An understanding of the overall mechanism of the electrooxidation of methanol is of considerable interest in relation to the optimization of the direct methanol fuel cell. This paper describes in detail the different steps in the oxidation of methanol on platinum-based electrocatalysts with the identification of the key adsorption steps and of the different intermediates involved. From these fundamental studies, it is shown how it is possible to design multimetallic electrocatalysts for the electrooxidation of methanol under experimental conditions suitable for fuel cell application.