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About the World Cup

  • The FIFA World Cup™ is the most prestigious football (a.k.a. soccer) tournament in the world. It is held every four years, with 32 teams from around the globe competing for the cup.
  • The FIFA World Cup™ is the most-followed sporting event in the world. Some estimate as many as 1.5 billion people tune in to watch or listen to the matches.
  • In 2010, the World Cup will be held in nine cities across South Africa from June 11-July 11.
  • South Africa is host to the 19th FIFA World Cup™. The first was held in Uruguay in 1930.
  • This is the first time an African nation has hosted the FIFA World Cup™. Many Africans consider this an honor and a mark of progress for the entire continent.
  • Teams from 204 nations competed for a spot in this World Cup. An extensive series of qualifying matches, conducted from August 2007 to November 2009, ensured that at least one team from each world region was eligible to compete. This year, there are:
    • 6 teams from Africa
    • 13 teams from Europe
    • 5 teams from South America
    • 4 teams from Asia
    • 3 teams from North & Central America
    • 1 team from Oceania
  • The host nation’s team automatically qualifies to compete.
  • Top contenders to win this World Cup are: Spain, Brazil, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina and England.
  • Teams initially compete in eight groups of four. Each team plays every other team in their group. The top two teams in each group move on to the round of 16, in which losing teams are immediately eliminated. Winners of each match move on to the round of eight, then the semi-finals, then the final.
  • The nations competing in the 2010 World Cup are:
    • From Africa
      • Algeria
      • Cameroon
      • Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
      • Ghana
      • Nigeria
      • South Africa
    • From Asia
      • Australia
      • Japan
      • Korea DPR
      • Korea Republic
    • From Europe
      • Denmark
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Portugal
      • Serbia
      • Slovakia
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
    • From North and Central America
      • Honduras
      • Mexico
      • United States of America
    • From Oceania
      • New Zealand
    • From South America
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Paraguay
      • Uruguay
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