England

England topped their group to get to Germany 2006, but almost every commentator agreed that they qualified the hard way. England left it till the last day and had to beat Poland, after making life difficult for themselves with a surprise defeat inflicted by Northern Ireland.

England World Cup profile continues below

England manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, was often accused of lack of passion and commitment, but he had always insisted that the team performed in the big matches.

England regularly make it to the World Cup finals, however, they often fail to live up to the high expectations of their fans. Apart from their 1966 victory against arch rivals Germany, England have failed to go all the way in the World Cup.

The squad had obvious quality, particularly in midfield with the likes of David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole, but many pundits believed that England's hopes were thwarted when Wayne Rooney fractured his metatarsal. Rooney had the ability to create something from nothing and was undoubtedly England's star striker.

England were ranked ninth in the world, but were named the second seed for the competition, after Brazil.

In spite of not playing at their best England qualified for the last 16 after beating Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago in their first two games.

In their third game, England drew 2-2 with Sweden - mainly due to a great performance from Joe Cole. England's coach Sven Goran Erikkson acknowledged that his team defended poorly.

Neverthless the draw was enough to top the group and bypass hosts Germany in the next round - instead England had secured a last 16 game against Ecuador.

Again England failed to shine, however they qualified for a quarter-final contest with Portugal thanks to a 60th minute free-kick from captain David Beckham which ensured a 1-0 victory.

England's defeat to Portugal in a penalty shoot-out was a harsh exit after they had battled with 10 men, following Rooney's sending off, to keep the score to 0-0 after extra time.

SuperEngland has a full match report.

England World Cup profile by Ben Rosenbaum

The England Squad:

Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson, David James, Scott Carson

Defenders: Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Sol Campbell, Wayne Bridge, Jamie Carragher

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Owen Hargreaves, Jermaine Jenas, Michael Carrick, Aaron Lennon, Stewart Downing

Strikers: Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Peter Crouch, Theo Walcott