Soccer: World Cup winners must qualify for Germany 2006

Next summer's World Cup winners will have to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, FIFA have announced.

In a major policy change, FIFA executive board decided at a meeting in Busan that the defending champions should no longer get automatic entry for the following World Cup.

France won the World Cup in France in 1998 and gained an automatic entry for 2002, along with co-hosts South Korea and Japan.

The sport's world governing body concluded a series of meetings with local organisers and among its own committees.

The final draw for the 2002 World Cup will be held in Busan on Saturday.