Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The first European team that qualified was also the very first team to qualify from all the continental zones, and was the only team that didn't need to play any qualifying matches. Which country won the right to host the 2006 World Cup?
2. Which country qualified from UEFA Group 1 as group winner with a record 32 points and without losing a single game?
3. The Czech Republic came in second with 27 points in UEFA Group 1. This was not enough to be one of the two "best second placed countries", so they had to qualify from the play-offs. Which country lost both legs of the play-off match 1-0 against the Czech Republic?
4. UEFA Group 2 turned out to be a very surprising group. The 2004 European champions Greece and the 1992 European Champions Denmark both failed to qualify from this group. Ukraine won the group and qualified for the first time in their history. Which star player inspired his country with 6 goals and is arguably one of Ukraine's all-time best players ?
5. One of the biggest upsets in Europe came from the play-off game between Turkey and Switzerland. Turkey finished third in the 2002 World Cup, but failed to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. After finishing second in UEFA Group 2 behind Ukraine, Turkey went on to lose on away goals against Switzerland in the play-offs. What was the total score of the 2 play-off games between Turkey and Switzerland?
6. Portugal eased trough UEFA Group 3 without losing a game, accumulating 30 points in the progress. Which Portuguese striker scored 11 goals in the preliminaries, making him the top scorer for the European zone?
7. This country was the surprise of UEFA Group 3. It finished second behind Portugal, earning a spot in the play-offs. They edged out Russia with equal points by better goal difference. Their top scorer during the campaign was Robert Vittek. Which team am I looking for?
8. UEFA Group 4 turned out to be a real thriller. The 1998 World champions and 2000 European champions France had to wait until the very last game of the group preliminaries to secure a qualification.
True or false: before the last match day, a total of 4 countries still had a chance to win the group and qualify automatically.
9. Switzerland qualified for the World Cup Finals by beating Turkey in the play-offs. Who coached Switzerland to second place in UEFA Group 4 and eventually into Germany?
10. This country is one of Europe's best and most successful. They'd previously won the FIFA World Cup three times before the start of the 2006 World Cup, though the last one dates back to 1982. Always performing well on big occasions, they are always outsiders for the title. They are known for their very defensive style. Which team, that plays in (sky)blue, am I looking for?
11. Norway finished second in UEFA Group 5 with 18 points; earning them a place in the play-offs. Which country, nicknamed "The Tartan Army", ended up third behind Norway, missing out on the finals once again?
12. England edged out Poland in UEFA Group 6 by 1 point and consequently won the group. Poland came in second but also qualified as one of two "best second placed" countries. Who was England's leading goal scorer, with 5 goals, during their successful qualification campaign?
13. UEFA Group 7 was of great interest to me as my home country was drawn into this difficult group. Unfortunately, Belgium failed to qualify for the first time since 1982. Which team won this group with 22 points and secured their place in Germany?
14. Who coached Spain into second place in UEFA Group 7 with 20 points, and eventually into the World Cup after winning in the play-offs?
15. In UEFA Group 8 two teams, Croatia and Sweden, tied for first place with 24 points. Croatia won the group because of their better results against Sweden. This didn't matter much as Sweden also qualified as one of two "best second placed" teams.
Source: Author
larskeu
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.