<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> ← 2002 2010 → </Td> </Tr> <P> The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament . It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000 . Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six populated continents participated in the qualification process which began in September 2003 . Thirty - one teams qualified from this process, along with the host nation, Germany, for the finals tournament . It was the second time that Germany staged the competition (the first was in 1974 as West Germany), and the tenth time that it was held in Europe . </P> <P> Italy won the tournament, claiming their fourth World Cup title . They defeated France 5--3 in a penalty shoot - out in the final, after extra time had finished in a 1--1 draw . Germany defeated Portugal 3--1 to finish in third place . Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Trinidad and Tobago, and Togo made their first appearances in the finals . It was also the first appearance of Serbia and Montenegro under that name; they had previously appeared in 1998 as Yugoslavia . </P> <P> The 2006 World Cup stands as one of the most watched events in television history, garnering an estimated 26.29 billion times viewed, compiled over the course of the tournament . The final attracted an estimated audience of 715.1 million people . </P>

Who won the fifa world cup of 2006