2006 FIFA World Cup final

Rare card · No. 55933

The final match of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 18th edition of FIFA's competition for national football teams, was played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, on 9 July 2006, and was contested between Italy and France. The event comprised hosts Germany and 31 other teams who emerged from the qualification phase, organised by the six FIFA confederations. The 32 teams competed in a group stage, from which 16 teams qualified for the knockout stage. En route to the final, Italy had to deal with the aftermath of the Calciopoli and public boycotts. Despite this, Italy finished first in Group E, with two wins and a draw, after which they defeated Australia in the round of 16, Ukraine in the quarter-final, and Germany 2–0 in the semi-final. Suffering from underperformance, France finished runner-up of Group G with one win and two draws, before defeating Spain in the round of 16, Brazil in the quarter-final, and Portugal 1–0 in the semi-final. The final was witnessed by 69,000 spectators in...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Pixel-Sepp, CC0