Doha (dpa) – National coach Hansi Flick can also hope for a lucky hand from record national player Lothar Matthäus in the draw for the group stage for the World Cup in Qatar.
The 61-year-old is one of the eight previous players and coaches on April 1 in Doha, according to the world association FIFA. Germany will be sorted into pot two in the draw – so Flick’s DFB selection could meet Belgium, Brazil, France, Argentina, England, Spain, Portugal or hosts Qatar early in the finals (November 21 to December 18).
“Franz Beckenbauer always wanted strong opponents so that you could get into the tournament rhythm right away,” said Matthäus of the German Press Agency. “At the back in pots three and four it will be more manageable than the six or seven teams from pot one.” The 1990 world champion is hoping for an “exciting group draw. There are compositions where I would say it could also be close in the preliminary round.”
In addition to Matthäus, Cafú (Brazil), Adel Ahmed Malallah (Qatar), Ali Daei (Iran), Bora Milutinovic (Serbia/Mexico), Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Rabah Madjer (Algeria) and Tim Cahill (Australia) will also be performing Draw balls with the nations. Leading the draw are Carli Lloyd, Jermaine Jenas and Samantha Johnson.
A maximum of one European opponent can be drawn for the DFB selection. Since three of the 32 World Cup participants have not yet been determined, it could also happen that Flick only knows two of the three preliminary round opponents after the ceremony.