2006 FIFA World Cup: Bribery Allegations and Qualification Process

• Germany was chosen to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup in a vote against Brazil.

• The tournament was marred by allegations of bribery and corruption.

• Italy won the final match against France.

• According to Spiegel, Adidas' Vorstandschef, Louis-Dreyfus, borrowed 10.3 million Swiss francs from a private Swiss bank in 2000 in order to buy FIFA's decision to hold the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

• The money is alleged to have been used to buy votes in the FIFA presidential election in 2000.

• Dreyfus later demanded the money back, and it was allegedly transferred to a discreet FIFA account in 2005.

• Franz Beckenbauer is purported to have signed the loan document.

• Leo Kirch and the marketing company CWL are also alleged to have been involved in the bribery scheme.

• Money from Kirch and CWL was allegedly transferred to officials and sports organizations in Malta, Trinidad/Tobago, the USA, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Thailand.

• Niersbach announced plans to take legal action against the Spiegel for publishing the article. However, he later decided not to pursue the matter.

• The Swiss Federal Police searched the DFB's headquarters and Dreyfus' private residence in Frankfurt am Main in connection with the investigation.

• Niersbach announced his resignation from his position as president of the DFB on 9 November 2015.

• The 2006 World Cup was awarded to Germany despite allegations of bribery.

• A 380-page report commissioned by the DFB found that the World Cup was not "bought" and that the organization spent nearly nine million euros on the investigation.

• The investigation was criticized as being "Gefälligkeitsgutachten" by Der Spiegel.

• In 2017, a contract between media mogul Leo Kirch and the FC Bayern Munich was leaked. Kirch is accused of paying two million euros to a man from Katar shortly after the World Cup was awarded.

• In 2018, the DFB was accused of tax fraud by the Schweizerische Bundesanwaltschaft. The three Germans were accused of bribery in connection to the 2006 World Cup.

• The case was postponed and eventually dropped due to the German officials' absence.

• The 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification began on September 6, 2003 and ended on November 16, 2005.

• The tournament consisted of 204 teams, with 31 teams qualifying automatically and the remaining 199 teams competing in six qualifying rounds.

• Germany was the host country and qualified automatically as the reigning world champion.

• South America had the most teams in the qualification (with 13), while Europe (with 13) and the host country (Germany) had the most teams in the tournament.

• The 31 teams that qualified for the World Cup were determined by a series of play-offs.

• The best four teams from each of the six zones (Africa, Europe, South America, North America, and Asia) qualified for the World Cup.

• The fifth and sixth best teams from each zone competed in a two-legged play-off to determine the final two teams to compete in the World Cup.

Test your knowledge of the controversy surrounding the awarding of the 2006 FIFA World Cup to Germany and the qualification process for the tournament. From bribery allegations to the qualification criteria, this quiz covers various aspects of the event.