With the 2010 FIFA World Cup less than 100 days away, its time to breakdown the nations that will be participating in The Great Tournament. The Greeks are the final team of Group B to breakdown.


Official Name: Hellenic Football Federation

Nickname: Galanoleyki (Blue & White)

FIFA Confederation: UEFA (Europe)

FIFA Code: GRE

How They Qualified: Def. Ukraine 1-0 agg. in UEFA play-off

World Cup Appearances (Including 2010): 2

Best WC Finish: USA 1994, Eliminated in group stage

World Cup Record (MP: Wins - Draws - Losses): 3: 0W - 0D - 3L

Head Coach: Otto Rehhagel

Most Capped Player (# of caps): Theodoros Zagorakis (120)

All-Time Goal Scoring Leader (# of goals): Nikos Anastopoulos (29)

Brief Footballing History:
Greece was very quiet on the international football scene having only qualified for one World Cup prior to 2010 and one European Championship prior to 2004. The Greeks stunned the footballing community by winning the UEFA Euro 2004, their 1st ever major international trophy at any level.

Player To Watch:
The Greeks are devoid of a star player but Vasilis Torosidis is one to keep an eye on.


The 24-year old Olympiakos defender has most recently been linked to Liverpool but Juventus, Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, and other clubs have been following Torosidis' progress. On the national team he is a left back but with Olympiakos he's shown his versatility by sometimes playing in the midfield.

Outlook:
Under Otto Rehhagel the Greeks have become the masters of the 1-0, defensive game. Greece's defensive/counter attacking style will have to be perfect in a group in which their opponents have superior attacking talent. The 2010 WC Greek side will have better attacking talent than the Euro 2004 winning side so the key for Greece to advance out of the group will be finishing their goal scoring opportunities.

WC Group Schedule:
June 12 vs. Korea Republic
June 17 vs. Nigeria
June 22 vs. Argentina

On to the teams in Group C.