6 teams set for 2006 Cup

LONDON — With the World Cup a year away, five teams have joined host Germany in the 32-nation field for soccer showpiece.

Japan and South Korea, co-hosts of the 2002 World Cup, were among the four teams qualifying Wednesday from Asia. They were joined by Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In South America, two-time champion Argentina qualified for the ninth time in a row by beating five-time winner and reigning champion Brazil 3-1.

Brazil, in second place in South American qualifying, needs one more victory in its last three games to maintain its record as the only nation to play at all 18 World Cups.

The line of European contenders is led by a team that's never made it to the World Cup — Ukraine.

With AC Milan star Andriy Shevchenko in the lineup and two-time World Cup player Oleh Blokhin as coach, Ukraine needs one victory from its last three games to reach the championship for the first time since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"It was a big win for us . . . we're 99.9 percent in Germany," Blokhin said.

Ukraine could qualify at the expense of European champion Greece while there's a strong chance Spain and France also might fail to advance.

The Ukrainians beat Greece 1-0 to move seven points ahead of their European Group 2 rivals. A 6-0 victory by Turkey in Kazakhstan dropped the Greeks to third in the standings.

In Europe, the eight group winners and best two runners-up are guaranteed places in the June 9-July 9 tournament. The other six second-place finishers can advance through playoffs.

The Netherlands and the Czech Republic, both high-scoring winners Wednesday, could qualify from their group. The Dutch, World Cup runners-up in 1974 and '78, downed Finland 4-0 in Helsinki. The Czechs, who lost in the 1934 and '62 finals, routed Macedonia 6-1, with Jan Koller scoring four times.

Poland and England, neck and neck in their group, could clinch World Cup berths before they face each other in the final round of games at Old Trafford in October.

Three-time winner Italy, seeking its first World Cup title since 1982, is in a strong position to qualify for the 12th time in a row, leading its group by four points.