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FIFA World Cup 2010

On Friday 11th June, the nineteenth FIFA World Cup will kick off in Johannesburg, South Africa, the first time an African nation has ever hosted the prestigious competition. Out of 204 national teams that entered the competition at the qualifying stage, 32 made it through to the finals, including favourites such as Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Spain, as well as lower-profile teams such as Honduras, Algeria and New Zealand.

South Africa is home to one of NCC Education’s offices, and the host nation plays the opening game of the tournament against Mexico in the Soccercity Stadium, Johannesburg. They also play Uruguay, and 1998 World Cup champions France. England, home of NCC Education’s head office, play their opening game against the USA, and also play Algeria and Slovenia in their group.

The matches will take place in 10 venues across 9 different cities. Several of the stadiums have been specially built for the tournament, such as the Cape Town Stadium and the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, and the rest have all been upgraded. Matches are also to be played in stadiums in Durban, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and several other locations.

While the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Spain may be favourites this year, the World Cup is renowned for shock results, with lesser-known teams often unexpectedly knocking out favourites. South Africa will be hoping that the support of their home fans will spur them on through the competition, as it did for South Korea in 2002 when the joint-hosts surprised many people by becoming the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup. This year’s tournament is unique in that it is the first World Cup not to feature any national team appearing for the first time.

One controversy surrounding this World Cup has been over the new ball introduced by Adidas, named the Jabulani. Many players have expressed a dislike after training with the new ball, claiming that it moves unpredictably when kicked, causing problems for goalkeepers and strikers alike.

The official mascot of the 2010 World Cup is Zakumi the leopard. His ‘date of birth’, 16th June 1994, represents important dates in South Africa; the 16th June is Youth Day in the country, while the year 1994 saw the country’s first nationwide, non-racial elections take place.

Before the tournament kicks off, an opening concert will be held on 10th June in Johannesburg, featuring performances by artists such as Shakira, Alicia Keys, and Black Eyed Peas.

South Africa 2010 will also be the first World Cup competition to feature games filmed in 3D. After the success of a handful of 3D broadcasts of several sports events across the globe, FIFA has announced that up to 25 games during the tournament will be filmed in 3D. Keep an eye out for our upcoming article on the 3D television revolution!

Is your country playing at the World Cup in South Africa? If not, who will you be supporting?

World Cup Facts