Group Strength A tantalising battle between three teams, Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal, who love to exhibit the beautiful game. North Korea pulled off one of the biggest shocks ever in World Cup finals history when they stunned Italy back in 1966, but they will be out for an even bigger scalp if they can take down the Selecao. Group Favourites Brazil should be confident of securing top spot in the group, but Portugal, if they can really hit form in six months' time, will put in a serious challenge. The Selecao will be glad to face their Portuguese cousins, but a physical encounter with Ivory Coast could give them some problems. Battle for Second Portugal and Ivory Coast will go hammer and tongs to fight for second place at the very least. That they will meet each other in their first group game may be anti-climactic for the final round of games, but it will be an extremely vital opening encounter for both. Whoever loses will face an uphill battle to get back on track. The Outsiders North Korea are the underdogs in this group full of pedigree and star players. They could not have asked for a more difficult first game to kick-start their finals campaign, but if they bag positive results in the other two matches, they could pull off a surprise. Again! The Long Road Forward The runners-up for this group will face the winner of Group H, very likely to be Spain. That essentially means that they will have to face the number one and number two ranked nations in FIFA's current world ranking. It doesn't stop there as a potential clash with Italy also awaits in the Q-finals. The winners of this group, however, could face Netherlands in the last 16, while England, France, Germany or Argentina are possible opponents in the semi-finals.
World Cup 2010: Group G Analysis - Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast & Portugal
World Cup 2010: Group F Analysis - Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand & Slovakia
Group Strength Group D and Group G are both very evenly balanced, while tricky challenges await the Netherlands and Spain in Group E and Group H respectively. Group F, on the other hand, is relatively lightweight. While it contains the holders, neither New Zealand nor Slovakia hold any real weight on the international scene. This is only the All Whites' second World Cup, while 2010 is Slovakia's debut. Paraguay have had slightly more success in the World Cup, but have never progressed beyond the last 16. Don't expect anyone but Italy to reach the latter stages of the competition from this group. Group Favourites Italy must be considered heavy favourites for this group. The Azzurri are reigning world champions and have shown their quality during the qualification phase, dropping just six points. Marcello Lippi has already intimated that he knows the majority of his squad for the World Cup, and they will have both the talent and the experience with which to qualify from the group with relative ease. Battle for Second Having picked up wins against both Argentina and Brazil during the CONMEBOL qualification phase, Paraguay showed that they will be no pushovers on the big stage. They conceded less than a goal a game during qualifying, while the likes of Roque Santa Cruz and Salvador Cabanas will be leading the line. Like Italy, the Paraguayan mentality is more inclined towards defence than attack, but they should have enough going forward to secure second place in the group. The Outsiders It's a toss up between New Zealand and Slovakia to see who will finish bottom of the group. New Zealand's only previous appearance in the World Cup finals came in 1982, when they lost all three matches. Slovakia have the stellar Marek Hamsik in their ranks and came through a far more difficult qualifying campaign than the All Whites, but their lack of experience at the very top level may hinder them a little. The Long Road Forward Whoever tops Group F will meet the runners up in Group E in Pretoria. Cameroon and Denmark are likely to be competing for second place. The runners up will meet the Group E winners, most likely the Netherlands. It will get more difficult as the tournament goes on, as the group winners should meet Spain in the quarter finals, while the runners up could meet Brazil.
World Cup 2010: Group E Analysis - Netherlands, Japan, Cameroon & Denmark
Group Strength The only heavyweights in this group are the Netherlands and among the four teams only they can realistically aspire to get beyond the last 16 stage of the competition. The rest of the teams look good but they wouldn't be able to challenge for a quarter-final berth. Yet the games would be interesting to watch as the four teams play different style of football and follow different philosophies and there could be a surprise result or two. Group Favourites The Netherlands are the favourites to win this group. They were in great form in the qualifiers and won all their eight matches. Bert van Marwijk's side have exceptional attacking players such as Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben and although they are vulnerable at the back, the Oranje should comfortably win the three games in the group. Battle for Second The battle for the runners-up spot would be interesting as Japan, Cameroon and Denmark all would count themselves second favourites in the group. Cameroon would especially believe in themselves given that they are an African side and would be buoyed by a 'home' support. Moreover, they have players such as Samuel Eto'o, Carlos Kameni and Stephane M'bia. The Outsiders Japan could find themselves struggling in the group and with Denmark would be trying to avoid the bottom place. The former World Cup quarter-finalists are one of the strongest teams of Asia but struggle against physical and technically superior sides. Cameroon can be physically intimidating and the Dutch are far superior to them in every aspect. The Long Road Forward Group favourites Holland could potentially meet potential Group F runners-up Paraguay while Cameroon should meet Italy in the last 16 stage if they qualify.
World Cup 2010: Group A Analysis - South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay & France
Group Strength A tricky section, no doubt, and one which will have the hosts crying into their vuvuzelas. By no means a dream draw for Bafana Bafana with some prized talent set to line up against them at every turn. France, facing South Africa as they did in 1998 and Uruguay as they did in 2002, could have done a lot worse though and with some menacing firepower will be expecting to reel off some hefty tallies, should they function as a unit. Mexico could only trail USA in the CONCACAF hexagon but boast pedigree at this level. El Tri have moved on from their last five consecutive World Cup group stages. The Uruguayan side showed a dramatic fluctuation in form throughout the South American qualifiers but on their day, possess a starting XI to rival some of the very best. Group Favourites After edging their way to the finals by the skin of their... hands, Raymond Domenech's side had the temerity to complain about being handed a non-seed berth. How reticent might Les Bleus be now that they've avoided some of the major guns. Alongside this opposition, the French will justifiably been seen as top dogs in the section but will have to shake off their underperforming status to record the maximum points haul. Anything less than a win against Uruguay could have French nerves jangling ahead of the Mexico clash. Battle for Second Wide open. A host nation effectively play with a 12th man and the Mexicans will be faced with some hefty vuvuzelaing on matchday one in Soccer City. Should three points go the way of Bafana Bafana then they remain in with a modicum of a shout ahead of the Uruguayan showdown on matchday two. That said, Mexico, more often than not, find a way out of their pool and will be aiming as much for the top spot as for the runners-up berth. Oscar Tabarez's Uruguay were the last team to qualify but in Luis Suarez, Diego Forlan and the precocious Nicolas Lodeiro, la Celeste have the weaponry to score in abundance. Mexico versus Uruguay on June 22 has the potential to be explosive. El Tri coach, Javier Aguirre, will be hoping his former Atletico Madrid charge, Forlan, has one of his Manchester United performances. The Outsiders I'll whisper it for fear of 1,000 parties being cancelled, but South Africa are likely to finish up with the wooden spoon. Joel Santana failed to turn his eye-pleasing unit into a scoring unit during the past year and has been jettisoned in favour of his predecessor, Carlos Alberto Parreira. Scoring remains the one true problem for Bafana Bafana; the likes of McCarthy, Erasmus and Parker are not garnering enough game time at club level to be considered golden-boot winners in waiting. To go through, goals will be needed and that is one key element lacking in the hosts. The Long Road Forward Should Argentina finish top of Group B then the runners-up of this section would meet Maradona's rag-tag bunch in the round of 16. Uruguay would no doubt relish vengeance after being downed in Montevideo with an automatic berth up for grabs. France may go on to meet Nigeria, who defeated Les Bleus in a friendly last summer. Nonetheless, Group B looks like a potential Group of Death, with any one of the Super Eagles South Korea and Greece potentially making the second stage, and Argentina are by no means a shoo-in, given the tactical ineptitude of el Diego.
Prices in South African Rand for Individual Tickets, fifa 2010 tickets, 2010 world cup
For 2010 FIFA World Cup™, tickets are priced in USD, but members of the general public who are resident in South Africa will be asked to pay for their tickets in South African Rand (ZAR).
With regard to the implementation of this decision, it was decided by FIFA and the OC to apply a fixed exchange rate of 7 ZAR to 1 USD in order to apply a constant price throughout the sales process to members of the general public who reside in South Africa. Although this exchange rate was close to the prevailing exchange rate at the time the decision was taken, since the decision was taken, the ZAR has devalued against the USD and therefore currently the amount payable by members of the general public who reside in South Africa is less than the amount they would have needed in ZARs to pay for tickets in USD (i.e. before the decision was taken to accept payment in ZARs from residents of South Africa).
The most affordable ticket category is Category 4, and Category 4 tickets are reserved exclusively for residents of South Africa. This ticket category was priced at a particularly low level in order to ensure that people living in South Africa who would not ordinarily be able to afford a ticket to attend a FIFA World Cup™ match have a chance to do so.
Individual Match Ticket Prices
Prices in US Dollars for Individual Tickets
Prices in South African Rand for Individual Tickets
Team Specific Ticket Series Prices
Prices in US Dollars for TST Series
Prices in South African Rand for TST Series
Opening Match Premiums
The Face Price for tickets to the Opening Match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, which will include the Opening Ceremony, is higher than the Face Price of tickets for other Group Matches, and therefore an Opening Match premium will be added to the ticket price should the team of the purchaser’s choice be drawn to play in the Opening Match. TST Series purchased for South Africa’s matches already include the Opening Match premium as South Africa will compete in the Opening Match. The price list below shows the prices for TST Series for South Africa and Team A2.
TST Series Prices for South Africa and Team A2
2010 World Cup Tickets , World Cup 2010
2010 World Cup Tickets
World Cup tickets
It has been reported that there has been 1.6 million advance bookings for the tickets at all the world cup matches. This is a record by a long way for a single event.There is a heavy competition among the locals and the worldwide fans to grab tickets for the world cup. Apart from the official ticket providers FIFA, many other online ticket providers sell tickets for the FIFA world cup. Bidding for tickets have been in progress for months together in online booking centers. Some notable ticket sellers online like Worldticketshop.com have started their sales and bidding process of the world cup tickets. The bidding prices have rocketed up in the site and are all set to reach record heights.
FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa
FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa
Here are all the latest news and information...
Soccer World Cup 2010
All set to rock the sports world
Soccer has been the most famous sport in the world for over a century. It is also the most viewed and followed sport in the world. There are many football competitions that are followed by millions of people all over the globe. Most notable are the leagues that are played in many European, American and African countries among others. However, one event that steals the leading attention and comes over on top of every viewer's list is the FIFA World Cup.The event, which takes place once in four years, shatters all audience records in every time it is held. There is a huge expectation for every football world cup even a year before its commencement. The next world cup, which is to be held in 2010, is not an exception. Millions of football fans are just impatient for the event to start and are eager to grab as much tickets as possible.
Host
South Africa is all set to host the 2010 World Cup after having won a strong bid to host the event, warding off a stiff challenge from fellow African country, Morocco.The preparations for the event, which is to be held between June 11 and July 11, had started in full swing in 2006. Being a third world country and a developing economy, South Africa looks to rake in a bulk of profit through the event by means of ticket sales, transport, lodging and tourism. The country is very careful in making full and best arrangements to accommodate the teams and the visiting audience.
2010 Soccer World Cup Mascot
The World Cup 2010 Mascot "Zakumi" is a green haired leopard has been announced as the official mascot for the event.The word "Zakumi" derives from "Za", which is South Africa's abbreviation and "Kumi", which is a representation of ten in a majority of the African languages, denoting 2010.
Official World Cup 2010 Mascot
Official World Cup 2010 Mascot - ZAKUMI
Official launch of Mascott - 22 September 2008
curated content from YouTube
Venues and Stadiums
The budget allotted by the government of South Africa for the infrastructural development for the event is reported to be $8 billion. The South African Football Association has been utilizing the money efficiently to raise exceptional stadiums and to develop the facilities in the existing stadiums.
City
Stadium
Capacity
Info
Johannesburg
Soccer City
94700
being upgraded
Durban
Moses Mabhida S.
70000
being constructed
Cape Town
Greenpoint Stadium
70000
being constructed
Johannesburg
Ellis Park Stadium
62567
being upgraded
Pretoria
Loftus Versfeld S.
50000
being upgraded
Port Elizabeth
Nelson Mandela S.
48000
under construction
Bloemfontein
Free State Stadium
48000
being upgraded
Nelspruit
Mbombela Stadium
46000
under construction
Polokwane
Peter Mokaba Stadium
46000
being constructed
Rustenburg
Royal Bafokeng S.
42000
being upgraded
Soccer World Cup Official Sponsors
The event has garnered support and sponsors like never before. This time, there will be six official partners for the whole event namely Coca-Cola, Adidas, Emirates, Hyundai, Sony Corporation and Visa Corporation.There will be a string of official sponsors supporting the event financially. Notable of the sponsors are Budweiser, McDonalds, Castrol, MTN and Continental corporation.
Official World Cup Ball
Adidas will be the official makers of the footballs to be used in the tournament just as it has been the case in the previous editions too. The official ball is expected to be released for public view in December 2009.Resources have quoted that it is going to be the debut of the "smart ball", which would contain a microchip that would help the referees to make perfect decisions.
Qualification
Teams
A record 204 countries registered for the qualification event. The qualification rounds started in late 2007 and 34 teams were eliminated after the first round of preliminary play-offs. The remaining teams will go through a string of rounds and the final 31 will be selected in mid 2009.
Brazil, Argentina, France, Italy, Spain, England, Germany, Russia, Netherlands, Portugal, Australia and Korea are some of the teams that are expected to qualify with ease. Italy is the defending champion after having won the last world cup against France.
Players
The 2010 World Cup is expected to be the last event for many football greats like Ronaldinho and Beckham.Apart from them, many greats and legends like Kaka, Thiery Henry, Michael Ballack, Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney among others are set to take part in the event. It will be the first world cup for a few young guns Robinho, Park and others.
2010 World Cup Tickets
World Cup tickets
There is a heavy competition among the locals and the worldwide fans to grab tickets for the world cup. Apart from the official ticket providers FIFA, many other online ticket providers sell tickets for the FIFA world cup. Bidding for tickets have been in progress for months together in online booking centers. Some notable ticket sellers online like Worldticketshop.com have started their sales and bidding process of the world cup tickets. The bidding prices have rocketed up in the site and are all set to reach record heights.
Hotels and Accommodations
The pre-world cup analysis by the South African Football Association reports that approximately eight hundred thousand visitors will visit the stadiums to watch the matches live. Among these, 400,000 are expected to be foreign visitors. Owing to this high expectation, the developments of new hotels in the South African cities have been on the rise since 2007.The developments have not only been concentrated in the cities that host the matches but also in the cities surrounding the venues. This includes places like Kwa-Zulu Natal, Franschhoek, Knysna, Stellenbosch, Mpumalanga among others. More hotels are being built in tourists locations like Kruger National Park, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay etc.
SEARCH FOR WORLD CUP 2010 HOTELS!
Being one of the most famous sports events after the Olympics, the world cup is set to bring huge revenues for South Africa. The government has been pouring in a lot of money for the internal development along with the development of infrastructure. A lot of importance has been given to the development of security within the country.
Wallpapers
World Cup Wallpapers
2010 World Cup: Who is playing who where?
Cape Town - The 32 teams participating at next year's Fifa World Cup finals discovered who they will be playing when the Final Draw for South Africa 2010 took place in Cape Town on Friday.
Friday 11 June
Match 1 South African versus Mexico at Soccer City at 4pm
Match 2 Uruguay versus France at Cape Town at 8:30pm
Saturday 12 June
Match 3 Argentina versus Nigeria at Ellis Park at 1:30pm
Match 4 Korea Republic versus Greece at Nelson Mandela Bay at 4pm
Match 5 England versus USA at Royal Bafokeng at 8:30pm
Sunday 13 June
Match 6 Algeria versus Slovenia at Peter Mokaba Stadium 1:30pm
Match 7 Germany versus Australia at Moses Mabhida Stadium 4pm
Match 8 Serbia versus Ghana at Loftus Stadium at 8:30pm
Monday 14 June
Match 9 Netherlands versus Denmark at Soccer City at 1:30pm
Match 10 Japan versus Cameroon at Mangaung at 4pm
Match 11 Italy versus Paraguay at Cape Town at 8:30pm
Thursday 15 June
Match 12 New Zealand versus Slovakia at Royal Bafokeng at 1:30pm
Match 13 Cote d’Ivoire versus Portugal at Nelson Mandela Bay at 4pm
Match 14 Brazil versus Korea DPR at Ellis Park at 8:30pm
Wednesday 16 June
Match 15 Honduras versus Chile at Nelspruit at 1:30pm
Match 16 Spain versus Switzerland at Moses Mabhida Stadium at 4pm
Match 17 South Africa versus Uruguay at Loftus Stadium at 8:30pm
Thursday 17 June
Match 18 France versus Mexico at Peter Mokaba Stadium at 1:30pm
Match 19 Greece versus Nigeria at Mangaung at 4pm
Match 20 Argentina versus Korea Republic at Soccer City at 8:30pm
Friday 18 June
Match 21 Germany versus Serbia at Nelson Mandela Bay 1:30pm
Match 22 Slovenia versus USA at Ellis Park 4pm
Match 23 England versus Algeria at Cape Town at 8:30pm
Saturday 19 June
Match 24 Ghana versus Australia at Royal Bafokeng at 1:30pm
Match 25 Netherlands versus Japan at Moses Mabhida Stadium at 4pm
Match 26 Cameroon versus Denmark at Loftus Stadium at 8:30pm
Sunday 20 June
Match 27 Slovakia versus Paraguay at Mangaung at 1:30pm
Match 28 Italy versus New Zealand at Nelspruit at 4pm
Match 29 Brazil versus Cote D’Ivoire at Soccer City at 8:30pm
Monday 21 June
Match 30 Portugal versus Korea DPR at Cape Town at 13:30pm
Match 31Chile versus Switzerland at Nelson Mandela Bay at 4pm
Match 32 Spain versus Honduras at Ellis Park at 8:30pm
Tuesday 22 June
Match 33 Mexico versus Uruguay at Royal Bafokeng 4pm
Match 34 France versus South Africa Mangaung at 4pm
Match 35 Nigeria versus Korea Republic at Moses Mabhida Stadium at 8:30pm
Match 36 Greece versus Argentina at Peter Mokaba Stadium 8:30pm
Wednesday 23 June
Match 37 Slovenia versus England at Nelson Mandela bay at 4pm
Match 38 USA versus Algeria at Loftus Stadium at 4pm
Match 39 Ghana versus Germany at Soccer City at 8:30pm
Match 40 Australia versus Serbia at Nelspruit at 8:30pm
Thursday 24 June
Match 41 Slovakia versus Italy at Soccer City at 4pm
Match 42 Paraguay versus New Zealand at Peter Mokaba Stadium at 4pm
Match 43 Denmark versus Japan at Royal Bafokeng at 8:30pm
Match 44 Cameroon versus Netherlands at Cape Town at 8:30pm
Friday 25 June
Match 45 Portugal versus Brazil at Moses Mabhida Stadium 4pm
Match 46 Korea DPR versus Cote d’Voire at Nelspruit at 4pm
Match 47 Chile versus Spain at Loftus Stadium at 8:30pm
Match 48 Switzerland versus Honduras at Mangaung at 8:30pm
Saturday 26 June
Match 49 Winner Group A versus Runner Up Group B at Nelson Mandela Bay at 4pm
Match 50 Winner Group C versus Runner Up Group D at Royal Bafokeng at 8:30pm
Sunday 17 June
Match 51 Winner Group D versus Runner Up Group C at Mangaung at 4pm
Match 52 Winner Group B versus Runner Up Group A at Soccer City at 8:30pm
Monday 28 June
Match 53 Winner Group E versus Runner Up Group F at Moses Mabhida Stadium at 4pm
Match 54 Winner Group G versus Runner Up Group H at Ellis Park at 8:30pm
Tuesday
Match 55 Winner Group F versus Runner Up Group E at Loftus Stadium at 4pm
Match 56 Winner Group H versus Runner Up Group G at Cape Town at 8:30pm
