Soccer: Curtain to rise on greatest spectacle

[Click here for a light-hearted guide to the 32 competing nations]

LONDON - The only certainty about the World Cup is that new heroes, dramas and controversies are about to be woven into the story of the world's greatest sporting event.

What ultimately makes the World Cup more thrilling, exciting and dramatic than even the Olympic Games is simply that more people care passionately about what happens in the competition.

From Togo to Trinidad & Tobago, Australia to Angola and Italy to the Ivory Coast, billions will be following the fortunes of their favourites from the kickoff between hosts Germany and Costa Rica in Munich on June 10 NZ time to the final in Berlin on July 10.

Millions more from Austria to Zambia and from Zimbabwe to Andorra and every other country not in the 32-team finals will still be watching on television across every time zone as the tournament unfolds.

There is nothing that captures the world's attention in quite the same way. FIFA figures show that 28.8 billion viewers tuned in to the last World Cup in 2002 in Japan and South Korea.

And every one of the billions watching does so more in hope than expectation. Such is the history of upsets in the competition and such is the essence of the game of football, that not one of those billions knows for certain what the outcome is going to be.

Brazil

Brazil, of course, start as many people's favourites and are widely tipped to win the World Cup for the sixth time.

But that was exactly what people thought in 1950 when Brazil faced Uruguay at home in Rio de Janeiro looking to win the World Cup for the first time -- and were beaten 2-1.

They had to wait another eight years and the arrival of Pele in Sweden in 1958 to win their first World Cup and remain the only country to be crowned world champions outside their own hemisphere, having won in Europe in 1958 and Asia four years ago.

Unlike in 1958 when going to Sweden was a trip into the unknown, every key Brazilian player today has vast European experience.

Playing on the moon might trouble the Brazilians but competing in Germany should have no negative impact whatsoever and it is hard to imagine them not qualifying from an opening-round group that includes Croatia, Australia and Japan.

Germany

But playing in Germany might just make all the difference to the Germans, grouped with Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador.

Despite not being the dominant force they were when the World Cup was last held on German soil in 1974, the host nation also go into the finals with high hopes.

Home crowds might well inspire Juergen Klinsmann's men to do better than results over the last few years suggest but home advantage is not enough to guarantee success.

Only six of the previous 17 World Cups have been won by the host nation since the tournament started in 1930 and only France in 1998 have achieved that feat in recent times following West Germany's win in 1974 and Argentina's in 1978.

Argentina

Argentina, though, also arrive with high hopes. Last year they played some excellent football on their way to the final of the Confederations Cup, used as the World Cup dress rehearsal tournament by the organisers.

Argentina are also desperate to make up for their failure of four years ago when they went out in the first round and coach Jose Pekerman brings a squad he has largely worked with since they were teenagers winning the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups.

Argentina are in a tough looking opening-phase group with Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro and the Netherlands but it will be a surprise if they do not reach the second round.

England

Their old World Cup adversaries England should also make it through to at least that stage from a first-round group that includes Paraguay, Sweden and debutants Trinidad & Tobago.

England' s preparations for the finals have been hit by injuries especially to young striker Wayne Rooney. But if England's hopes are terminally affected by an injury to a 20-year-old, perhaps they were never really serious contenders to begin with.

France and Italy

Of the other major European nations, France and Italy will also be looking to do better than in 2002 when France exited in the first round and Italy in the second.

They both have the potential to reach the last eight at least.

The Dutch, the Portuguese and the Ukrainians, making their debut in the finals, are all likely to acquit themselves well while the Ivory Coast and Ghana have the individual players to show African football off in a good light but perhaps might struggle against more experienced opposition.

So the stage is set, the 12 venue cities are ready and the curtain is about to be lifted on the 18th World Cup finals. What happens next is anyone's guess.

- REUTERS