BERLIN - The World Cup is soccer's greatest spectacle. It's also a monthlong grind, and the fatigue is starting to show.

Games every few days, many played under a hot, muggy sun. Travel across a country that's almost as big as California. Pressure that grows with every game. And that's on top of the nine months ¡ª or more ¡ª that many players just spent with soccer's best clubs.

"The World Cup is a special test," said Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo Pereira, whose team plays France on Wednesday in the semifinals. "No matter how hard you try, you can't completely overcome that tiredness."

Or the injuries. Or the mental exhaustion.

Some teams manage better than others. Look at the semifinalists. Germany, Italy, France and Portugal have outlasted the other 28 teams, and it's not only because of skill, timing and luck.

Italy might be the strongest team mentally, able to ignore distractions from a corruption scandal that is rocking the domestic league. Despite several grueling games, Portugal has managed to remain healthy. France looks fresher now than a month ago. And Germany is among the fittest teams after coach Juergen Klinsmann overhauled its training program.

"Physical condition is very important, because in soccer these days, 95 percent of the time the team that runs more wins," Italy defender Gianluca Zambrotta said. "Compared to the past, soccer is much more athletic and the pace is much faster."

When the tournament began in 1930, there were only 13 teams and it lasted two weeks. Now 32 teams play 64 games over four weeks, and qualifying begins two years out.

But that's not all. National team players compete professionally, many in Europe's top leagues. Training starts as early as August and the season runs through May, meaning players spend their "free" time away from national team duty chasing domestic league and cup titles. Portugal playmaker Deco helped Barcelona win the Champions League title May 17 ¡ª one day before training camp for his national team opened.

And forget about getting a break afterward. Major League Soccer is in the middle of its season ¡ª U.S. midfielder Clint Dempsey led the New England Revolution to a win less than a week after the United States left Germany. The French league opens July 31, and Lyon held its first practice Monday. Other big European leagues start play within six weeks of the World Cup final, and qualifying for the 2008 European Championship starts in August.

So don't blame the players for trying to pace themselves, knowing they could be on the field for two hours, as was the case when Germany and Portugal won quarterfinal games on penalty-kick shootouts.

All the exertion takes a toll ¡ª on both body and spirit.

Some players weren't 100 percent when they arrived in Germany. Wayne Rooney broke a bone in his foot playing for Manchester United on April 29, missed England's first game and was never at full strength. Ronaldo was still working himself back into shape when Brazil's training camp opened.

"We needed a little more preparation, probably in terms of fitness and getting the team to play as a unit," Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said after the pretournament favorite's stunning quarterfinal loss to France.

Other players have gotten hurt as the tournament went on. England's Michael Owen tore up his right knee in the final group game and will miss at least six months. Italy's Alessandro Nesta is expected to sit out the semifinal against Germany with a thigh injury that's already forced him to miss two games.

There have been a slew of minor maladies, too. A dehydrated David Beckham threw up during England's second-round game against Ecuador, and left the quarterfinal game early with knee and Achilles' tendon injuries. Germany's Michael Ballack came off the field several times against Argentina so trainers could work the cramps out of his legs. Argentina went to penalty kicks without playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, who'd been pulled because he was tiring.

"Their bodies are not machines," Germany assistant coach Joachim Loew said. "It's important for them to focus on regeneration after 120 minutes."

Even if players stay healthy, keeping their minds fresh is another challenge. In the 1994 final near Los Angeles, Italy and Brazil looked exhausted and played dull, conservative soccer.

Brazil won in a penalty kick shootout after Roberto Baggio's miss.

"I was very tired, my right leg was hurting," Baggio said then. "My mind was not clear."

After a monthlong grind, though, something's bound to give.