +<!--OFC-->175 +<!--UEFA-->778 +<!--play-off-->5}}
| attendance     = {{#expr: <!--AFC-->2873158 +<!--CAF-->5616922 +<!--CONCACAF-->1669098 +<!--CONMEBOL-->3016252 +<!--OFC-->227596 +<!--UEFA-->5739074 +<!--play-off-->197689}}
| top_scorer     = {{fbicon|MEX}} [[Jared Borgetti]]<br>(14 goals)
| prevseason     = [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification|2002]]
| nextseason     = [[2010 FIFA World Cup qualification|2010]]
}}

The '''2006 FIFA World Cup qualification competition''' was a series of tournaments organised by the six [[FIFA]] [[FIFA#Structure|confederations]]. Each confederation – the [[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]] (Asia), [[Confederation of African Football|CAF]] (Africa), [[CONCACAF]] (North, Central America and Caribbean), [[CONMEBOL]] (South America), [[Oceania Football Confederation|OFC]] (Oceania), and [[UEFA]] (Europe) – was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament.  A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]]. In 2001 FIFA ended automatic  qualification of the reigning champion,<ref>{{cite news |title=Soccer: World Cup winners must qualify for Germany 2006 |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/soccer/soccer-world-cup-winners-must-qualify-for-germany-2006-31685.html |access-date=18 July 2019 |work=www.irishexaminer.com |date=30 November 2001 |language=en |quote=Next summer's World Cup winners will have to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, FIFA have announced.}}</ref> so that [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]] champions [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] became first to participate in the qualifying tournament. The hosts ([[Germany national football team|Germany]]) retained their automatic spot. 

The original distribution of places between the six confederations called for Oceania to be given one full spot in the final 32; this idea was seen as virtually guaranteeing a place in the finals to [[Australia men's national soccer team|Australia]], by far the strongest footballing nation in the region. This decision was reconsidered in June 2003 and the previous distribution of places between Oceania and South America was restored.

The draw for five of the six qualification tournaments took place on 5 December 2003 in [[Frankfurt]], whilst all of the members of the South American federation ([[CONMEBOL]]) competed in a single group. Qualification itself began in September 2003.

==Qualified teams==
[[Image:2006 world cup qualification.png|thumb|center|700px|{{legend|#000cff|Country qualified for World Cup}} {{legend|#ffb400|Country failed to qualify}} {{legend|#000000|Country did not enter World Cup}} {{legend|#ababab|Country not a FIFA member}}]]

The following 32 teams qualified for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]]:
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: left;"
|-
! Team
! Method of<br />qualification
! Date of<br />qualification
! Finals<br />appearance
! Consecutive<br />finals<br />appearances
! Previous best<br />performance
! [[FIFA World Rankings|FIFA<br />Ranking]]<br />at start<br />of<br />event<ref>{{cite web|title=FIFA/Coca Cola World Ranking (17 May 2006)|url=https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank=144/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919173123/http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank=144/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 19, 2016|work=FIFA.com|publisher=FIFA|access-date=13 July 2010|date=17 May 2006}}</ref>
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|GER}} || {{hs|UEFA}} Host || {{hs|01}}6 July 2000 || data-sort-value="16"|16th <sup>('''[[#1|1]]''')</sup> || 14 ||data-sort-value="7.5"| '''Winners''' ([[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]], [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]]) || 19
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|JPN}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round#Group 2|AFC third round Group 2]] winners || {{hs|03}}8 June 2005 || data-sort-value="3"|3rd || 3 ||data-sort-value="2.2"| Round of 16 ([[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]) || 18
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|KSA}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round#Group 1|AFC third round Group 1]] winners || {{hs|02}}8 June 2005 || data-sort-value="4"|4th || 4 ||data-sort-value="2.2"| Round of 16 ([[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]]) || 34
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|KOR|1997}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round#Group 1|AFC third round Group 1]] runners-up|| {{hs|04}}8 June 2005 || data-sort-value="7"|7th || 6 ||data-sort-value="1.3"| Fourth place ([[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]) || 29
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|IRN}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round#Group 2|AFC third round Group 2]] runners-up|| {{hs|05}}8 June 2005 || data-sort-value="3"|3rd || 1 <small>(last: [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]])</small> ||data-sort-value="1.3"| Group stage ([[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]], [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]]) || 23
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|ARG}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]] runners-up|| {{hs|06}}8 June 2005 || data-sort-value="14"|14th || 9 ||data-sort-value="6.3"| '''Winners''' ([[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]) || 9
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|UKR|1992}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2|UEFA Group 2]] winners || {{hs|07}}3 September 2005 || data-sort-value="1"|1st || — ||data-sort-value="7.4"| — || 45
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|USA}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round|CONCACAF fourth round]] winners || {{hs|07}}3 September 2005 || data-sort-value="8"|8th || 5 ||data-sort-value="7.4"| Third place ([[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]]) || 5
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|BRA}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]] winners || {{hs|08}}5 September 2005 || data-sort-value="18"|18th || 18 ||data-sort-value="2.1"| '''Winners''' ([[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]], [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]], [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]], [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]) || 1
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|MEX}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round|CONCACAF fourth round]] runners-up|| {{hs|09}}7 September 2005 ||data-sort-value="14"| 13th || 4 ||data-sort-value="5.1"| Quarter-finals ([[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]], [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]]) || 4
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|GHA}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round #Group 2|CAF second round Group 2]] winners || {{hs|10}}8 October 2005 || data-sort-value="1"|1st || — ||data-sort-value="4.1"| — || 48
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|TOG}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round #Group 1|CAF second round Group 1]] winners || {{hs|10}}8 October 2005 || data-sort-value="1"|1st || — ||data-sort-value="4.1"| — || 61
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|ENG}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6|UEFA Group 6]] winners || {{hs|10}}8 October 2005 || data-sort-value="12"|12th || 3 ||data-sort-value="4.1"| '''Winners''' ([[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]) || 10
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|POL}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6|UEFA Group 6]] runners-up || {{hs|10}}8 October 2005 || data-sort-value="12"|7th || 2 ||data-sort-value="4.1"| Third place ([[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]]) || 29
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|ANG}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round #Group 4|CAF second round Group 4]] winners || {{hs|10}}8 October 2005 || data-sort-value="1"|1st || — ||data-sort-value="4.1"| — || 57
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|CIV}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round #Group 3|CAF second round Group 3]] winners || {{hs|10}}8 October 2005 || data-sort-value="1"|1st || — ||data-sort-value="4.1"| — || 32
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|TUN}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round #Group 5|CAF second round Group 5]] winners || {{hs|10}}8 October 2005 || data-sort-value="4"|4th || 3 ||data-sort-value="4.1"| Group stage ([[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]], [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]],  [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]])  || 21
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|CRO}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8|UEFA Group 8]] winners || {{hs|11}}8 October 2005 ||data-sort-value="3"| 3rd || 3 ||data-sort-value="3.3"| Third place ([[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]]) || 23
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|NED}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1|UEFA Group 1]] winners || {{hs|12}}8 October 2005 ||data-sort-value="8"| 8th || 1 <small>(last: [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]])</small> ||data-sort-value="3.3"| Runners-up ([[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]], [[1978 FIFA World Cup|1978]]) || 3
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|ITA|2003}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5|UEFA Group 5]] winners || {{hs|12}}8 October 2005 ||data-sort-value="16"| 16th || 12 ||data-sort-value="7.3"| '''Winners''' ([[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1982 FIFA World Cup|1982]]) || 13
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|POR}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3|UEFA Group 3]] winners || {{hs|13}}8 October 2005 ||data-sort-value="4"| 4th || 2 ||data-sort-value="7.3"| Third place ([[1966 FIFA World Cup|1966]]) || 7
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|CRC}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round|CONCACAF fourth round]] third place|| {{hs|09}}8 October 2005 ||data-sort-value="3"| 3rd || 2 ||data-sort-value="5.1"| Round of 16 ([[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]])|| 26
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|ECU|1900}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]] third place || {{hs|08}}8 October 2005 || data-sort-value="2"|2nd || 2 ||data-sort-value="2.1"| Group stage ([[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]) || 39
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|PAR|1990}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]] fourth place || {{hs|08}}8 October 2005 || data-sort-value="7"|7th || 3 ||data-sort-value="2.1"| Round of 16 ([[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]], [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]], [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002]]) || 33
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|SWE}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8|UEFA Group 8]] runners-up || {{hs|13}}12 October 2005 ||data-sort-value="11"| 11th || 2 ||data-sort-value="7.3"| Runners-up ([[1958 FIFA World Cup|1958]]) || 16
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|SCG}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7|UEFA Group 7]] winners || {{hs|13}}12 October 2005 ||data-sort-value="2"| 10th <sup>('''[[#3|3]]''')</sup> || 1 <small>(last: [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]])</small> ||data-sort-value="7.3"| Fourth place ([[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]], [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]]) || 44
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|FRA|1974}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|UEFA Group 4]] winners || {{hs|13}}12 October 2005 ||data-sort-value="12"| 12th || 3 ||data-sort-value="7.3"| '''Winners''' ([[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998]]) || 8
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|AUS}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL–OFC play-off)|CONMEBOL v OFC Play-off]] winners || {{hs|32}}16 November 2005 || 2nd || 1  <small>(last: [[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]])</small> ||data-sort-value="7.2"| Group stage ([[1974 FIFA World Cup|1974]])
|| 42
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|TTO}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–CONCACAF play-off)|AFC v CONCACAF Play-off]] winners || {{hs|31}}16 November 2005
|| 1st || — ||data-sort-value="3.3"| — || 47
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|CZE}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)|UEFA Play-off]] winners || {{hs|13}}16 November 2005 ||data-sort-value="9"| 9th <sup>('''[[#4|4]]''')</sup>|| 1 <small>(last: [[1990 FIFA World Cup|1990]])</small> ||data-sort-value="7.3"| Runners-up ([[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1962 FIFA World Cup|1962]]) || 2
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|ESP}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)|UEFA Play-off]] winners || {{hs|13}}16 November 2005 ||data-sort-value="12"| 12th || 8 ||data-sort-value="7.3"| Fourth place ([[1950 FIFA World Cup|1950]]) || 5
|-
|align="left"|{{fb|SUI}} || [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)|UEFA Play-off]] winners || {{hs|13}}16 November 2005 ||data-sort-value="8"| 8th || 1<small> (last: [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994]])</small> ||data-sort-value="7.3"| Quarter-finals ([[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]], [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938]], [[1954 FIFA World Cup|1954]]) || 35
|-
|}

<span id="1" ></span><sup>'''1'''</sup>Includes 10 appearances by ''DFB'' representing West Germany between 1954 and 1990. Excludes 1 appearance by ''DVF'' representing [[East Germany national football team|East Germany]] between 1954 and 1990.

<span id="3" ></span><sup>'''3'''</sup>Includes appearances by pre-division [[Yugoslavia national football team|Yugoslavia]], as FIFA considers Serbia and Montenegro as a successor of a team.

<span id="4" ></span><sup>'''4'''</sup>Includes appearances by [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]], as FIFA considers both the Czech Republic and Slovakia as a successor of a team.

==Qualification process==
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]], competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. [[Germany national football team|Germany]], as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition. 

Starting with these qualifiers, the defending champion ([[Brazil national football team|Brazil]]) was not granted automatic qualification for the first time. FIFA announced the decision in December 2001 at the draw for the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 Finals Tournament]].<ref name="Bond2001"/> The official reason was that the [[friendly match]]es to which previous champions were restricted provided inferior preparation to the competitive qualification matches others would have played.<ref name="Bond2001"/> Media also noted that the change released an extra place for the contentious distribution of places by confederation.<ref name="Bond2001">{{cite news |last1=Bond |first1=David |title=Winners will have to qualify ; World Cup shock |work=Evening Standard |issue=C Edition |date=30 Nov 2001 |location=London |page=88}}</ref>

The final distribution was as follows:

The distribution by confederation for the 2006 FIFA World Cup was:<ref>{{cite web|title=Qualifiers|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080302162313/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 2, 2008 |publisher=FIFA|access-date=8 October 2011}}</ref>
* [[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]] (Asia): 4 or 5 places
* [[Confederation of African Football|CAF]] (Africa): 5 places
* [[CONCACAF]] (North, Central American and Caribbean): 3 or 4 places
* [[CONMEBOL]] (South America): 4 or 5 places
* [[Oceania Football Confederation|OFC]] (Oceania): 0 or 1 place(s)
* [[UEFA]] (Europe): 13 places (+ Germany qualified automatically as host nation for a total of 14 places)

UEFA and CAF have a guaranteed number of places, whereas the number of qualifiers from other confederations is dependent on play-offs between AFC's fifth-placed team and CONMEBOL's fifth-placed team, and between CONCACAF's fourth-placed team and OFC's first-placed team. A draw determined the pairings between the four teams involved.

===Summary of qualification===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
|colspan=9 bgcolor=white|[[File:FIFAmembers.png|450x450px]]
|-
!width=150|Confederation
!width=100|Available slots in finals
!width=100|Teams started
!width=100|Teams eliminated
!width=100|Teams qualified
!Qualifying start date
!Qualifying end date
|- 
|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|AFC]]||4 or 5||38||34||4||19 November 2003||16 November 2005
|- 
|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)|CAF]]||5||51||46||5||10 October 2003||8 October 2005
|- 
|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)|CONCACAF]]||3 or 4||34||30||4||18 February 2004||16 November 2005
|- 
|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|CONMEBOL]]||4 or 5||10||6||4||6 September 2003||20 November 2005
|-
|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)|OFC]]||0 or 1||12||11||1||10 May 2004||16 November 2005
|- 
|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)|UEFA]]||13+1||51+1||38||13+1||18 August 2004||16 November 2005
|-
!Total||31+1||196+1||165||31+1||6 September 2003||16 November 2005
|}

===Tiebreakers===
For FIFA World Cup qualifying stages using a [[round-robin tournament|league format]], the method used for separating teams level on points is the same for all Confederations. The rules for separating teams level on points are decided by FIFA and can be found in article 18 part 6d to 6g of the '''FIFA Regulations 2006 World Cup Germany'''

If teams are even on points at the end of group play, the tied teams will be ranked by:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/fwc06_regulations_en_1558.pdf |title=Regulations 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany |date=2006 |access-date=2021-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219120151/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/fwc06_regulations_en_1558.pdf |archive-date=2009-02-19}}</ref>
# greatest number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned
# goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned
# greatest number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned
# goal difference in all group matches
# greatest number of goals scored in all group matches
# a play-off on neutral ground. If, after 90 minutes, this match ends in a draw, extra time of twice 15 minutes will be played. If the score is level after extra time, penalty kicks will be taken to determine the winner.

For FIFA World Cup qualifying stages using a [[two-legged tie|home-and-away knockout format]], the team that has the higher aggregate score over the two legs progresses to the next round. In the event that aggregate scores finish level, the [[away goals rule]] is applied, i.e. the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs progresses. If away goals are also equal, then thirty minutes of [[extra time (association football)|extra time]] are played, divided into two fifteen-minutes halves. The away goals rule is again applied after extra time, i.e. if there are goals scored during extra time and the aggregate score is still level, the visiting team qualifies by virtue of more away goals scored. If no goals are scored during extra time, the tie is decided by [[penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shoot-out]].

This is a change from the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where total goal difference was the first tiebreaker.

A total of 194 teams played at least one qualifying match. A total of 847 qualifying matches were played, and 2464 goals were scored (an average of 2.91 per match).

==Confederation qualification==

===AFC===
{{Main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)}}
44 Asian teams are affiliated with [[FIFA]], but [[Cambodia national football team|Cambodia]], [[Philippines national football team|Philippines]], [[Bhutan national football team|Bhutan]] and [[Brunei national football team|Brunei]] decided not to take part, and [[Myanmar national football team|Myanmar]] was banned from the competition, so a total of 39 teams took part, competing for 4.5 places in the World Cup.

The qualification was composed of three rounds. 
*First Round: The 14 last ranked teams according to FIFA were paired 2-by-2 and played home-and-away knock-out matches. 
*Second Round: The 7 winners joined the other 25 teams where those 32 teams were divided in 8 groups of four teams each. The teams in each group would play against each other home-and-away, and the team with most points in each group would advance to the Third Round.
*Third Round: The 8 remaining teams were divided in two groups of 4 teams each, that would again play against each other in a home-and-away basis. The two teams with most points in each group would qualify to the World Cup. The two third placed teams would play-off against each other home-and-away. Winner of this play-off would play against the fourth placed team in the final round of [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)|CONCACAF]] in an intercontinental play-off for a place in the World Cup.

====Final positions (third round)====
{{main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round|transcludesection=Group 1|title=[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round#Group 1|Group 1]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}
{{col-2}}
{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round|transcludesection=Group 2|title=[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC third round#Group 2|Group 2]]|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}
{{col-end}}

====Play-off for 5th place (fourth round)====
{{main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round}}
{{TwoLeg start}}
{{TwoLegResult|{{fb-rt|UZB}}||1–1 ([[Away goals rule|a]])|'''{{fb|BHR}}'''||[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round#Uzbekistan v Bahrain|1–1]]|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC fourth round#Bahrain v Uzbekistan|0–0]]}}
{{end}}

'''Bahrain''' advanced to the [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–CONCACAF play-off)|AFC–CONCACAF play-off]] on the [[away goals rule]].

===CAF===
{{Main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)}}

The qualification was composed of two Rounds. 9 teams entered the competition directly on the second round: the 5 teams that qualified for the [[2002 FIFA World Cup|2002 World Cup Finals]] ([[Cameroon national football team|Cameroon]], [[Nigeria national football team|Nigeria]], [[Senegal national football team|Senegal]], [[South Africa national football team|South Africa]], and [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]]) and the 4 highest-ranking teams in the June 25, 2003 [[FIFA]] world rankings ([[Congo DR national football team|Congo DR]], [[Ivory Coast national football team|Ivory Coast]], [[Egypt national football team|Egypt]], and [[Morocco national football team|Morocco]]). The other 42 teams were paired 2-by-2 and played knock-out matches home-and-away. The 21 winners would advance to the second round.

In the second round, the 30 teams were divided in 5 groups of 6 teams each. Teams in each group would play against each other in a home-and-away basis. The team with most points in each group would qualify to the World Cup.

The competition also constituted the qualification competition for the [[2006 African Nations Cup]] with the top three nations of each group qualifying (except for Egypt, which qualifies as the host nation, the fourth nation in Egypt's group qualifying in Egypt's place).

The African qualifying zone saw 4 out of 5 finals places going to World Cup debutants (Angola, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana). Nigeria missed out on a fourth consecutive finals appearance while Cameroon did not reach their fifth consecutive finals.

The African zone also featured a group of death – Group 3 – which brought together Africa's most frequent World Cup qualifier Cameroon with the two eventual finalists of the [[2006 Africa Cup of Nations]]: Egypt and the Ivory Coast.

====Final positions (second round)====
{{main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round}}
{| style="text-align:center;"
|-valign=top
!
![[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round#Group 1|Group 1]]
![[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round#Group 2|Group 2]]
![[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round#Group 3|Group 3]]
|-valign=top
|
|{{2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CAF Group 1}}
|{{2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CAF Group 2}}
|{{2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CAF Group 3}}
|-
!
![[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round#Group 4|Group 4]]
![[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round#Group 5|Group 5]]
|-valign=top
|
|{{2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CAF Group 4}}
|{{2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CAF Group 5}}
|}

===CONCACAF===
{{Main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)}}

The qualification process was divided in three stages. In the first stage, the 34 teams were divided in 10 groups of three teams each and two groups of two teams each. Groups with three teams had two rounds, with the best ranked team according to [[FIFA]] in each group entering the competition in the second round. In each group, teams were paired 2-by-2 and played home-and-away matches.

The 12 winners of the first stage advanced to the second stage, where they were divided into three groups of four teams each. Teams in each group would play against each other home-and-away, and the two teams with most points in each group would advance to the final round.

In the third stage, the six teams were put in a single group, and played against each other home-and-away. The three teams with most points qualified to the World Cup. The fourth placed team advanced to the [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC–CONCACAF play-off)|AFC–CONCACAF play-off]] against the winner of a play-off between third placed teams in the Third Round of [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)|Asia]].

====Final positions (fourth round)====
{{main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF fourth round}}
{{2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONCACAF fourth round}}

===CONMEBOL===
{{Main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)}}
10 teams took part, all in a single group.  The rules were very simple: the teams would play against each other in a home-and-away basis, with the four teams with most points qualifying to the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]]. The fifth ranked team would have to play-off against the best team from [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)|Oceania]], with the winner of this play-off also qualifying. For the first time, [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]], the defending champion, was required to go through qualification and was not automatically qualified for the tournament.

====Final positions====
{{2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - CONMEBOL}}

===OFC===
{{Main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)}}
12 teams took part, competing for a place in the intercontinental play-off against the fifth-placed team from [[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)|South America]]. The winner of this play-off qualified for the World Cup.
====Final positions (second round)====
{{main|2004 OFC Nations Cup}}
In the Second round, the six teams were put in a single group, and played against each other once. The two teams with most points advanced to a play-off, and played against each other home and away. The winner of this play-off advanced to the intercontinental play-off.
{{:2004 OFC Nations Cup|only_pld_pts=y|show_matches=n}}

====Final round====
Australia and the Solomon Islands progressed to the final stage.

{{TwoLegStart}}
{{TwoLegResult|'''{{fb-rt|AUS}}'''||9–1|{{fb|SOL}}||[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)#Final round|7–0]]|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)#Final round|2–1]]}}
|}

===UEFA===
{{Main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)}}
A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 groups (five groups of six teams each and three groups of seven teams each) competing for 13 places in the World Cup. [[Germany national football team|Germany]], the hosts, were already qualified, for a total of 14 European places in the tournament. The qualifying process started on 18 August 2004, over a month after the end of [[UEFA Euro 2004]], and ended on 16 November 2005.

The teams in each group would play against each other in a home and away basis. The team with most points in each group would qualify to the World Cup. The runners up would be ranked. As some groups had seven teams and others had six, results against the seventh placed team were ignored. The two best ranked runners up would also qualify to the World Cup. The other six runners up were drawn into three home and away knock out matches, winners of those matches also qualifying.

{| style="text-align:center;"
|-valign=top
|'''[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1|Group 1]]'''<br />{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 1|show_matches=n|only_pld_pts=y}}
|'''[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2|Group 2]]'''<br />{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 2|show_matches=n|only_pld_pts=y}}
|'''[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3|Group 3]]'''<br />{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 3|show_matches=n|only_pld_pts=y}}
|-valign=top
|'''[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|Group 4]]'''<br />{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 4|show_matches=n|only_pld_pts=y}}
|'''[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5|Group 5]]'''<br />{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 5|show_matches=n|only_pld_pts=y}}
|'''[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6|Group 6]]'''<br />{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 6|show_matches=n|only_pld_pts=y}}
|-valign=top
|'''[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7|Group 7]]'''<br />{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 7|show_matches=n|only_pld_pts=y}}
|'''[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8|Group 8]]'''<br />{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group 8|show_matches=n|only_pld_pts=y}}
|}

====Play-offs====
{{main|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round}}

'''Poland''' and '''Sweden''' qualified directly to the World Cup. The other teams had to play in the playoffs.
{{:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round}}

A draw was held on 14 October 2005 at [[FIFA]] headquarters in [[Zürich]] to pair each team from Pot 1 with a team from Pot 2. A second draw at the same time and location determined the order of the fixtures.

{{TwoLegStart}}
{{TwoLegResult| '''{{fb-rt|ESP}}''' | |6–2| {{fb|SVK}}| |[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Spain v Slovakia|5–1]]|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Slovakia v Spain|1–1]]}}
{{TwoLegResult| '''{{fb-rt|SUI}}''' | |4–4 ([[Away goals rule|a]])| {{fb|TUR}}| |[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Switzerland v Turkey|2–0]]|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Turkey v Switzerland|2–4]]}}
{{TwoLegResult| {{fb-rt|NOR}} | |0–2| '''{{fb|CZE}}'''| |[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Norway v Czech Republic|0–1]]|[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA play-off)#Czech Republic v Norway|0–1]]}}
|}

==Inter-confederation play-offs==
{{main article|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)}}

There were two scheduled inter-confederation playoffs to determine the final two qualification spots to the finals. The first legs were played on 12 November 2005, and the second legs were played on 16 November 2005.

===CONCACAF v AFC===
{{main article|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF–AFC play-off)}}
{{#lst:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)|playoff1}}

===CONMEBOL v OFC===
{{main article|2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL–OFC play-off)}}
{{#lst:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)|playoff2}}

==Withdrawals==

*{{fb|CAF}}
*{{fb|GUM}}
*{{fb|NEP}}

==Did not enter==

*{{fb|BHU}}
*{{fb|BRU}}
*{{fb|CAM}}
*{{fb|COM}}
*{{fb|DJI}}
*{{fb|PHI}}
*{{fb|PUR}}
*{{fb|TLS}}

== Excluded == 

*{{fb|MYA|1974}} (for refusing to play a qualifier in Iran during [[2002 FIFA World Cup qualification|2002 qualifying]])

== Top goalscorers ==
{{Goalscorers
|goals=2476 |matches=849

|14 goals=
*{{fbicon|MEX}} [[Jared Borgetti]]

|12 goals=
*{{fbicon|TRI}} [[Stern John]]

|11 goals=
*{{fbicon|MEX}} [[Jaime Lozano]]
*{{fbicon|POR}} [[Pauleta]]
*{{fbicon|TOG}} [[Emmanuel Adebayor]]

|10 goals=
*{{fbicon|BRA}} [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]]
*{{fbicon|GUA}} [[Carlos Ruiz (Guatemalan footballer)|Carlos Ruiz]]
*{{fbicon|MEX}} [[Francisco Fonseca]]

|9 goals=
*{{fbicon|CIV}} [[Didier Drogba]]
*{{fbicon|CZE}} [[Jan Koller]]
*{{fbicon|IRN}} [[Ali Daei]]

|8 goals=
*{{fbicon|CRC}} [[Paulo Wanchope]]
*{{fbicon|FIN}} [[Alexei Eremenko]]
*{{fbicon|NGA}} [[Obafemi Martins]]
*{{fbicon|SWE}} [[Zlatan Ibrahimović]]
}}

Below are goalscorer lists for all confederations and the inter-confederation play-offs:
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)#Top goalscorers|AFC]]
*[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF)#Top goalscorers|CAF]]
*[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONCACAF)#Top goalscorers|CONCACAF]]
*[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (CONMEBOL)#Goalscorers|CONMEBOL]]
*[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC)#Top goalscorers|OFC]]
*[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#Top goalscorers|UEFA]]
*[[2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (inter-confederation play-offs)#Goalscorers|Inter-confederation play-offs]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
<references />

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://www.rsssf.org/tables/2006q.html 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification] at RSSSF.com

{{2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers}}
{{FIFA World Cup qualification}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2006 Fifa World Cup Qualification}}
[[Category:2006 FIFA World Cup qualification| ]]
[[Category:2006 FIFA World Cup|Qualification]]
[[Category:FIFA World Cup qualification]]