World Cup draw surprises

Germany coach Joachim Löw, assistant in Germany's home World Cup in 2006, will face his old boss Jürgen Klinsmann in one of many exciting games drawn in next year's tournament in Brazil.

Germany will likely be favorites in Group G, facing Klinsmann's USA, Portugal, and Ghana - raising the prospect of a showdown between the Boateng brothers - Jerome, who plays for Germany, meeting Kevin-Prince, who plays for Ghana.

"It's a difficult group with difficult conditions," Löw said after the draw. "The group is certainly emotional. We have an awful lot to do to get through."

"Football writes crazy stories," said Klinsmann. "It's an amazing group."

"It's an even group, with one favorite, and that's Germany, because of their potential and their history," commented Portuguese coach Paulo Bento.

Elsewhere, there were plenty more blockbuster games in prospect for the group stages. These include a repeat of the 2010 final in Group B, where Spain play the Netherlands, and the clashes between three former champions in Group D, which includes Uruguay, Italy, and England.

Lothar Matthäus, striker and captain of the Germany team that won the World Cup in 1990, was one of the eight football legends taking part in the draw, held in the Brazilian beach resort of Costa do Sauipe.

The ceremony started with a video tribute to Nelson Mandela, after the former South Africa president and human rights icon died on Thursday.

Tough draw

The field is tougher than at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Of the top 25 teams in FIFA's rankings, all but two (Ukraine and Denmark) qualified for Brazil.

Five-time winner Brazil is desperate to lift the trophy at home for the first time.

Depending on how they are drawn, some teams will travel considerably further than others in the world's fifth-largest country, which is more than 4,000 kilometers across.

England, for instance, will have to play in Manaus, situated in the extremely hot and humid Amazon rainforest region.

The draw build-up was dominated by news of stadium delays and anti-World Cup campaigners threatening public protest.

Brazil has built and renovated 12 stadiums and poured billions more into other public works.

Such expenditure has sparked vigorous criticism in a country with millions living in third-world poverty.

bk/kms (AP, dpa)