2005 in association football

Events

January 21 – German referee Robert Hoyzer admits to having accepted large sums of money from a gambling syndicate to fix matches. The resulting scandal was a major embarrassment to Germany as it prepared to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Eventually Hoyzer would be sentenced to two years and five months in prison.

February 3 – Dutch club Fortuna Sittard has three points deducted for financial mismanagement (failure to settle tax debts); an additional deduction of three points on April 29 was confirmed after an appeal on June 13.

February 4 – Swiss AXPO Super League – Club Servette FC was declared bankrupt. It had run debts of over 10 million Swiss francs. As a consequence of the bankruptcy the club will be demoted two divisions.

March 20 – Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles has three points deducted for financial mismanagement.

March 26 – Chelsea won the League Cup after beating Liverpool 3–2

April 23 – PSV wins its 18th national title in the Dutch Eredivisie.

April 30 – National Football title assignment in two major European tournaments. In England, Chelsea wins for the second time in the FA Premier League; in Germany, Bundesliga is won for the 19th time by Bayern Munich. In France, RC Strasbourg won second League Cup.

May 8 – Ligue 1 – Lyon win its fourth French title in 2000s (decade).

May 14 – Spain Liga – FC Barcelona won its 17th league title.

May 18 – UEFA Cup Final – CSKA Moscow became the first Russian club to win a major European club competition, defeating Sporting CP 3–1 at Sporting's home field in Lisbon.

May 20 – Italian Serie A – Juventus won its 28th title ("scudetto") without playing following a 3–3 draw between A.C. Milan and Palermo.

May 21 – Manager Gert Aandewiel receives the Rinus Michels Award for the best coach in Dutch amateur football.

May 21 – Arsenal wins the FA Cup Final by defeating Manchester United 5–4 on penalties after regular time and extra time ended 0–0.

May 25 – UEFA Champions League Final – Liverpool come from three goals down, and beat A.C. Milan 3–2 on penalties after a 3–3 draw in Istanbul to win Europe's top prize for the 5th time.

May 26 – Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam fires manager Mike Snoei and names former international Adri van Tiggelen as interim-coach.

June 8 – Goalkeeper and captain Edwin van der Sar plays his 100th international match for the Netherlands, when the side defeats Finland (0–4) in Helsinki.

July 9 – Spain's Basque Country wins the fourth UEFA Regions' Cup, beating Bulgaria's South-West Sofia 1–0 in Proszowice.

July 14 – 2005 Copa Libertadores is won by São Paulo FC after defeating Clube Atlético Paranaense on an aggregate score of 5–1.

August 5 – Ajax wins the Johan Cruijff Schaal, the annual opening of the new season in the Eredivisie, by a 2–1 win over PSV in the Amsterdam ArenA.

August 26 – The first match of the inaugural Hyundai A-League in Australia was played.

August 31 – Boca Juniors (Argentina) won the Recopa Sudamericana 2005 4–3 on aggregate over Once Caldas (Colombia). (First leg in Buenos Aires 3–1, second leg in Manizales 1–2)

November 21 – Head coach Robert Maaskant is fired by Willem II.

December 9 – 2006 FIFA World Cup group assignments for the finals in Germany announced.

December 11 – Opening game of the second FIFA World Club Championship, a six team tournament replacing the former Intercontinental Cup. In the final one week later Brazilian team São Paulo FC won the competition narrowly beating UEFA Champions Liverpool 1–0.

December 18 – Boca Juniors defeated UNAM Pumas on penalties after the second leg game for the Copa Sudamericana 2005.

December 19 – Manager Cees Lok leaves NEC and is replaced by another former player of the Dutch Club, Ron de Groot.

December 19 – Ronaldinho (Brazil, for male footballer) and Birgit Prinz (Germany, for female footballer) were elected FIFA World Player of the Year.

December 31 – Mark Wotte resigns as technical director of Feyenoord.

National club championships in Europe (UEFA)

Albania:

Superliga and Supercup – SK Tiranë

Albanian Cup – KS Teuta Durrës

Andorra:

Primera División – UE Sant Julià

Copa Constitució and Supercopa – Santa Coloma

Armenia:

Armenian Premier League – Pyunik

Armenian Cup – MIKA

Austria:

Bundesliga – Rapid Wien

Austrian Cup – Austria Wien

Azerbaijan:

AFFA Supreme League – Neftchi Baku

Azerbaijan Cup – FK Baku

Belarus:

Belarusian Premier League – FC Shakhtyor Soligorsk

Belarusian Cup – MTZ-RIPO Minsk

Belgium: for fuller coverage, see: 2004-05 in Belgian football

Jupiler League and Supercup – Club Brugge

Belgian Cup – Germinal Beerschot

Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Premier League – NK Zrinjski Mostar

Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup – FK Sarajevo

Bulgaria:

Bulgarian A Professional Football Group – CSKA Sofia

Bulgarian Cup and Supercup – PFC Levski Sofia

Croatia:

Prva HNL and Croatian Supercup – Hajduk Split

Croatian Cup – NK Rijeka

Cyprus:

Cypriot First Division – Anorthosis Famagusta

Cypriot Cup and Supercup – Omonia Nicosia

Czech Republic:

Gambrinus liga – Sparta Prague

Czech Cup – Baník Ostrava

Denmark: for fuller coverage, see: 2004-05 in Danish football

Superliga and DONG Cup – Brøndby

England: for fuller coverage, see: 2004-05 in English football

Premiership and League Cup – Chelsea

FA Cup – Arsenal

Estonia:

Meistriliiga – FC TVMK Tallinn

Esiliiga – JK Vaprus Pärnu, FC Levadia Tallinn, FC Ajax Lasnamäe

Estonian Cup – FC Levadia Tallinn

Faroe Islands:

1. Deild – B36 Tórshavn

Faroe Islands Cup – GÍ Gøta

Finland:

Veikkausliiga – MyPa 47 Anjalankoski

Finnish Cup – FC Haka Valkeakoski

Finnish League Cup – AC Allianssii Vantaa

France:

Ligue 1 – Lyon

French Cup – Auxerre

French League Cup – Strasbourg

Georgia:

Georgian Premier League – FC Dinamo Tbilisi

Georgian Cup – FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi

Germany:

Bundesliga and German Cup – Bayern Munich

Greece:

Greek National Division and Greek Cup – Olympiacos

Hungary:

Arany Aszok Liga – Debreceni VSC

Hungarian Cup – Mátav FC Sopron

Iceland:

Icelandic Premier League – FH

Icelandic Cup – Valur

Icelandic League Cup – KR

Ireland:

League of Ireland and Munster Senior Cup – Cork City

FAI Cup – Drogheda United

League of Ireland Cup – Derry City

Israel:

Israeli Football Leagues

Israeli Premier League – Maccabi Haifa

Liga Leumit – Hapoel Kfar Saba

Liga Artzit – Hapoel Ashkelon

Toto Cup – Hapoel Petah Tikva (Al), Maccabi Natanya (Leumit) and Hapoel Ashkelon (Artzit)

Israel State Cup – Maccabi Tel Aviv

Italy:

Serie A – Juventus (stripped of title on July 14, 2006) see also 2004–05 Serie A and 2006 Serie A scandal

Italian Cup – Internazionale

Italian Super Cup – A.C. Milan

Kazakhstan:

Kazakhstan Super League – FC Aktobe-Lento

Kazakhstan Cup – FC Zhenis Astana

Latvia:

Virsliga – FK Liepājas Metalurgs

Latvian Cup – FK Ventspils

Liechtenstein:

Cup – FC Vaduz

Lithuania:

Lithuanian Premier League – FK Ekranas

Lithuanian Cup – FBK Kaunas

Luxembourg:

Premier League – F91 Dudelange

Cup – CS Pétange

Macedonia:

Macedonian First League – FK Rabotnički Kometal Skopje

Macedonian Cup – FK Bashkimi Kumanovo

Malta:

Maltese Football League and Supercup – Sliema Wanderers

Maltese Cup – Birkirkara FC

Moldova:

Moldavian Premier League – FC Sheriff Tiraspol

Moldavian Cup – FC Nistru Otaci

Eredivisie and KNVB Cup – PSV

Eerste Divisie – Heracles Almelo

Northern Ireland:

Irish Premier League and Irish League Cup – Glentoran F.C.

Irish Cup – Portadown F.C.

Setanta Cup – Linfield F.C.

Norway: for fuller coverage, see: 2005 in Norwegian football

Tippeligaen – Vålerenga

Norwegian Cup – Molde

Poland:

Ekstraklasa – Wisła Kraków

Puchar Polski – Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski

 Portugal

SuperLiga – Benfica

Cup of Portugal – Vitória Setúbal

Romania: for fuller coverage, see: 2004-05 in Romanian Football

Romanian Premier League – Steaua București

Romanian Cup and Romanian Super Cup – Dinamo București

Russia: for fuller coverage, see: 2005 in Russian football

Russian Premier League and Russian Cup – CSKA Moscow

San Marino:

Premier League – F.C. Domagnano

Titano Cup – S.S. Pennarossa Chiesanuova

Supercup – S.P. Tre Penne Serravalle

Scotland: for fuller coverage, see: 2004-05 in Scottish football

Scottish Premier League and League Cup – Rangers

Scottish Cup – Celtic

Serbia and Montenegro:

Meridian Superliga – FK Partizan Belgrade

Serbia and Montenegro Cup – FK Voždovac Belgrade

Slovakia:

Slovakian Premier League – FC Artmedia Bratislava

Slovakian Cup – FK Dukla Banská Bystrica

Slovenia:

Slovenian Premier League – NK Gorica

Slovenian Cup – NK Publikum Celje

Spain:

La Liga – Barcelona

Copa del Rey – Real Betis

Sweden: for fuller coverage, see: 2005 in Swedish football

Allsvenskan and Svenska Cupen – Djurgårdens IF

Switzerland:

AXPO Super League and Swisscom Cup – FC Basel

Turkey:

Premier Super League – Fenerbahçe

Turkish Cup – Galatasaray

Ukraine:

Ukrainian Premier League – FC Shakhtar Donetsk

Ukrainian Cup – FC Dynamo Kyiv

Wales:

League of Wales and Welsh Cup – Total Network Solutions

FAW Premier Cup – Swansea City

National club championships in South America (CONMEBOL)

Argentina:

Primera División

2004–05 Clausura – Vélez Sársfield

2005–06 Apertura – Boca Juniors

Bolivia:

Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano

2004–05 Adecuaciòn – Club Bolívar

2004–05 Apertura – Blooming

Brazil:

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A – Corinthians

Copa do Brasil – Paulista F.C.

Chile:

Liga Chilena de Fútbol: Primera División

2004–05 Apertura – Unión Española

2004–05 Clausura – Club Deportivo Universidad Católica

Colombia

Mustang Cup

2004–05 Apertura – Atlético Nacional

2004–05 Clausura – Deportivo Cali

Ecuador:

Serie A de Ecuador

Apertura – Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito

Clausura – Club Deportivo El Nacional

Paraguay:

Liga Paraguaya – Cerro Porteño

Peru:

Peruvian Primera División – Sporting Cristal

Uruguay:

Primera División Uruguaya – Club Nacional de Football

Venezuela:

Primera División Venezolana – Unión Atlético Maracaibo

National club championships in Africa (CAF)

Algeria:

Algerian Championnat National – USM Alger

Algerian Cup – ASO Chlef

Angola:

Girabola – Grupo Desportivo Sagrada Esperança

Angolan Cup – Atlético Sport Aviação

Benin:

Benin Premier League – not playing

Botswana:

Mascom Premier League and FA Challenge Cup – Township Rollers Gaborone

Burkina Faso:

Burkinabé Premier League – Rail Club du Kadiogo

Burkina Faso Cup – Union Sportive de Ouagadougou

Burundi:

Burundi Premier League – InterStar Bujumbura

Cameroon:

Cameroon Premiere Division – Cotonsport Garoua

Cameroon Cup – Imports FC Yaoundé

Cape Verde:

Premier League – Derby FC Mindelo

Central African Republic:

Central African Republic League – Anges de Fatima

Chad:

Chad Premier League – Renaissance FC

Comoros:

Comoros Premier League – Coin Nord Mitsamiouli

Congo:

Congo Premier League – not assigned

Congolan Cup – Diables Noirs Brazzaville

Congo DR:

Linafoot – DC Motema Pembe

Republic of Congo Cup – AS Vita Kabasha

Côte d'Ivoire:

Premier League and Cup – ASEC Mimosas

Djibouti:

Premier League – AS Compagnie Djibouti-Ethiopie

Djiboutian Cup – Poste de Djibouti

Egypt:

Egyptian Premier League and Super Cup – Al-Ahly

Egyptian Soccer Cup – ENPPI

Equatorial Guinea

Equatoguinean Premier League – Renacimiento FC

Eritrea:

Premier League – Red Sea FC Asmara

Ethiopia:

Premier League – Saint George SA Addis Abeba

Ethiopian Cup – Awassa Kenema

Gabon:

Premier League and Cup – AS Mangasport Moanda

Gambia:

Premier League – Wallidan Banjul

Gambian Cup – Bakan United

Ghana:

Ghana Telecom Premier League – Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club

Ghanaian Cup – Asante Kotoko

Guinea:

Premier League – Satellite FC Conakry

Guinean Cup – AS Kaloum Stars Conakry

Guinea Bissau:

Premier League – Sporting Clube de Bissau

Kenya:

Premier League – Ulinzi Stars

Kenyan Cup – World Hope

Lesotho:

Premier League – Likohpo Masem

Liberia:

Premier League and Cup – LPRC Oilers Monrovia

Libya:

Premier League and Cup – Al Ittihad

Madagascar:

Premier League and Cup – USCA Foot

Malawi:

Premier League – not playing

Mali:

Premier League – Stade Malien Bamako

Malian Cup – AS Bamako

Mauritania:

Mauritanean Premier League – ASC Nasr de Sebkha

Mauritanean Cup – ASC Entente

Mauritius:

Premier League and Cup – AS Port-Louis 2000

Morocco:

Premier League – FAR Rabat

Moroccan Cup – Raja Casablanca

Mozambique:

Moçambola – Ferroviário de Maputo

Taça de Moçambique – Ferroviário de Beira

Namibia:

Premier League – Civics FC Windhoek

Namibian Cup – Ramblers Windhoek

Niger:

Premier League – unknown

Nigeria:

Premier League and Cup – Enyimba FC Aba

Rwanda:

Premier League – APR FC Kigat

Rwandan Cup – Rayon Sports Butare

São Tomé and Príncipe:

Premier League – not held

Senegal:

Premier League – ASC Port Autonome Dakar

Senegal Cup – AS Donanes Dakar

Seychelles:

Premier League – La Passe FC

Seychelles Cup – Seychelles Marketing Board

Sierra Leone:

Premier League – East End Lions Freetown

Somalia:

Premier League – not held

South Africa:

Premier Soccer League – Kaizer Chiefs Football Club

Sudan:

Premier League – Al Hilal Omdurman

Swaziland:

Premier League – Green Mamba Big Bend

Swazilandian Cup – Hub Sundowns

Tanzania:

Premier League – Young Africans Dar es Salaam

Togo:

Premier League – AS Douanes Lomé

Togolese Cup – Dynamic Tongolais Lomé

Tunisia:

Premier League – Sfaxien FC

Tunisian Cup – ES Zarzis

Uganda:

Premier League – Police FC Jinja

Uganda Cup – Uganda Revenus Authority SC Kampala

Zambia:

Premier League – Zanaco Lusaka

Zimbabwe:

Premier League – CAPS United Harare

National club championships in North and Central America (CONCACAF)

Antigua and Barbuda:

Premier League – Bassa FC All Saint's Village

Aruba:

Premier League – SV Britannia

Bahamas:

Premier League – Caledonia Celtic

Barbados:

Premier League – Notre Dame SC Bayville

Bermuda:

Cingular Wireless Premier Division – Devonshire Cougars

Bermudian Football Cup – North Village Rams

Canada:

CPSL – Oakville Blue Deville

Cascadia Cup – Vancouver Whitecaps

Cayman Islands:

Premier League – Western Union FC George Town

Costa Rica:

Primera División – Liga Deportiva Alajuelense

Cuba:

Premier League – Villa Clara

Dominica:

Premier League – RC Grand Bazaar Dublanc

El Salvador:

Salvadoran Primera División

2004–05 Clausura – Club Deportivo Futbolistas Asociados Santanecos, Santa Ana

2005–06 Apertura – Club Deportivo Vista Hermosa

Grenada:

Premier League – ASOMS Paradise

Guatemala:

Premier League – Deportivo Municipal

Haiti:

Premier League – AS Mirebalais

Honduras:

Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras

2004–05 Clausura – Olimpia

2005–06 Apertura – Olimpia

Jamaica:

Wray & Nephew National Premier League – Portmore United F.C.

Mexico:

Primera División de México

2004–05 Apertura – Club Universidad Nacional

2004–05 Clausura – Club América

Nicaragua:

Premier League – FC Diriangén Diriamba

Panama:

Premier League – CD Plaza Amador Panama

Premier League – San Francisco

St. Lucia:

Premier League – Northern United Gros Islet

Surinam:

Premier League – SV Robinhood

United States:

MLS Cup and U.S. Open Cup – Los Angeles Galaxy

National club championships in Asia (AFC)

Bahrain:

Premier League – Riffa Club

Bahrain Cup – Al Muharraq Club

Bangladesh:

Premier League – Mohammeddan SC Dhaka

Bhutan:

Premier League – Transport United

China:

Chinese Super League – Dalian Shide

Hong Kong:

HKFA Coolpoint Ventilation First Division League and HKFA Cup – Xiangxue Sun Hei

India:

NFL – Dempo Sports Club

Durand Cup – Mahindra United

Indonesia:

Premier League – Persipura Jayapura

Indonesian Cup – Arema Malang

Iran:

Iran's Premier Football League – Foolad Ahvaz

Azadegan League – Shahid Ghandi Yazd

Hazfi Cup – Saba Battery Tehran

Iraq:

Iraq Super League – Al Quwa Al Jawiya

Japan:

J. League Division 1 – Gamba Osaka

J. League Cup – JEF United Ichihara Chiba

Emperor's Cup – Urawa Reds (played 1 January 2006)

Jordan:

Premier League – Al Wahdat Al Quwaysinah

Jordanian Cup – Al Faysali Amman

Kyrgyzstan:

Premier League and Cup – Dordoy Dinamo Naryn

Kuwait:

Premier League – Al Qadisiya

Kuwaitian Cup – Al Arabi

Laos:

Premier League – Vientiane FC

Lebanon:

Premier League – Al Nejmeh

Lebanon Cup – Al Ansar

Macau:

Premier League – Policia de Segurança Pública

Malaysia:

Super League – Perlis FA Kangar

Premier League and Cup – Selangor MPPJ Kelana Jaya

Mongolia:

Premier League – Khoromkon Ulan Baatov

Myanmar:

Premier League – Finance and Revenue Yangon

Oman:

Premier League and Cup – Dhofar Salala

Pakistan:

Premier League – Pakistan Army Rawalpindi

Qatar:

Premier League – Al Gharrafa

Qatarian Cup – Al Sadd

Saudi Arabia:

Premier League – Al Hilal Riyad

Singapore:

S.League – Tampines Rovers FC

Singapore Cup – Home United FC

Sri Lanka:

Premier League – Saunders SC

Sri Lanka Cup – Ratnam SC

South Korea:

Samsung Hauzen 2005 K-League – Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i

Samsung 2005 Hauzen Cup – Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Korean FA Cup – Chonbuk Hyundai Motors

Syria:

Premier League and Cup – Al Ittihad Alep

Taiwan:

Premier League – Tatung

Thailand:

Premier League – Thailand Tobacco Monopoly

United Arab Emirates:

Premier League – Al Wahda Abu Dhabi

UAE Cup – Al Ayn Club

Uzbekistan:

Premier League and Cup – Paktakor Taskhent

Vietnam:

Premier League and Cup – Gach Dong Tam Long An

Yemen:

Premier League – Al Tilal Aden

Yemenites Cup – Al Hilal Hudaydah

National club championships in Oceania (OFC)

Australia:

A-League – not playing

New Zealand:

NZFC – Auckland City FC

Chatham Cup – Central United

National club championships in non FIFA affiliated French dependencies

Guadeloupe (CONCACAF)

Premier League – Association Sportive Le Gosier

French Guyana (CONCACAF)

Premier League – ASC Le Geldar Kourou

French Polynesia (AFC)

Premier League – AS Tefana Faa'a

Cup – AS Manu Ura Paea

Martinique (CONCACAF)

Premier League and Cup – Club Franciscain Le François

New Caledonia (OFC)

Premier League and Cup – AS Magenta Nickel Nouméa

Réunion (CAF):

Premier League – US Stade Tamponnaise Le Tampon

Réunion Cup – SS Excelsior Saint-Joseph

International Tournaments

February 3–12: CEMAC Cup 2005 – Winner: Cameroon (Participating Countries: Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Central African Republic)

February 8–9: Cyprus International Tournament 2005 – Winner: Finland (Participating Countries: Finland, Cyprus, Latvia, Austria)

February 9: Carlsberg Cup 2005 – Winner: Brazil (Participating Countries: Brazil and Hong Kong)

UNCAF Nations Cup in Guatemala City, Guatemala (February 19 – 27, 2005)

1.  Costa Rica
2.  Honduras
3.  Guatemala

February 20–24: CONCACAF Gold Cup 2005 Caribbean Preliminary Competition – Winners: Cuba, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago (Participating Countries: Barbados, Cuba, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago)

February 26 – August 14: Cosafa Castle Cup 2005 (Participating Countries: Group A: South Africa, Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles Group B: Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe Group C: Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland and Zambia)

March 5–13: East Asian Football Championships 2005 Preliminary Competition – Winner: North Korea (Participating Countries: North Korea, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Mongolia and Guam)

Baltic Cup in Kaunas (May 21, 2005)

1.  Lithuania
2.  Latvia

UEFA Women's Championship in England (June 5–19, 2005)

1.  Germany
2.  Norway

FIFA U-20 World Cup in Netherlands (June 10 – July 2, 2005)

1.  Argentina
2.  Nigeria
3.  Brazil

FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany (June 15–29, 2005)

1.  Brazil
2.  Argentina
3.  Germany

CONCACAF Gold Cup in United States (July 6–24, 2005)

1.  United States
2.  Panama

East Asian Football Championship in Chinese Taipei & South Korea

1.  China PR
2.  Japan

FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru (September 16 – October 2, 2005)

1.  Mexico
2.  Brazil
3.  Netherlands

Qualifying for 2006 World Cup

Note: for fuller coverage, see: 2006 FIFA World Cup (qualification)

October 2004 – October 2005: Africa Qualifying

Qualified Teams : Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Tunisia

Participating Countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, São Tomé e Príncipe, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe

November 2003 – August 2005: Asia Qualifying

Qualified Teams: Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea

Participating Countries: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen

February 2004 – October 2005: CONCACAF Qualifying

Qualified Teams : USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago (defeated Bahrain in an inter-regional playoff)

Participating Countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, US Virgin Islands and USA

August 2004 – October 2005: Europe Qualifying

Automatic Qualifiers: Germany (as hosts)

Qualified Teams : Group winners Croatia, England, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia and Montenegro, Ukraine; two best second-place sides Poland, Sweden; playoff winners Czech Republic, Spain, Switzerland

Participating Countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Republic of Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Scotland, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales

May 2004 – September 2005: Oceania Qualifying

Qualified Team: Australia (defeated Uruguay on penalty kicks in an inter-regional playoff)

Participating Countries: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga and Vanuatu

September 2003 – October 2005: South America Qualifying

Qualified Teams : Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay

Participating Countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela

Movies

Real, The Movie

January

January 6 – Jean-Luc Fugaldi (59), French footballer

January 8 – Suvad Katana (35), Bosnia-Herzegovina footballer

January 17 – Youssouf Samiou (17), Benin footballer

January 18 – Bernard Béreau (64), French footballer

February

February 14 – Ron Burgess (87), Welsh footballer and coach

February 17 – Omar Sívori (69), Argentinian-Italian footballer

February 24 – Thadée Cisowski (78), French footballer

March

March 3 – Rinus Michels (77), Dutch footballer and manager

March 9 – István Nyers (80), Hungarian-French footballer

March 15 – Armand Seghers (78), Belgian footballer

March 15 – Bill McGarry (77), English footballer and manager

April

April 3 – Kader Firoud (85), French footballer and manager

April 8 – Maurice Lafont (78), French footballer

April 11 – Lucien Laurent (97), French footballer

May

May 5 – Willy Steffen (80), Swiss footballer

May 7 – Otilino Tenorio (25), Ecuadorian footballer

May 8 – Gianpietro Zappa (49), Swiss footballer

May 8 – Wolfgang Blochwitz (64), German footballer

May 23 – Sígfrid Gràcia (73), Spanish footballer

May 29 – Gé van Dijk (81), Dutch footballer and manager

May 29 – Svatopluk Pluskal (74), Czech footballer

June

June 25 - Hugo Cunha (28), Portugal footballer

July

July 26 – Mario David (71), Italian footballer

July 28 – Jair da Rosa Pinto, Brazilian midfielder, runner-up at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. (84)

August

August 16 – Michel Pavic (83), Yugoslavian footballer and coach

August 19 – Oscar Muller (48), French footballer

September

September 8 – Noel Cantwell (72), Northern Ireland footballer and coach

September 12 – Alain Polaniok (47), French footballer and coach

September 13 – Toni Fritsch (60), Austrian footballer (later an American football placekicker)

September 27 – Karl Decker (84), Austrian footballer and coach

September 28 – Enric Gensana (69), Spanish footballer

October

October 3 – Francesco Scoglio (64), Italian coach

October 9 – Sergio Cervato (76), Italian footballer

October 17 – Carlos Gomes (73), Portuguese footballer

October 18 – Johnny Haynes (71), English footballer

October 26 – George Swindin (90), English footballer

November

November 2 – Ferruccio Valcareggi (86), Italian footballer and coach of Italy national football team

November 9 – Marceau Sommerlynck (83), French footballer

November 14 – Erich Schanko (86), German footballer

November 25 – George Best (59), Northern Ireland footballer

November 29 – David di Tommaso (26), French footballer