Two weeks to go before the final push
If we exclude the traditional strongholds of Italy and England, Western Europe has spawned just one world champion. Winners of the 1998 FIFA World Cup™ on home soil, France are the only team from this area of the continent to have raised the supreme trophy aloft.
In 1974, playing their unique brand of ‘total football’, Rinus Michels’ magnificent Netherlands side featuring Johan Cruyff, Johan Neeskens and Jonny Rep did make it to the final, but more often than not, the region’s teams have been little more than outsiders. To make matters worse, countries such as Andorra, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg are all habitually clustered around the bottom ten rungs of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Join us as we examine the qualification prospects of the region’s teams this time around.
With less than two weeks to go before the final push for Germany 2006 qualification, FIFAworldcup.com reviews the state of play in Europe.
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