Berlin - Thirty-two teams have qualified for the 2006 World Cup finals which take place in Germany from June 9 - July 9.
COSTA RICA
Honours
World Cup appearances: 2 (1990, 2002)
World Cup best: Last 16 (1990)
Fifa world ranking: 26
Odds: 350/1
Coach: Alexandre Guimaraes
A popular former international who played at the 1990 World Cup, Guimaraes is enjoying his second spell in charge of 'Los Ticos' having overseen their campaign at the 2002 finals, when they were unlucky not to reach the last 16.
Born in Brazil but moved to Costa Rica at the age of 11, Guimaraes is expected to stick with the 4-4-2 system favoured by his predecessor, Jorge Luis Pinto, but may well experiment with the 3-5-2 formation he used in the past.
Key player: Paolo Wanchope
The leggy striker is the best known member of Costa Rica's squad, having enjoyed successful spells in England with Derby, West Ham and Manchester City before a stint in Spain with Malaga.
Now plying his trade at Qatari club Al Gharafa, Wanchope is Costa Rica's all-time leading scorer with 43 goals but his appearances have been restricted by a string of serious knee injuries.
Squad:
Goalkeepers:
Jose Francisco Porras (Saprissa), Alvaro Mesen (Heredeniano), Wardy Alfaro (Alajuelense)
Defenders:
Luis Marin (Alajuelense), Gilberto Martinez (Brescia/ITA), Jervis Drummond (Saprissa), Leonardo Gonzalez (Herediano), Michael Rodriguez (Alajuelense), Harold Wallace (Alajuelense), Michael Umana (Herediano), Gabriel Badilla (Saprissa), Douglas Sequeira (Salt Lake/USA)
Midfielders:
Danny Fonseca (Brujas), Randall Azofeifa (Saprissa), Mauricio Solis (Comunicaciones/GUA), Walter Centeno (Saprissa), Cristian Bolanos (Saprissa), Carlos Hernandez (Alajuelense)
Forwards:
Paulo Wanchope (Herediano), Kurt Bernard (Unattached), Ronald Gomez (Saprissa), Victor Nunez (Alajuelense), Alvaro Saborio (Saprissa)
