The teams of Ecuador and Costa Rica line up for their respective national anthems before the match in Hamburg.
Polish fans unfurl a large flag with the Polish national symbol before their match in Hannover against Costa Rica.
The Polish team (in red) and the Costa Rica team (in blue) go through warmups before their match in Hannover, Germany on June 20th.
Some Polish fans brought flares with them to the match against Costa Rica. Security reacted quickly, snuffed out the flare and ejected the fans who ignited it. That did not stop other fans from lighting a second flare some minutes later.
Mexican fans came to the game against Angola with some wild costumes. Here, some fans decorated their sombreros with some interesting motifs and figures.
The Ukraine and Saudi Arabia faced off in Hamburg on June 20th. Here, both teams wait for their national anthems to be played.
The press box work area for ESPN at the Hamburg stadium. A former Western United player, Stefan McVeigh, has been "spotting" the matches in Hamburg and Hannover for ESPN.
Two fans on their way to the June 15th match between Ecuador and Costa Rica, each wearing a flag of the two opponents.
The World Cup means great business for a whole host of firms and even for the small restaurant on the way to the stadium. The oversized flag shows where the owner's loyalties lie, but all are welcome to eat there!
The stadium in Hannover, Germany on the day of the match between Mexico and Angola.
The Fan Fest (for fans who couldn't get tickets) included a "Beach Soccer" field, which was popular among younger fans in Hannover.
Security is very tight at all World Cup events. Here, at the Fan Fest, where fans could watch the matches on a big screen, patrons had to be patted down by security at the entrance gates. The big screen also had scrolling messages for the fans that warned that if any flares or fireworks were set off, the premises would be immediately evacuated by the police. There have been no reports so far of such measures having to be taken.
Some fans of Angola at the Hannover Fan Fest, wearing the flag of Angola.
A close look at the "Fan Fest" stage and big screen in Hannover. All of the cities in which World Cup matches are taking place have such fan centers for people who could not get tickets. Admission is free and there are often other activities for fans in the time between games, such as entertainers on stage, food stands, beer stands (of course), and other displays.
Two 2006 World Cup tickets for the games Argentina/Ivory Coast (above) and Ecuador/Costa Rica (below).
Two 2006 World Cup tickets for the games Argentina/Ivory Coast (above) and Ecuador/Costa Rica (below).
At the Argentina - Ivory Coast game there were a number of celebrity soccer stars from the past including Valderama of Columbia, who played with Tampa Bay in the MLS, and who was kind enough to pose for a photo for our correspondent in Germany.
The World Cup stadium in Hamburg, Germany. It is officially called the AOL Stadium when the World Cup is not in town. However, FIFA required all the stadiums in Germany, where World Cup matches were to take place, to remove their sponsors' name from the outside of the stadium, so that there would not be confusion over who was sponsoring the World Cup.
Fans of the Ivory Coast team carry a painted portrait of team star Didier Drogba, who plays in the English Premier League, on the way to the stadium.
Argentinian fans unfurl their gigantic flag outside the Hamburg stadium.
An Argentinian television reporter interviews Argentinian fans at the Argentina - Ivory Coast match in Hamburg.
A picture of the Ivory Coast team arriving at the Grand Elysee Hotel in Hamburg on June 9th. The team arrived with a considerable police escort
Adidas has hung a series of large portraits of some of the World Cup's top players from the Radisson Hotel in Hamburg. This picture is 210' by 60'. Do you know who this is? (Hint: if you don't straighten up your room, it could look really _____.)
Hamburg's main train station, like the rest of the city, is festooned with large messages welcoming the world to the World Cup in Germany.
The entrance to the street where the hotel is located in which the US team resides is blocked off to motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic and guarded by police. When the team goes to and from its practice field in the north of the city, the caravan of police cars, motorcycles and the team bus speed along very quickly and do not stop for red lights, in order to reduce the possibility of someone targeting the bus.
A group of Argentinian fans were whooping it up on the central square in front of Hamburg's city hall. Their team has its first match in Hamburg on Saturday against the Ivory Coast.
The Park Hyatt Hotel in Hamburg, Germany where the US Men's Team arrived on June 2nd at about 7 am. (Sorry that we don't have any photos of them arriving. Our correspondent was still asleep at that time.)
All over the city of Hamburg there are signs welcoming the teams and fans staying here during the World Cup. Apart from the Americans, the national teams from Italy, the Ukraine and the Ivory Coast will be based in Hamburg. The first team to arrive in Germany, about two weeks ago, was the team from Togo (on the west coast of Africa), which wanted to train in a secluded spot. They selected a town near the German Alps, not knowing that it would snow there last week, with freezing temperatures. Ouch.
Although a bit blurry, this photo shows a welcome sign for the US team outside a refreshment stand in the center of town. Hamburg was very proud to announce that the "US Boys", as they call them, will be staying there.
Throughout the city of Hamburg there are some 80 blue neon-light soccer goals. Many are on the roofs of larger building, such as hotels, but others can be found in assorted other places, like this one on the front of the Hamburg City Hall building. The idea of the lighted goals throughout the city comes from a German artist, whose name we will report as soon as we remember it (or can find it again).
Because there are many more fans than there are tickets for the World Cup matches, the cities where games are taking place are also providing big-screen outdoor fan areas where all the games will be broadcast in a party atmosphere, much like a giant outdoor sports bar for 50,000 people. This photo shows the field in Hamburg where the big screen is being set up. Off in the background you can see Hamburg's famous TV tower.
At the field where the big-screen showings of World Cup matches will take place there is an old World War II anti-aircraft tower and bunker. It is one of the very few signs of the war that still remain (except for the unexploded 500 lb. bombs that keep popping up when construction worker start digging around). At each of the top corners of the bunker you can see a round concrete platform. This is where the anti-aircraft guns were positioned. After the war, the Allies tried to demolish the bunker with dynamite, all to no avail. The reinforced concrete walls are several yards thick. After several attempts to bring it down, it was left in place and later turned into an office and apartment building. As you can see, during the World Cup it will also serve as a place to hang large advertising banners.
As you might expect, just about every piece of advertising posted around Germany today has some connection to the World Cup. This ad, from a subway station in Hamburg, shows some of Germany's past soccer stars selling a cell phone service (O2). You might recognize Franz Beckenbauer standing behind the bench, or Lothar Matteus sitting on the right. Can you identify the others? (We'll give the answer a bit later.)