And even with 554 days still to go before the Opening Match on 9 June 2006 in Munich, the next FIFA World Cup is an increasingly influential factor driving the positive trend and the game's broad appeal.

The global festival of football topped a popularity ranking on 72 percent, reflecting a rising tide of anticipation around the country ahead of the second finals in Germany.

The event is still a year-and-a-half away, but the study indicates it has already gripped the popular imagination more than this year's major sporting highlights.

EURO 2004 came second with a 66 percent popularity rating followed by the Athens Olympics close behind. "We were already pretty sure the people of Germany were looking forward to the World Cup with a huge sense of anticipation. We're delighted this has now been confirmed by an independent survey," commented 2006 FIFA World Cup OC vice-president Wolfgang Niersbach.

Football's club competitions have also recovered in popularity following a protracted dip three years ago. The low point was reached in 2001 but since then popularity levels have significantly increased, reported Sport+Markt Director of Communications Stephan Schr?der. The Bundesliga is rated popular by 63 percent of respondents with a 55 percent score for the Champions League.

In line with these findings, German state broadcaster ARD's main Bundesliga highlights show, the Saturday evening Sportschau, was named most fascinating sports programme by 57 percent of those questioned, relegating RTL's Formula 1 coverage to second place on 56 percent for the very first time.

by OC 2006 FIFA World Cup