World champions Brazil are currently ranked number one in the world.
Their skillful ball players like Ronaldo and Ronaldinho make them one of the clear favorites to win the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but can they break a pattern that began in 1962 and do it?
Looking at previous World Cups reveals that since 1962, when Brazil won, the South American and European teams have alternated winning the World Cup.
Brazil came close to breaking this pattern twice in 1982 and 1998, but clearly it was not their time.
In 1982, Brazil had a team full of great players like Zico, Socrates and were favored by many to lift the Cup, however Paolo Rossi and the Italian team thought otherwise.
Rossi on a comeback scored a hat trick to eliminate the Brazilians from the tournament.
The previous Cup was won by Argentina in 1978, who beat the Dutch in the final.
In 1998, after Brazil reached the final and were favored to win against the French, an out of sorts Ronaldo and a resurgent Zinedine Zidane helped the French win the World Cup.
That was the closest Brazil ever came to winning the World Cup after having won the previous one.
Besides Brazil, current hosts Germany have come close in 1982 and 1986 losing to Italy and Argentina in the final respectively.
In 1982, the Germans got past a better French side with typical determination only to lose against a spirited Italian side 3-1 with Rossi, Tardelli and Altobelli scoring for the winners.
The 1986 Cup had already been reserved for Argentina's greatest player ever, Diego Maradona and he duly lifted the Cup after the final which Argentina won 3-2. All five goals came off defensive lapses.
In the current format, the tournament is made up of eight groups of four teams with two teams progressing through to the next stage from each group. The subsequent rounds leading up to the final operate as knockout rounds.
After that Hosts Germany in Group A should win their group with Ecuador leading the race for second.
From Group F, the only certainty seems to be the defending champion Brazil while Australia and Croatia have the best shot at second place.
Group B should be England and Sweden on form, though Paraguay cannot be taken lightly.
Group C will likely see Argentina and the Netherlands through and from Group D Mexico and Portugal are projected to advance.
In Group E, the Czech Republic and Italy look like strong contenders to advance; but in what order?
Group G will be a battle between the French, Swiss and South Koreans
Group H favorites Spain and Ukraine have an edge over the Tunisians while the Saudis will probably not be competitive. Hosts Germany from Group A and England from Group B would have to top their groups or both finish second to avoid a pre-quarterfinal clash.
The race top Group E is all about avoiding Group F's likely winner Brazil in a pre-quarterfinal match up.
France and Spain would need to top their Groups, G and H respectively, to avoid a pre-quarterfinal clash.
So who are the favored teams from Europe?
England, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and hosts Germany all come to mind.
The last time Germany hosted the World Cup in 1974, that team led by Franz Beckenbauer beat the Netherlands in the final
Spain has never really performed on the world stage and are long overdue.
Italy with their solid defense and midfield play are always dangerous but they will need a great striker like Rossi in 1982, and Baggio in 1990 to get there.
Portugal is a team on the ascent, while England and Netherlands both capable of making the last four.
Based on historical patterns a team from Europe would be projected to win the 2006 World Cup however, Brazil and Argentina may disagree as well as Mexico.
Can a South American team take the Cup or will the winner come from a different continent?
This just could be the year Europe will see historic patterns change.
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