So, as we've started a little late on this, I still haven't covered the reaction to the draw for the World Cup Finals.

Somehow, FIFA managed to string the draw out to 90 minutes, with only the appearance of Heidi Klum helping to numb the boredom, but there were some interesting groups thrown up.

Group A saw Germany and Poland drawn together in a fairly tough group. Ecuador, who beat Brazil in qualification, and Costa Rica make up the rest of the group.

Group B was a source of relief for England. Paraguay and Trinidad should be easy matches for the second seeds, but Sweden could cause problems. They scored 30 goals in the 10 qualifying games and with Henrik Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front you can see why.

Group C was instantly dubbed the 'Group of Death' after the draw, and Argentina will have a tough group stage, having to face the unseeded Holland to make it through the group. However, The Ivory Coast and Serbia & Montenegro should pose little threat.

Group D saw the 5th seed Mexico drawn against Portugal in what could be an evenly contested match. Iran and Angola however will do well to continue past the group stages.

Group E looks particularly tough for all concerned. Italy, the United States and the Czech Republic will all be looking to progress, but only Ghana seem likely to miss out - who out of the other three make it through is difficult to judge.

Group F looks equally as difficult to call. Holders Brazil must be favourites to top the group, but Australia, Croatia or Japan could all win on their day.

Group G is slightly more clear cut - France seem likely to dominate, and Togo are unlikely to impress. Switzerland and South Korea are a little more evenly matched, but without the huge home support they saw in 2002 (or the help of the referrees) Switzerland seem more likely than Korea to progress automatically.

Finally, Group H sees Spain and the Ukraine likely contenters to top the group, with Spain hoping they can hit some sort of form for the tournament. Tunisia and Saudi Arabia I suspect will be looking at the playoffs to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament.

The draw in full:

Group A
Germany,
Costa Rica,
Poland,
Ecuador

Group B
England,
Paraguay,
Trinidad &
Tobago,
Sweden

Group C
Argentina,
Ivory Coast,
Serbia & Montenegro,
Holland

Group D
Mexico,
Iran,
Angola,
Portugal

Group E
Italy,
Ghana,
United States,
Czech Republic

Group F
Brazil,
Croatia,
Australia,
Japan

Group G
France,
Switzerland,
South Korea,
Togo

Group H
Spain,
Ukraine,
Tunisia,
Saudi Arabia

Read more at news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/h...

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