The draw for the preliminary stages of the World Cup in the Frankfurt Festhalle comes hot on the heels of the draw for the finals of Euro 2004 and represents the first real chance for the German organisers to show that preparations are running like clockwork.

"Time has passed quickly, but we have worked just as quickly," Franz Beckenbauer, the president of the organising committee, said this week.

"We still have to find two national sponsors out of the 21 planned, but there are absolutely no financial problems."

Beckenbauer promised a spectacular, star-studded ceremony which will be televised in more than 100 countries and the 1990 World Cup-winning coach confidently predicted the draw would set the first of many television audience records in this World Cup. Six-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher, a fan of German club Cologne, will help draw the balls for the European nations alongside the world's best referee Pierluigi Collina.

Asian, African, North and Central American and Caribbean, Oceania and European confederations will all enter the draw.

South American nations began their World Cup qualifiers in September in a single league format.

Only Germany, as host nation, are automatically qualified. Brazil, as reigning champions, have not been given direct entry to the finals following a rule change by world football's governing body FIFA and are having to qualify.

A total of 197 national associations plus New Caledonia entered the preliminary competition for the 2006 World Cup, but that number has been reduced already by playoffs in Asia and Africa.

Thirty African nations will be split into five groups according to their seedings.