Group D contenders
Germany 
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

Route to finals
Fitting of a nation that has lifted the World Cup Trophy on three occasions, Germany were emphatic in their European zone Group 4 qualifying campaign.

In a group including Russia, Wales and Finland, it was only the latter that the Germans dropped points against – drawing 3-3 in Helsinki and 1-1 in Hamburg.

Aside from those hiccups, Germany picked up eight victories, scoring 26 goals and conceding only five.

Having appeared in every World Cup since 1934, the Germans will once again be one of the favourites in the tournament.

Manager
Assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann during the 2006 World Cup, Joachim Low stepped into the hot-seat after that year’s tournament.

Two years later, Low took his charges to the Final of the European Championship where they were beaten 1-0 by Spain and as a result have not won a major tournament since Euro ’96.

With his relatively young squad (only four players are over the age of 30), Low will be keen to bring that streak to an end in South Africa.

Player watch
Losing captain Michael Ballack will come as a huge blow to the German's, as the Chelsea midfielder is one of the side's most experienced players, with 98 caps and 42 goals to his name.

He will be sorely missed and it will now be down to the likes of Bayern Munich’s Miroslav Klose – who has scored 48 goals in his 94 appearances – to provide a steadying influence.

However, in Lukas Podolski and Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany still has two precocious talents, capable of turning and winning games.

Competition History
First appearance: 1934
No. of appearances (inc 2010): 17
Best result: Winners (1954, 1974 & 1990)
Matches against England: 11

Squad

Goalkeepers
1	Manuel Neuer	Schalke 04, GER
12	Tim Wiese	Werder Bremen, GER
22	Hans-Jörg Butt	Bayern München, GER
Defenders
3	Arne Friedrich	Hertha BSC, GER
4	Dennis Aogo	Hamburger SV, GER
5	Serdar Tasci	VfB Stuttgart, GER
14	Holger Badstuber	Bayern München, GER
16	Philipp Lahm	Bayern München, GER
17	Per Mertesacker	Werder Bremen, GER
20	Jerome Boateng	Hamburger SV, GER
Midfielders
2	Marcell Jansen	Hamburger SV, GER
6	Sami Khedira	VfB Stuttgart, GER
7	Bastian Schweinsteiger	Bayern München, GER
8	Mesut Özil	Werder Bremen, GER
15	Piotr Trochowski	Hamburger SV, GER
18	Toni Kroos	Bayer Leverkusen, GER
21	Marko Marin	Werder Bremen, GER
Forwards
9	Stefan Kießling	Bayer Leverkusen, GER
10	Lukas Podolski	1. FC Köln, GER
11	Miroslav Klose	Bayern München, GER
13	Thomas Müller	Bayern München, GER
19	Cacau	VfB Stuttgart, GER
23	Mario Gomez	Bayern München, GER