Germany 2006: the World Cup that changed how a country saw itself

The 2006 FIFA World Cup ran from 9 June to 9 July in Germany. Italy won it, beating France 5–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the final, and the hosts finished third after beating Portugal 3–1. But what many people remember is not a match. It is the atmosphere, and what the tournament seemed to change in Germany.

A tournament for a reunified country

It was the second World Cup hosted by Germany, after 1974 in West Germany, and the first held in the reunified country, with Leipzig, in the former East Germany, among the twelve host cities. Six teams made their World Cup debut: Angola, Ukraine, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Trinidad and Tobago and Togo.

Fans without tickets

The most visible change was the Fan Fest. Earlier tournaments had treated fans without tickets as a security risk. In 2006, FIFA and the host cities invited them in: twelve city-centre sites showed every match on giant screens, with music and cultural events. According to the German National Tourist Board, 21 million people visited them; Berlin’s Fanmeile alone had 9 million. It was the first event in German history to draw more people than Oktoberfest.

The Fan Fests also helped the image of the tournament abroad. Around 21% of foreign visitors interviewed at the Fan Fests had come to Germany without a ticket for any match, and 95% of foreign fans surveyed agreed the events showed the World Cup’s international character. The full story is in our article on the FIFA Fan Festival.

A new kind of patriotism

The tournament also started a national conversation. During the first weeks, German flags and colours appeared everywhere: on houses, cars and clothes. Since the Second World War, waving the flag had been widely frowned upon in Germany. Many observers in the media, politics and society read this as more than support for the team: as a “new patriotism”.

A study by the University of Marburg suggested only a slight rise in national pride. Attempts by far-right groups to use the tournament for propaganda failed.

How the hosts were judged

The verdicts after the tournament were very positive:

• FIFA president Sepp Blatter called the organisation the best in history and praised a welcoming public.
• A survey by the European Tourism Institute in Trier found that 96% of Germans thought the country had been a good host, and 93% found international fans agreeable.
• President Horst Köhler awarded the national team the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt, Germany’s highest sports award, on 14 August 2006.
• Coach Jürgen Klinsmann received the Bundesverdienstkreuz in February 2007.
• In 2007, FIFA and the twelve host cities won the German Marketing Prize for Sports for the Fan Fests.

The other side of the summer

The World Cup’s culture programme also made room for a very different event. From 2 to 8 July, on Mariannenplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg, 22 teams from social projects on five continents played the streetfootballworld festival 06. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier opened it on 2 July with a message “against violence, xenophobia and racism”. Kenya’s Mathare Youth Sports Association won.

Not everything went to plan. The teams from Ghana and Nigeria were refused visas and could not take part. That detail is a useful counterweight to the “summer fairy tale” image: the welcome was real, but not everyone could get through the door.

FAQ

When was the 2006 World Cup?

From 9 June to 9 July 2006, in twelve German cities.

Who won the 2006 World Cup?

Italy, beating France 5–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in the final.

What is the legacy of Germany 2006?

The Fan Fest model used at every World Cup since, a more relaxed public attitude to national symbols in Germany, and a strong international image of the country as a host.

Conclusion

Germany 2006 showed that a World Cup could be a festival for people far from the stadiums. It is the reason the Fan Fest exists, and the backdrop to the street football festival this site was created for. More in our World Cup culture section.