Germany as a favourite

Madeleine Frånberg from Stockholm can hardly wait for Sweden’s national team to make its first appearance. “The whole family is going crazy”, the mother of three and enthusiastic Touareg-driver explains. “Grandpa organised a game to predict the winners – even our five-year-old got involved.” Germany plays Sweden in Sochi on 23 June (8pm, ARD) – of course, the party is the highlight of the group phase for Madeleine. She thinks: “If we manage to win in the first game against South Korea, that will give the team energy and then we may even have a chance against the reigning champions.” Sure, this is the first large tournament that Sweden’s eccentric record goal scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic is not going to be there for following his retirement – Madeleine does not see that as a disadvantage though: “Zlatan was always the superstar; everything revolved around him. Now the team spirit is stronger and that can go a long way.” They especially fear Thomas Müller from Joachim Löw’s team: “That Müller is dangerous,” she says. “He scores goals even when there is no clear shot.” Madeleine knows what she’s talking about – she played in a football team herself when she was younger. She drove with her kids in her new Touaregto the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm just for our picture – now that is true love. A love of football and Volkswagen!

Emil Forsberg is to play against Germany

Petri Apelvi, a colleague of Madeleine’s at the Swedish importer, thinks Sweden even has a chance of making it to the quarter finals.

“Miguel Layun from FC Sevilla is my favourite player. He will hold our defence together,” the 27-year-old hopes. Does she think Germany has a chance at the title again? “Absolutely! Your players have excellent technical skill and I think Germany will make it to the final once again.”

A Beetle, a sportster and a belief in Marco Reus

A tip according to Christoph Kuschel. He was born and raised in Dortmund – the fire-fighter is always standing in the famous yellow wall at every BVB home game.

A South Korean sets his sights on the stars from Belgium

The only thing left in Group F for South Korea is the role of outsider. Gyu Jin Yang, area manager at a Volkswagen importer in Seoul, admits: “A victory would be a welcome surprise. But we have no chance against Germany.” Despite that, he will be sitting in front of the TV in the early hours as often as possible: “I got up for the Champions League Final at 4 o’clock in the morning and I will try to see just as much of the World Cup.” Gyu Jin has a two-year-old daughter and he bought an outfit in South Korea’s colours just for her. On the street, the proud father is currently travelling with a Passat CC : “Rush-hour around Seoul is extremely dense and requires a lot of concentration. But this car boosts my composure, so I can even take longer traffic jams very well.”

Who is he rooting for if South Korea doesn’t make it past the group stage? “I’m supporting Belgium,” he replies, explaining, “In Korea we watch the Premiere League and almost the entire Belgian team plays for English clubs.” Kevin de Bruyne is his favourite player.

The conclusion of our group travels:

Germany’s football is highly regarded, also with the Volkswagen enthusiasts all over the world. Can Jogi’s boys meet the high expectations? Playing against Mexico, Sweden and South Korea, they can collect the confidence they need for the critical phase of the World Cup. If they win their games, as forcasted by our experts for football and Volkswagen.