By Chris O'Brien
July 22 2004

England will play four of their five World Cup qualification matches at Old Trafford. Wales, Northern Ireland, Poland and Austria will all visit the Theatre of Dreams as Sven Goran Eriksson looks to lead England to the 2006 finals in Germany.

Old Trafford will host four of England's five World Cup qualification matches for the 2006 tournament held in Germany. The only game not played at Manchester United's ground will be the tie against bottom seeds Azerbaijan, with Newcastle's St. James' Park set to stage that game.

'Battle of Britain' matches against Wales and Northern Ireland will be at the Theatre of Dreams, as will the games against Austria and Poland. England are set to face another tough group of matches if they are to reach the finals in Germany for 2006, with the four emotionally charged 'home internationals' looking the most intriguing.

"In the final year before we return to the magnificent new Wembley we are still committed to taking England fixtures around the country," read a statement from the Football Association.

"However as this is the World Cup qualifying campaign we wanted to make sure that the maximum number of fans had the opportunity to see the England side and that is why we have chosen the two biggest club grounds in the country."

England's World Cup Qualification Fixtures:

v. Austria - 4th August (Vienna)
v. Poland - 8th August (Chorzow)
v. Wales - 9th October (Old Trafford)
v. Azerbaijan - 13th October (venue to be confirmed)
v. Northern Ireland - 26th March (Old Trafford)
v. Azerbaijan - 30th March (St. James' Park)
v. Wales - 3rd September (Millennium Stadium)
v. Northern Ireland - 7th September (Windsor Park)
v. Austria - 8th October (Old Trafford)
v. Poland - 12th October (Old Trafford)