Australia
Australia hadn't qualified for the World Cup since 1974 so getting to Germany 2006 was a great relief, but they had to do it the hard way.
The Oceania group stage was not the problem. Australia finished top with 4 wins and 1 draw. And the play-offs to meet the 4th place in the South American group, was also no problem as they beat the Solomon Islands 9-1 over 2 legs.
Australia World Cup profile continues below
After all this, however, Australia still had yet to qualify for the final competition and Uruguay were the team standing in their way. They had a poor away performance losing 1-0 in Uruguay, but a spirited 2nd leg effort forced the match into extra time after Marco Bresciano had drawn the Socceroos level.
Having lost World Cup play-offs in 1985, 1993, 1997 and 2001, one of the most unlucky records ever, Australia were not confident, but they held their nerve and won 4-2 on penalties.
Australia’s manager, Guus Hiddink had performed more of his magic having taken South Korea to the semi-finals in 2002 and Holland to the semi-finals in 1998.
Most of the Australian team is based in England with players like Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Brett Emerton, Tim Cahill and Craig Moore, and a couple in Italy and Spain.
Australia are ranked 49th in the world but are capable of a upset - many will remember, for example, when they beat England 3-1.
Indeed, Australia got off to a good start beating Japan 3-1. In the second game they put up an impressive resistance, and indeed had clear-cut chances themselves, but were unable to keep tournament favourites Brazil at bay - eventually succumbing 2-0.
Australia qualified for the last 16 and a tie against Italy through an eventful 2-2 draw with Croatia. They did well against Italy, but Australia failed to qualify for the quarter-finals after the Italians scored a penalty in injury time to win 1-0.
Australia Squad:
Player Club Position Caps Goals
A Covic Hammarby G 1 0
Z Kalac Milan G 51 0
M Schwarzer Middlesbro G 36 0
M Beauchamp Central (Aus) D 1 0
M Milligan Sydney FC D 0 0
C Moore Newcastle D 31 2
L Neill Blackburn D 23 0
T Popovic C Palace D 55 7
M Bresciano Parma M 23 7
T Cahill Everton M 14 8
S Chipperfield FC Basle M 45 11
J Culina PSV Eindhoven M 12 1
B Emerton Blackburn M 46 11
V Grella Parma M 16 0
H Kewell Liverpool M 19 6
S Lazaridis Birmingham M 58 0
J Skoko Wigan M 45 9
L Wilkshire Bristol C M 8 0
J Aloisi Alaves F 39 22
J Kennedy Dynamo Dresden F 0 0
M Sterjovski FC Basle F 20 3
A Thompson PSV Eindhoven F 18 21
M Viduka Middlesbro F 32 6
Australia World Cup profile by Ben Rosenbaum
