Posted by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math
This past Friday, FIFA conducted the seeding draw for the 2006 world cup finals. Now that the results are in, Team USA has a tough road to hoe. Italy is the clear favorite, which leaves Ghana, the Czech Republic, and the Americans to duke it out for the remaining qualifying spot. Realistically, the U.S. will have to beat both the non-Italian teams in order to guarantee an appearance in bracket play.
Elsewhere, Group C is clearly the toughest, although I think group F will be hard fought for the non-Brazil teams. History has shown that European teams always overperform when the Continent hosts the Cup final, so look for surprising performances from teams like Serbia, Croatia, and the surprisingly low-seeded Portugal.
Consider this an open thread on international football soccer.
