Greece did not qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. This came as a major disappointment following their stunning victory at Euro 2004, where they shocked the world by winning the tournament. The failure to reach the World Cup highlighted struggles to maintain momentum and evolve tactically under head coach Otto Rehhagel.
❌ 2006 World Cup Qualification (UEFA Group 2)
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Finished 4th in their group, behind Ukraine, Turkey, and Denmark
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Record:
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✅ 6 Wins
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⚖️ 3 Draws
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❌ 5 Losses
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Key failures included home defeats to Albania and Ukraine, and a late loss to Turkey
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Top scorer in qualifying: Angelos Charisteas
🧑🤝🧑 Greece 2006 Key Squad Members (during qualifiers)
Coach: Otto Rehhagel
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Antonios Nikopolidis (GK)
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Traianos Dellas
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Takis Fyssas
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Giourkas Seitaridis
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Kostas Katsouranis
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Theodoros Zagorakis (Captain)
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Angelos Charisteas
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Giorgos Karagounis
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Stelios Giannakopoulos
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Vassilis Lakis
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Nikos Dabizas
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Fanis Gekas
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Dimitris Papadopoulos
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Loukas Vyntra
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Michalis Kapsis
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Christos Patsatzoglou
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Pantelis Kafes
After their Euro 2004 triumph, Greece’s failure to qualify for 2006 served as a reset moment. They would return stronger in later tournaments, including Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. Let me know if you’d like a breakdown of either of those tournament.
