South Africa, hot favourites to scoop the ultimate accolade, stumbled in the last round of bidding.
England and Morocco were eliminated in the first two rounds.
The full results were:
First round: Germany 10, South Africa 6, England 5, Morocco 3 (Morocco eliminated)
Second round: Germany 11, South Africa 11, England 2 (England eliminated)
Third round: Germany 12, South Africa 11.
One FIFA member failed to vote in the third round
South Africa?s multi-million dollar bid had been expected to win and its defeat will send shock waves through the soccer world ? felt no more strongly than at the very top of FIFA itself?FIFA president Sepp Blatter had publicly expressed his desire to see soccer?s richest tournament take place in Africa.
For Germany it is a major turn-around after bid chief Franz Beckenbauer publicly said he believed German hopes had faded after Brazil?s decision to pull-out of the bid race and support South Africa.
England, believed by many to be Europe?s best chance of staging the tournament, saw its bid disintegrate when fans of its national side rioted in Belgium during Euro 2000. Eight hundred arrests later and a threat by UEFA to throw the national team out of the competition, and the bid had taken a serious blow. Followed by the verdict of the FIFA inspection committee that England?s facilities ranked below that of Germany and South Africa, and England saw its $15m bid campaign collapse.
Despite not capturing the votes of the UEFA committee members ? all bar one of which opted to support Germany ? it hoped to capture enough votes from the rest of the world to ensure success to the later round of bidding.
For Germany, elevated to South Africa?s only real rival after the England fiasco, still felt they had a good chance of bringing the tournament back to Europe. But the decision by Brazil to pull-out and back South Africa left bid chief Franz Beckenbauer publicly stunned ? saying in public just days before the vote that Germany?s hopes had disappeared.
Germany had good reason to feel aggrieved with England?s campaign following a `gentlemen?s agreement? prior to England?s plans to host Euro 96. It is claimed Germany agreed to support England?s bid in exchange for English support for its 2006 World Cup bid. England, however, had other ideas, and following the success of Euro 96, launched its own 2006 campaign.
For Morocco ? the outsiders ? defeat has a familiar taste?the loss in the race for 2006 follows two previous failed bids. Despite splitting some of the Africa vote, Morocco were never realistically going to capture enough votes to challenge its African rival.
But the biggest questions will be asked of the South Africa bid. With FIFA ranking its facilities top of the pile, and a charm offensive which seemed to have convinced everyone they had the strongest bid. For Danny Jordaan, the bid chief, the blow will hit hard. After years of campaigning and expectation sky high, the vote going against it will create almost as many headlines as Germany?s unexpected victory.
