Public viewing camps, bars, restaurants and the famous "Fan Mile" area in Berlin were all packed prior to the first 2006 World Cup match between Germany and Costa Rica on Friday.

Giant screens erected near the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz in downtown Berlin were a sea of German flags as thousands of fans arrived about three hours before kick-off.

Michael Ballack's calf

The buzz was all about soccer, soccer and more soccer, specifically about the German national team and of course the million-dollar question -- whether injured German star captain Michael Ballack would be benched for the opener.

Some local fans worried that his absence might negatively affect the national team's chances of beating the South Americans, while others were just too excited that the World Cup was about to start to care much about their captain's availability.

Coach Jürgen Klinsmann's approach to the match and the team's young defensive combination were also topics of heated discussion. But the one factor common to all the disparate groups of fans -- the Germans were expecting nothing less than a win.

Good mood all around

At the swanky Potsdamer Platz Sony Center public viewing camp, hundreds of fans were turned away because the venue was already fully booked about two hours before kick-off.

But that didn't dampen spirits. Many simply moved on to other places sporting giant screens. But several bars around in the area seized the chance to make an extra buck by creating "fan packages" where they charged up to 15 Euros for a seat to watch the match on their screens, two beers and a snack. Some fans sportingly forked out the money without a murmur of complaint.

The game may have been taking place in Munich, but the streets of Berlin told a different story. There was singing in the trains, streets, bars and most Berliners were clad in the German national colors. Some cars displayed small German flags on the bonnet, the mood was overwhelmingly jolly.

There were a few Costa Ricans who tried to make their presence felt in the city with a song or two, but were drowned out by the Germans who were simply too many and too louder for the small contingent of South Americans.

A number of Polish fans in red and white joined their European neighbors and helped the Germans convincingly win a little singing battle over the Costa Ricans.

Drums, chants and singing

And with the Germans emerging victorious, with a 4-2 win over Costa Rica, the mood on the streets transformed the city into an all-night party venue. Cars hooted, more German flags flags came out and the singing and chanting turned even louder.

Ibrahim Sinka, a Burkina Faso national and leader of a three-man African drum group, led the celebrations at the Potsdamer Platz train station, beating his drums to loud screams, applauds and dancing from Germans who had gathered at the venue.

Sinka, who has been living in Germany for five years did not even watch the match, but found the celebrations difficult to avoid and decided to join in.

He said he enjoyed celebrating with the Germans. "I'm here to contribute to the celebration with my drums. The music I create makes them enjoy their team's win even more," he said.

Yvonne Norenberg was unperturbed by the deafening noise. "I love it and it's good because Germany has won," she said.

Daniel Garcia, a Germany-based Mexican student who was also celebrating the win with the multitude of local fans, said the celebrations were not going to stop before the break of dawn.

"You can see it's amazing here, people are enjoying, everything is just nice," he said.