Fifa to announce World Cup seeds today

World football governing body, FIFA will today announce the seedings for the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany in Leipzig.

Hosts Germany are guaranteed seeds and they will be joined by seven other countries in the top pool, who will be kept apart in the main draw billed for this Friday.

In 2002, the seedings were based on performances at the previous two finals and a position based on Fifa world rankings from the previous three years. If that remains the case, England will be one of the seeds in Friday's draw.

I think the national teams of Holland and England have reason to be worried, said Fifa president Joseph Sepp Blatter.

They will be joined by Brazil, Italy, France, Argentina, Spain and Mexico as well as the host country, Germany.

Fifa has not indicated so far how the seedings will be decided but has hinted the method will be the same as that used for Japan/South Korea in 2002.

Several countries have complained that the system is unfair in that it rewards countries like Mexico and the USA, who are higher in the rankings because they beat weaker teams in their qualifying groups.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter said recently that some countries might not be happy at the outcome of the draw.

"I think the national teams of Holland and England have reason to be worried. Even Italy might not get a place," said Blatter.

For the draw on Friday, around 3,700 people will be present in the auditorium at the huge trade fair hall in Leipzig's Neue Messe exhibition centre.

It is being transformed into a football stadium for the occasion. The World Cup finals in Germany begins on 9 June 2006 and the final takes place in Munich on 9 July.