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FIFA World Cup theme song Lyrics 1982

2010-05-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Theme song - 1982

We're on our way,

We are Ron's twenty-two

Hear the roar,

Of the red, white and blue

This time, more than any other time, this time,

We're going to find a way,

Find a way to get away,

This time, getting it all together

To win them all,

It's what we'll set out to do

We have a dream,

We know you're sharing it too

This time, more than any other time, this time,

We're going to find a way,

Find a way to get away,

This time, getting it all together

We'll get it right

This time, get it right,

This time

It makes you wonder,

It makes you proud

To play for England,

And hear the crowd

As we're marching

On towards victory

This time,

This time

We're on our way,

We are Ron's twenty-two

Hear the roar,

Of the red, white and blue

This time, more than any other time, this time,

We're going to find a way,

Find a way to get away,

This time, getting it all together

We'll get it right

This time, we'll get it right

[repeat to fade]

FIFA World Cup theme song Lyrics 1986

2010-05-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

Theme song lyrics - 1986

A Special kind of Heroes

AH, living for a very special sign

Telling of a very special time

Leaving just the chance to stake a claim

In a very different kind of game

Just one chance to be held up high Or be cut down

Sink or swim , swim or drown

Can you see the gap between right and wrong

Tearful sounds and a joyful song

Reaching for the hands of love

Hoping to be pulled from up above

My friend, to be a special kind of hero

My new found game, to be a special kind of hero

I need you, need you with me

My hero, how you bring me

Feelings like I cannot explain

Warmth that feeds from my pain?

Capturing moments in time

That the world can never replace

Forever suspended in space

Moments of a very special kind

Immortalise an aspect of the mind

Moving past limits of those above

Guided by the visions of the strong

Into places never seen before

Where I can be a certain kind

I want to be a hero in my mind

With very special guidance from above and very precious moments of my love.

FIFA World Cup theme song Lyrics 1990

2010-05-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

Theme Song - 1990

World Cup theme song for 1990 would be the most successful song among all the theme songs. There are three versions of three languages, including Italian, English, and Cantonese.Here the english lyrics below.

This is what we’ve worked for all our lives

Reaching for the highest goal we can

We choose to give it all

When competition calls

Time records the Victory in our hearts

To win or lose is not the only thing

It’s all in how we play the fairest game

This is the chance we take

Reaching for the top

Time records the Victory in our hearts

To be number one

Running like the wind

Playing hard but always playing fair

(oh Year)

To be number one

Winning again and again

Reaching higher

Through Italian sky

This is what we’ve worked for all our lives

Shining like a shooting star at night

We’ve got to give it all

When we hear the call

Time records the viictory in our hearts

To be number one

Running like the wind

Playing hard but always playing fair

(oh Year)

To be number one

Winning again and again

Reaching higher

Through Italian sky

To be number one

Running like the wind

Playing hard but always playing fair

(oh Year)

To be number one

Winning again and again

Reaching higher

Through Italian sky

To be number one!

FIFA World Cup theme song Lyrics 1994

2010-05-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Theme Song - 1994

The melody are used each time Brazil makes a goal and this song was introduced by Globo TV for the World Cup 1994 and is used until today by the channel. It had previously been released for the national championship of 1993, with different lyrics.

Millions of coaches are rooting

Each one of them has already chosen the national team

Green and yellow are the colors

That we paint inside our hearts

The crowd roots, sings, shakes

And, united, yells "champions for the fourth time!"

Kicking the football is our school

Our biggest tradition

I know I go

I go the way I know

From goal to goal

Always watching the replay

I know I go

With the heartbeat sped up

We'll win the trophy with honor, Brazil!

FIFA World Cup theme song Lyrics 1998

2010-05-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

Theme Song -1998

“La Copa De La Vida” is the French version,be performed in the 1998, most known as “the Cup of Life”, has been widely spread all over the world. It is always the first choice for some football programmes to creat atmosphere.

La Copa De La Vida

La Vida Es

Pura Pasion

Hay que llenar

Copa De Amor

Para Vivir

Hay que luchar

un corazon

para ganar

Como cain y abel

Es un partido cruel

Tienes que pelear por una estrella

consigue con honor

la copa del amor

para sobrevivir y luchar por ella

luchar por ella (si)

Tu y you! Ale ale ale

Go, go, gol! Ale ale ale

Arriba va! El mundo esta de pie

Go, go, gol! Ale ale ale

La vida es

competicion

hay que sonar

ser campeon

la copa es

la bendicion

la ganaras

Go, Go GO!

Tu instinto natural

vencer a tu rival

Tienes que pelear por una estrella

consigue con honor

la copa de la amor

para sobrevivir y luchar por ella

luchar por ella (si)

Tu y yo……..

FIFA World Cup theme song Lyrics 2002

2010-05-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

Theme song lyrics - 2002

Boom

Complicated

Understanding what you can achieve

Under-rated

The one to win

One who believes

If I go away

Would you follow me

To that special place of tranquility

Where the..

River flows

And the fields are golden

Come on, come on

Yeah

Boom

Here to rock ya

Boom

Never stop, no

Boom

Raise up high

Boom

Oh, I'm

Boom boom boom boom

Here to rock ya

Boom

Never stop, no

Boom

Raise up high

Boom boom boom boom

Heya heya yeah heya boom yeah yeah heya etc.

Take no prisoners fight to win

And you will survive falling reason

Just be the flame and spirit come alive

If I go away

Would you follow me

To that special place of tranquility

Where the..

River flows

And the fields are golden

Oooh

Coooome on

Boom

Here to rock ya

Boom

Never stop, no

Boom

I'll free your mind, yeah

Boom

Boom boom boom boom

Here to rock ya

Boom

Never stop, no

Boom

Raaaaaise up high

Boom boom boom boom

Heya heya yeah heya boom yeah yeah heya etc.

Oh yeah

I said boom

Boom

Heya heya yeah heya boom yeah yeah heya etc.

Boom boom boom boom

BOOM

Here to rock ya

Boom

Never stop, no

Boom

Raise up high

Boom

Boom boom boom boom

Here to rock ya

Boom

Never stop, no

Boom

Raaaaaise up high

Boom boom boom boom

Heya heya yeah heya boom yeah yeah heya etc.

I said boom

Ooooh boom

FIFA World Cup theme song Lyrics 2006

2010-05-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

Theme song lyrics

Jorgen Elofsson (composer) and Steve Mac (producer) presented “Time of Our Lives” as the official theme song in 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Time of Our Lives

There was a dream

Long time ago

There was a dream

Destined to grow

Hacerse pasion (To become passion)

Con fuego abrazar (and to hug with fire)

El deseo de dar sin fin (the will to give in an endless way)

El deseo de ganar (the will to win)

For a lifetime of progress

That runs here today

We’ll go all the way

Hey they feel like having the time of our lives

Let’s light the fire find the plain

Let’s go together as one inside

’Cause it feels like we’re having the time of our lives

We’ll find the glory and the pain

All that we are’ for all that we are

For time of our lives

Hoy es el dia (Today is the day)

Es la ocasion de triunfar (the time to succeed)

Para hacer realidad el destino que so?abamos conseguir (reality the destiny we dreamt to achieve)

Una vida de lucha nos trajo hasta aqui (A life of fight brought us here)

Y llegare hasta el final (and I’ll keep on till the end)

Heaven knows

’Cause it feels like we’re having the time of our lives

Juntos’ unidos’ triunfara nuestro deseo de ser el mejor (Together’ united’ the will to be the best will win)

’Cause it feels like we’re having the time of our lives

Hasta la gloria’ junto a ti’ (Till the glory’ along with you )

Llego el momento de la verdad (the moment of truth has arrived)

El momento llego (The moment arrived)

Y ya nunca jamas lo podre olvidar…

(And now I will never ever forget it…)

’Cause it feels like we’re having the time of our lives

Juntos’ unidos’ triunfara nuestro deseo de ser el mejor (Together’ united’ the will to be the best will win)

’Cause it feels like we’re having the time of our lives

Hasta la gloria’ junto a ti’ (Till the glory’ along with you )

El momento llego (The moment arrived)

We’ll find the glory we’ll be there

For all that we are

For one thing that we wanna be and all that we are

For the time of our lives

2010 World Cup Accomodation/Stadiums

2010-04-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

South African's Stadium-Accomodation 2010 World Cup

In Nine host cities stadium have been built to the site: Cape Town, Johanesburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane and Rustenburg. Many of the stadiums in these cities have undergone significant upgrades in preparation for the tournament, while others have been built from scratch.

Stadium and hotel in Cape Town
In Cape Town newly built Green Point Stadium will be a major focus of South Africa's 2010 World Cup. This artistic venue will play host to one of the two FIFA World Cup semi-finals as well as group matches. Set between Table Mountain and the ocean, Green Point Stadium is located in a stunning spot in Cape Town. It's also close to a transportation hub for the city which will make your stay in Cape Town even more enjoyable.
Stadium and hotel Durban
In Durban another new South African stadium is the Moses Mabhida. This new soccer stadium will play host to the other semi-final of the 2010 World Cup. The design of the Moses Mabhida Stadium displays some wonderful architectural talent as its design takes its inspiration from the South African flag. This amazing football stadium also boasts a cable car which brings you to a viewing platform over 100 metres above the pitch. This newly built soccer stadium is located right in the heart of the Kings Park Sporting Precinct and will see a lot of soccer during the 2010 World Cup.
Stadium and hotel Johannesburg
In Johannesburg Ellis Park Stadium and Soccer City are the two main football stadiums and both will play an important role in South Africa's 2010 World Cup. Ellis Park Stadium will play host to many group matches for the FIFA World Cup, however, Soccer City will host the opening game and final of the 2010 South Africa World Cup. The design of Soccer City stadium is an artistic masterpiece and is particularly beautiful when it is lit up at night. Johannesburg is known as 'City of Gold' in South Africa and is the business hub of the country.
Stadium and hotel Nelson Mandela Bay/ Port Elizabeth
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium lies on the stunning shores of the North End Lake in one of the most desired locations in South Africa. Nelson Mandela Bay/ Port Elizabeth will host the third and fourth place play-offs for the FIFA World Cup 2010. This area is one of South Africa's port cities and is surrounded by amazing clean beaches. The Nelson Mandela Bay stadium was purpose built for the World Cup and will host up to 8 matches for the FIFA World Cup.
Stadium and hotel Nelspruit
Other new addition to South Africa's stadia is the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. This new football venue is the first of its kind in Nelspruit and is based a few kilometres outside of the city itself. Nelspruit is home to some of South Africa's most popular and breathtaking reserve parks, including the famous Kruger National Park.
Stadium and hotel Rustenburg
The city of Rustenburg lies in the heart of the savannah bushveld and is about 30 kilometres from the sensational Sun City, which is renowned as Africa's number one holiday resort. The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is the stadium for the Rustenburg area and will play a big part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Rustenburg is an amazing part of South Africa to visit as it is brimming with natural beauty and lies at the foot of the Magaliesburg Mountains.
Stadium and hotel Tshwane/ Pretoria
The beautiful area of Tshwane/ Pretoria is steeped in a rich and colourful heritage with many beautiful museums and monuments. The area boasts a mix of both old and new and it is also the capital of South Africa. The Loftus Versfeld Stadium is the local stadium and is also one of the oldest stadiums in South Africa. The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa has offered the city the opportunity to build and rennovate several multi-purpose international stadiums that will be used for a variety of events after the tournament has left South Africa's shores.

2010 World Cup Effect on Economic Change in South Africa

2010-04-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

2010 World Cup & Fast React on South African Economy

Other like all issues construction and traffic jams are that the World Cup has come to mean for many South Africans, leaving the hype to organisers and PR companies. Host cities started the process of urban rejuvenation years ago, but apart from the sheer flamboyance of the skyline altering stadiums, little else is close to completion. Durban’s central business district is a mess – the Warwick Triangle development, which destroyed a 110-year-old farmers’ market to make way for a modern shopping mall, also incensed motorists by diverting traffic from the traditional transport hub of the city.

In Johannesburg, the much-vaunted Gautrain rail link is unlikely to be ready in time to rescue traffic-clogged arteries. In Cape Town, the main exit route from the city centre, the N2 highway, has become a four-hour bumper-to-bumper ordeal, in a city renowned as Africa’s siesta capital.

While construction is an ongoing reminder of the extravaganza to come, some South Africans are cynical about the potential tangible benefits of hosting the event. With Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium nearing completion, expansive reconstruction and development of the surrounding precinct has turned Durban’s Golden Mile beachfront into an embarrassment. Public amenities, including showers, taps and toilets, have been closed off to the general public, as local government seems distracted from present needs while fast-forwarding to a future harvest.

Ticket holders and ardent football fans are, however, increasingly upbeat about being part of the spectacle. School and university holidays have been rescheduled to make way for the six-week invasion, and no one is expecting it to be a dull affair.

In fact, many South Africans are adamant that once the dirt and muck are swapped for the buff and shine of finished projects, excitement will reach a crescendo, shedding the baggage of false promises and unrealistic expectations. After all, this is the World Cup – and its debut on the African ?continent. Emulating Beijing’s performance at the 2008 Olympics and Rio’s hopes for 2016, South Africa wants to showcase Africa and give the world a great show. With stadiums around 90% complete and on track to be finished in the new year, international scepticism surrounding South Africa’s capacity to host the 2010 World Cup has been mostly put to rest.

In early October, a delegation from football authority FIFA inspected the stadiums over a six-day, six-city tour and issued a comprehensive thumbs-up to the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for their work. While there is still a vast amount to be done on transportation and stadium precincts, it is now a case of adding the final touches before the event kicks off in June 2010.

So far, 678,443 tickets have been sold, with almost half purchased by South Africans, but anxiety around the event was raised by sporadic social unrest in 2009. With 267,000 jobs shed in the mining, manufacturing and retail sectors in the second quarter, ordinary South Africans have become impatient with the slow pace of service delivery, particularly in outlying municipalities.
Significant effort has gone into nurturing long-term investment and using the massive developments as catalysts for building the economy and creating sustainable employment. But professor Richard Tomlinson, co-author of Development and Dreams: Urban Legacy of the 2010 Football World Cup, said that the economic rationale for hosting the World Cup was deceptive. To expect the tournament to perform an economic miracle is not only inaccurate but misleading, he says.

Professor Ari Sitas from the sociology department at the University of Cape Town agrees that a successful World Cup would strike a blow against Afro-pessimism. But he says it is unlikely to produce a Beijing-type effect, where the Chinese city boomed dramatically with the hosting of the Olympic Games in 2008. “The Chinese example has to be understood: China has been spending, and will continue spending on infrastructure and world-class facilities for a long time to come. On the other hand, there is always the Atlanta and Athens effect – just look at the wasteland of facilities there.”

Congress of South African Trade Unions spokesman Patrick Craven says that while the World Cup presents an outstanding opportunity, workers are under no illusion that the event will buffer the effects of the global economic crisis. “There are possibilities that public transport and tourism could see permanent job increases, but we are concerned about the other sectors that have experienced incredible job losses during this recession.” The LOC’s Jordaan concedes that the 20,000 jobs created in the construction industry were always going to be temporary, but that “tens of thousands” of people had sustained jobs through difficult economic times and that they had “received invaluable skills which have seen them move on to other major construction projects”.

While local scepticism about South Africa’s ability to host the World Cup might be vanishing, the international media remain to be convinced. Lungani Zama, a sports journalist and postgraduate researcher at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, says, “most coverage has focused on crime, and this is still a concern because even though the [2009] Confederations Cup was relatively successful, the World Cup will be four times the size.”

Tomlinson says that the main beneficiary in such events may be the sponsor’s image. “This explains the need to clean up even the areas around the stadium,” he says. While South Africa has not experienced a major clean-up on the scale of Beijing, there have been efforts to create a polished image for an international audience. Pat Horn, the co-ordinator of Streetnet International, an NGO defending the rights of informal traders and the urban poor, says the economic development component in South Africa’s pitch to host the 2010 World Cup has long since disintegrated.
Sitas remains sceptical that the government’s promises will be felt by ordinary South Africans. “What is important to analyse is what accrues to FIFA and its supply chains and what accrues locally.” He says that while the World Cup could reach legendary status on the African continent, it is difficult to predict which South Africa will emerge.
We recommend all changes should be posotive and make the best presentation in South Africa.

South African Internal Politics on World Cup 2010

2010-04-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

World Cup 2010 and African Political Thinkers

On September 25 2006 by newly-elected president of South Africa Kgalema Motlanthe includes the reappointment of highly respected finance minister Trevor Manuel - a move that will reassure the markets and, on another issue - help to address concerns about the country's preparations to host the football World Cup 2010.

Motlanthe, who in the ruling African National Congress is the deputy to party president Jacob Zuma, announced his cabinet soon after his swearing-in ceremony in Cape Town. Just one of the ramifications of the ousting from power of now-former president Thabo Mbeki was that two top office-bearers closely linked to World Cup preparations quit in solidarity with Mbeki.

One was finance minister Manuel and the other deputy finance minister Jabu Moleketi, whose portfolio included a key role in managing state money to ensure the success of the World Cup. Moleketi chairs the 2010 Technical Co-ordinating Committee, which is overseeing the new physical and transport infrastructure ahead of the football tournament.

Both Manuel, finance minister since 1996, and Moleketi, in office since 2004, are highly respected for their roles in handling South Africa's treasury. A finance ministry spokesperson, speaking ahead of the formal election of Motlanthe as president, said that the two "want to make it clear that they are ready to serve the new administration in any capacity that the incoming president deems fit".

While Manuel kept his job, a move probably not unconnected to the negative market reaction when it was announced that he had resigned in the wake of Mbeki's departure, the official list of the new cabinet posted on the website of the South African presidency did not include Moleketi's name. But then, it did not include the post of deputy finance minister at all - an intriguing omission and one that holds out the possibility that Moleketi could return to the post.

The issue of South Africa's spending on World Cup 2010 is not without complications. While the event offers the country the possibility to add to its prestige as a host of international sporting events - notably already including the Rugby World Cup and the Cricket World Cup - and will serve in terms of job creation and potentially good tourist publicity, spending on the World Cup must compete with other priorities.

This is inevitably tied in to expectations about a possible change of direction in a country that will now be firmly under the political leadership of Zuma. Mbeki became vulnerable politically for several reasons, principally among them that the "neo-liberal" (in the terminology of detractors) economic policy followed after the advent of democracy in 1994 has done too little to help the country's poorest.

A major part of Zuma's political base in the ruling party is those who want to see stronger and deeper interventions by government to more actively work against poverty. If he is to secure his position at the top of South Africa's political pinnacle, Zuma will have to be seen to embarking on a vigorous war against poverty. Concerns are that this will put Zuma on a rapid road to redistribution of wealth, against the relative fiscal conservatism followed under the Mandela and Mbeki administrations.

While the Mbeki administration and ANC-led provincial governments have been open to attack from the opposition, meaning in real terms attacks from the right, about the handling of money and preparations for World Cup 2010, the huge spending on stadiums and related big-ticket items for the football event could expose it to criticism from the left.

Given the ANC's commanding majority in the national parliament and most provincial parliament's, it can afford to shrug off criticisms from the Democratic Alliance, the country's largest opposition party, which has no real chance in the foreseeable future of unseating or even substantially taking away large slices of support from the ANC. But any attack from within the constituency of the poor that is the base of Zuma's support would be a far more serious matter, especially if World Cup 2010 spending got as far as being portrayed as "bread and circuses" spending.

And this notwithstanding the fact that, overwhelmingly, South Africans are fanatics about one sport or another, with football by far enjoying the majority following.

The question of South Africa's readiness to host the World Cup was a serious enough one and needed no political drama to compound it. With violent crime a continuing serious problem, the country has had to issue regular assurances about the security of events.

Further, severe problems in power supply that have led to rolling blackouts in all areas of the country, including major cities that will be the venues for matches, have led to wry jokes about a World Cup By Candlelight. Again, South Africa has sought to assure the world of football - to say nothing of its own people - that the energy problems will be solved before June 2010.

There is more. According to a report on September 24 2008 on miningmx.com, South African downstream producers have been hit by steep increases in steel prices, with hikes ranging between 60 and 80 per cent this year.

The biggest questions naturally include infrastructure. South African website news24.com quoted Stanlib economist Kevin Lings as saying that the time of political change meant that there was a policy vacuum at the moment which needed to be urgently addressed.

Normally, when there was a change in government, the incoming administration made it very clear what their new policies were, Lings said. This was not happening in South Africa and was highly problematic for the markets. He emphasised that the replacement of ministers would have an effect on government programmes already in place.

All of these questions are being raised amid the serious challenges facing the South African economy. The country has enjoyed its longest period of economic expansion over the past nine years, with annual growth averaging five per cent over the past four. But growth is expected to slow in 2008 because of cooling consumer demand on higher interest rates, slower world growth and electricity shortages.

News agency Reuters noted that inflation in South Africa had surged to record levels, driven largely by rising international food and fuel costs, but was likely to ease in 2009. This would enable a new government to begin cutting interest rates from current five-year highs.

Keenly aware of concerns that the changes in the cabinet, likely to be followed by other significant changes elsewhere in the country's executive, would compound concerns, South African and international sports officials have rushed to issue new assurances.

Fifa has said it is confident that changes to the South African government will not affect the nation's hosting of the 2010 World Cup. Fifa said it had held talks with ANC president Zuma.

The BBC quoted Fifa's director of communications and public affairs Hans Klaus as saying that the changing political situation in South Africa was "something we are watching very closely".

Fifa would be in contact with the new administration under president Motlanthe.

An earlier report in the International Herald Tribune quoted Zuma, after meeting Blatter during the Fifa president's visit to South Africa earlier this month, as promising "the best Fifa World Cup the world has ever seen".

At the close of his four-day visit to South Africa, which predated the drama around the resignation of Mbeki and many of his cabinet, Blatter said: "I am very pleased with what I have seen over the last few days, in particular in the stadiums. The progress being made is good. With all the guarantees and assurances given by the political authorities, I am convinced that, together, we will bring the Fifa World Cup to a great success".

Danny Jordaan, the anti-apartheid activist whose CV includes having been a provincial cricket and football player, the latter briefly with professional status and who moved on to a career as a sports administrator before being appointed chief executive of the Local Organising Committee, said: "When the Fifa president was in South Africa in June last year he told us he wanted to see more picks and shovels at our World Cup stadiums. Now, when he has returned he has seen stadium roofs being erected and seats being installed."

2010 FIFA World Cup Volunteers

2010-04-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

Volunteers Perform in South Africa World Cup 2010

Organizers of the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa on Monday officially launched a hunt for 15,000 volunteers to assist at the mammoth month-long event.People from across the world can apply online, starting Monday, to volunteer at the first World Cup on the African continent, the 2010 local organizing committee (LOC) announced in Johannesburg.

In South Africa, prospective volunteers without internet access would also be able to apply through venues in the nine host cities, the LOC said, without giving further details.

Volunteers must be 18 years or older on 1 March 2010 and have a good command of the English language, the LOC stipulated.

Just days after opening its 2010 Fifa World Cup volunteer programme, South Africa has already received more than 11 000 volunteer applications from the country, the continent and the rest of the world.

A total of 15 000 volunteers are required, of which 10% must be from Africa, 10% international volunteers, and the rest from South Africa.

The final 15 000 volunteers will further assist in welcome and information services, information technology, environmental services, language support, rights protection programme, logistic services and ushering services.

Volunteers from all over the country will be moving to the host cities to proudly support and promote South Africa to the visitors during the tournament. These volunteers have to make their own way to the host city as well as find accommodation for the duration of their stay. Highstead Houses offers ideal accommodation for volunteers coming to work in Cape Town. They offer discounted rates for volunteers so make sure that you check out their accommodation offers before you book anywhere else.

In total volunteers are required in 16 functional areas – accreditation, marketing, media, protocol services, spectator services, transportation, administration, environmental services, welcome and information services, information technology and telecommunication, language support, rights protection programme, logistic services, hospitality and ushering services and volunteer management.

SHAKIRA and 2010 FIFA World Cup

2010-04-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

2010 FIFA World Cup with SHAKIRA

Shakira,the singing sensation, and South African band Freshlyground has been chosen as the official anthem of this summer's World Cup. The song, Time for Africa, is expected to be released to radio stations from next week and will be available for download from 26 April. Shakira and Freshlyground will perform the song at the pre-tournament Kick-Off concert in Soweto on 10 June.

Also,Alicia Keys, Shakira and Black Eyed Peas are to perform at the start of the soccer World Cup in South Africa.

The FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert, held on June 10, will open the international sports tournament the night before the first match (11.06.10) and will feature 12 artists, including a number of African musicians alongside mainstream pop acts.

Artists also playing at the concert include R‘n’B singer John Legend, Mali’s Amadou and Mariam, Beninoise singer Angelique Kidjo, South African rock group BLK JKS, Columbian rocker Juanes, South African indie group The Parlotones, Saharan desert musicians Tinariwen, Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Toure, and South African artist Vusi Mahlasela.

The concert is expected to be attended by an audience of 30,000 at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.

Shakira sings a beautiful rendition for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Listen to the song preview below…

Africa - Shakira (preview new song FIFA World Cup)bycp-africa.com

Lets wait for that final celebration with a new history s well as SHAKIRA the singing beauty.

World Cup 2010 Prediction to Success

2010-04-24T00:51:00.000-07:00

How 2010 World Cup Success in South Africa

It is the first time World Cup being held in Africa and the question arise regarding its success and big challenge to meet south africa.And though those concerns are very much legitimate, I think it’s time someone offered a few rays of light to counterbalance all the World Cup 2010 doom and gloom.

So, here are some below points to be optimistic about world cup success in South Africa.

South African weather

South Africa is a hot, hot country. But not during winter. And since South Africa winter runs May to July that means we’ll have our first winter World Cup. That doesn’t mean snow and ice, it just means “warmish” (17-18°C, 63-64°F) weather. In other words, pretty near perfect. No blazing sun beating down on tired players (remember the Jack Charlton’s USA ‘94 water bottle drama?) should mean a higher tempo of football than usual. And that’s a good thing.

Zakumi Turn

After the Trix and Flix freak show at Euro 2008, and Goleo the sex offender lion from World Cup 2006, Zakumi the leopard fills me with optimism. For one thing, he has the decency to cover his nakedness, and the chances of him eating Ashley Cole are better than for any previous tournament mascot.

Neutral Field

Every World Cup has been won by either a European or South American team. When the World Cup is in Europe, European teams tend to win it (Brazil’s victory in Sweden ‘58 is the only exception). And a European team has never won it in North or South America (list of hosts and winner here). So the fact that this tournament is on neutral territory means the playing field is pretty much level.

Favours of African teams

Pele predicted an African World Cup winner before the year 2000. Pele was wrong. But 2010 looks like the ideal chance for an African team to break that quarter-final barrier. Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Egypt, Nigeria? Any of those teams could theoretically do it.

Travel South African

Put simply, the South African economy could do with a boost. And there’s nothing like a World Cup to generate a bit of tourism. And there are worse places to be a tourist – check out the image above.

The BafanaBafana

The atmosphere at a World Cup depends on the host nation being at least decent. So purely footballing wise, the most worrying thing about World Cup 2010 was that South Africa were a terrible terrible football team. But not anymore. Under new coach Joel Santana, Bafana Bafana have just won five friendlies in a row.

Standard Time

South African Standard Time is GMT+2. That’s a pretty good time for football matches to kick off. If you’re in Europe, the games will be a little later that you’re used to, but not in the middle of the night. And if you’re in the US then kickoffs won’t be too early in the morning (good news for west coasters) and east coasters might even be able to catch games after work.

Free tickets for locals

FIFA (and their commercial partners etc) are giving out free tickets to locals on low incomes. The phrase “least they could do” comes to mind, but at least they’re doing it.

The match ball

The World Cup 2006 ball was a bit dull. But based on the balls for Africa Cup of Nations 2008, and the Confederations Cup 2009, the World Cup 2010 ball should be a lot more interesting.

Legend Leo Messi

At World Cup 2006 he was a bit young. Right now he’s brilliant. In 2010 he’ll turn 23 during the tournament and his performances should be enough to make grown men cry.

FIFA Word Cup 2010 Theme Song Lyrics

2010-04-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

Theme Song - 2010

World Cup football 2010 in South Africa and the official theme Song sung by singer k'naan.

Wavin’ Flag

When I get older

I will be stronger

They'll call me freedom

Just like a wavin flag(x2)

And then it goes back (x3)

Born to a throne

Stronger than rome

But violent prone

Poor people zone

But it's my home

All I have known

Where I got grown

Streets we would roam

Out of the darkness

I came the farthest

Among the hardest (survival)

Learn form these streets

It can be bleek

Accept no defeat

Surrender, retreat

(So we strugglin')

Fighting to eat

(And we wonderin')

When we'll be free

So we patiently wait

For that faithful day

It's not far away

But for now we say

When I get older

I will be stronger

They'll call me freedom

Just like a waving flag

(And then it goes back x3)

Ahhho ahhho ahhho

So many wars, settling scores

Bringin' us promises leaving us poor

I heard them say love is the way

Love is the answer that's what they say

But look how they treat us

Make us believers

We fight there battes

Then they deceive us

Try to control us

They couldn't hold us

Cause we just move forward

Just like buffalo soldiers

(But we strugglin)

Fighting to eat

(And we wonderingg)

When we'll be free

So we patiently wait

For that faithfully day

It's not far away

But for now we say

When I get older

I will be stronger

They'll call me freedom

Just like a wavin' flag

(And then it goes back (3x)

And then it goes

When I get older

I will be stronger

They'll call me freedom just

Like a wavin' flag

(And then it goes back (3x)

Ahhhooo ahhhoooo ahhhooo

And then it goes

And than everybody will be singing it

And you and I will be singing it

And we all will be singing it

Woah woah woah

When I get older

I will be stronger

They'll call me freedom

Just like a wavin' flag

(And then it goes back (3x)

And then it goes

When I get older

I will be stronger

They'll call me freedom

Just like a wavin' flag

(And then it goes back (3x)

A oh a oh a oh

When I get older

I will be stronger

Just like a wavin' flag (3x)

Flag(x2)

Just like a wavin' flag

FIFA World Cup Theme Songs History

2010-04-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

History of World Cup Theme Songs

As the South Africa 2010 World Cup is just in corner, I would like to bring you into the World Cup theme songs from 1986 to 2006 to experience the different feeling.The every 4 years FIFA World Cup is the most exhilarating, action-packed and emotional sports event in the world.

The Word Cup Theme Songs

Time of Our Lives 2006

2006- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmFaqw329us

This is a greate time, for Germany, for Intaly, also for zidane

Boom 2002

2002- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K-IIQVsEOc

With the tone on the summer of 2002 in Aouth Asia, an ‘ET’ said “I’m back” to all of the world

La Copa De La Vida 1998

1998- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIga_AgIJ24

Accompanied by this familiar melody, two men in the 70s reached the top of the world together, one from Puerto Rico, the other from Juventus; one with music, the other with the football; one named Ricky Martin, the other named Zinedine

Gloryland 1994

1994- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV32dRjQZho

On July 17, 1994, LosAngle, Heaven was on the left, the Brazilian was dancing in lullaby, Baggio was in the right, the fallen angel turned back to God, hiding his depression, in tears.

UN'ESTATE ITALIANA 1990

1990- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTbMwJMqilI

This World Cup had nothing, apart from

A Special Kind of Hero 1986

1986- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylbSIqyuw28

This World Cup only belongs to one person, and his name is Diego Armando Maradona.

The soccer world will always leave us with unforgettable and memorable moments performed by great athletes on the battlefield. Now if we combine it with music the feeling becomes even stronger.

EURO Cup 2012 Volunteers Activities

2010-04-23T00:04:00.000-07:00

Volunteer Performs in EURO Cup 2012

Volunteer admission will start in summer 2011 , who will work during the Euro 2012, the main criterion for the selection is the desire to work in the project, fluent knowledge of several foreign languages.

In reward they receive uniforms and a valuable gift, which Bantser not specified. However, the most valuable reward for the volunteers will, of course, the accumulated experience and knowledge that will help young people move up the career ladder. After all, each volunteer was equated to the status of the so-called ambassador.

Volunteer Tireless dedication

The tireless dedication of the volunteers – ambassadors dressed in light blue – in the various sectors of the event in Austria and Switzerland helped everything run smoothly at a tournament which enthralled football fans and given such a positive image of football. Swiss Football Association president Ralph Zloczower said: “I have special gratitude for the 5,000 volunteers in their blue jerseys,” he said. “They were our face to the outside world – and the face of EURO 2008 was friendly, helpful and co-operative in the way they presented themselves. I’d like to send my special thanks and congratulations to them for the great efforts they have made.”

Volunteer Training

Volunteers were recruited from across the world. Almost two-thirds of the 5,000 came from the co-host countries, and 75 nations were represented including Costa Rica, Togo, Uganda, Indonesia and Nepal. They were all given training on how to provide clear, informative and polite aid for guests, fans, media and officials alike. Specific training was also forthcoming in each of the 14 sectors, from volunteer drivers to welcome service staff and accreditation monitors.

The volunteer programme helped UEFA EURO 2008 hit the ground running in the preparation stage. Applications were received from nearly 18,000 people, and about 10,000 interviews took place in the eight host cities as part of the recruitment process.

EURO CUP 2012 TICKETS NEWS

2010-04-22T18:18:00.000-07:00

TICKETING IN EURO CUP 2012

2012 Euro Cup is being held in Poland and Ukraine in Summer of 2012. The tournament will feature sixteen of the best football teams in the World in competition for the Henri Delaunay Trophy. The Henri Delaunay Trophy is awarded to the winner of the Euro Cup. The winner of Euro 2012 also gets to play in the FIFA Confederation Cup.

The sixteen national teams that will compete in Euro 2012 will be determined through qualifying matches that will begin two years before the tournament. The countries that qualify for Euro 2012 will have some of the finest football clubs in all of Europe and the World.

The venues for the matches will be within host countries Poland and the Ukraine. The stadiums belong to professional football clubs from those two countries and all have a capacity between 30,000 and 83,000 people. The smallest stadiums for Euro 2012 is Dnipro Stadium in the Ukraine, which will hold approximately 31,000 passionate fans. NSK Olimpiyskyi Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine is by far the largest stadium with a capacity of over 80K fans; so NSK Olimpiyskyi will host the 2012 Euro Cup Final. So buy your Euro 2012 tickets today and don't miss the action of one of the best football tournaments in the World.

TicketCity In EURO Cup

Each year TicketCity has a local presence at Euro Cup games, to assist our clients with ticket pickup and additional purchases. As the tournament's events draw near, our sales associates are available for personal assistance as needed. Therefore, clients have the option to purchase online or over the phone and pick up locally at the event.

Buying Euro 2012 Tickets

Buy from our large selection of Euro 2012 tickets, by viewing the Euro 2012 schedule above, and our Euro 2012 football venue seating charts. Read our policies before ordering Euro 2012 tickets. Prices on Euro 2012 football tickets are in US Dollars.

Euro 2012 Ticket Delivery

Many Euro 2012 tickets are shipped via Fedex (Note: DHL or a local carrier may be used in certain circumstances). Certain Euro 2012 soccer tickets may be picked up on-site in Poland and the Ukraine. Euro 2012 tickets that are shipped, will be sent in late Spring.

EURO CUP 2012 MATCHES

2010-04-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

MATCH SCHEDULE FOR EURO CUP 2012

The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship consists of three stages: the qualifying group stage, the play-offs and the 16-team final tournament in Poland and Ukraine from 8 June to 1 July 2012.

Qualifying group stage

The 51 entrants were drawn into nine groups, six of six teams and three of five. Matches are played on a home-and-away basis between 3 September 2010 and 11 October 2011. The nine winners and the runner-up with the best record against the top five sides in their pool qualify directly for the final tournament. The eight remaining runners-up enter the play-offs.

The following 12 dates are reserved for group matches in qualifying:
# 03/04 and 07 September 2010

# 08/09 and 12 October 2010

# 25/26 and 29 March 2011

# 03/04 and 07 June 2011

# 02/03 and 06 September 2011

# 07/08 and 11 October 2011

Play-offs Mach

The four sides with the best UEFA national team coefficient ranking will be seeded and will play the second legs on 15 November 2011 at home. The first legs will be played on 11 or 12 November. The teams which score the greater aggregate of goals qualifies for the finals, with away goals and then penalties used to determine the winner in the event of a draw.

The following dates are reserved for the play-off matches between the
remaining eight runners-up:

# 11/12 November 2011

# 15 November 2011

Final tournament

Poland and Ukraine will be placed in the first pot of four, along with holders Spain if they qualify, for the final tournament draw. The remaining teams will be ranked as per coefficients, and will be drawn into four groups of four teams with the top two reaching the quarter-finals. The competition is then played as a straight knockout.

EURO CUP 2012 Qualifying Groups

2010-04-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

EURO CUP 2012 GROUPS

The final four spots will be decided in November 2011 when the remaining eight runners-up compete in a playoff.

As with any draw, not all groups are created equal. Let the debate begin on which countries face the easiest and toughest roads to Euro 2012.

GROUP - A
Austria,Azerbaijan,Belgium,Germany,Kazakhstan,Turkey.

GROUP - B
Andorra,Armenia,Republic of Ireland,FYR Macedonia,Russia,Slovakia.

GROUP - C
Estonia,Faroe Islands,Italy,Northern Ireland,Serbia,Slovenia.

GROUP - D
Albania,Belarus,Bosnia-Herzegovina,France,Luxembourg,Romania.

GROUP - E
Finland,Hungary,Moldova,Netherlands,San Marino,Sweden.

GROUP - F
Croatia,Georgia,Greece,Israel,Latvia,Malta.

GROUP G -
Bulgaria,England,Montenegro,Switzerland,Wales.

GROUP - H
Cyprus,Denmark,Iceland,Norway,Portugal.

GROUP - I
Czech Republic,Liechtenstein,Lithuania,Scotland,Spain.

Host nations Poland and Ukraine are automatically through to the finals, and the nine group winners will also advance. In addition, the runner-up with the best record in its pool will also reach the finals.

Euro Cup 2012 Stadiums

2010-04-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Stadiums information of Euro Cup 2012

Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw:
Capacity: 60 000
Sport Clubs: -
Country: Poland
City: Warsaw
Cost: 400mln PLN
Build Time: ?-2010
Project: Kurylowicz & Associoates
In Project: Stadium with hotel base, expo, trade center and railway station.
Notices: Stadium will be arena of Euro 2012. 3 group matches (include opening match), one quarter final and half final.

Baltic Arena:
Capacity: 40 000
Sport Clubs: OSP Lechia Gdañsk
Country: Poland
City: Gdansk
Cost: 671mln PLN
Build Time: 2007/2008 - 2010
Project: biuro projektowe Rhode-Kellermann-Wawrowsky (Dworf)
In Project: Conference Centrum
Notices: 3 group matches and one quarter final

Stadium of Lech Poznan:
Capacity: 46 500
Sport Clubs: KKS Lech Poznañ
Country: Poland
City: Poznan
Cost: 152 mln PLN
Build Time: 2004-2010
Project: Modern Construction Systems Sp. z o.o.
Notices: 3 Group Matches

Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw:
Capacity: 42 000
Sport Clubs: Slask
Country: Poland
City: Wroclaw
Cost: ok. 400mln PLN
Build Time: 2007-2009
In Project: Shopping Center
Notices: 3 Group Matches, Name is not finally.

Stadion Slaski:
Capacity: 50 000
Sport Clubs: -
Country: Poland
City: Chorzów
Cost: 85mln PLN
Build Time: 2006-2008
Project: Zaklad Projektowania i Wdrozen TB Sp. z o. o.
Adress: ul. Katowicka 10, Chorzów
Notices: Stadium is reserve object for Euro 2012.

Stadium of Wisla Cracow:
Capacity: 35 000
Sport Clubs: Wisla
Country: Poland
City: Cracow
Cost: ?
Build Time: 2004-2010
Project: Wojciech Obtulowicz (Studio Architektoniczne sp. z o.o.)
Adress: Reymonta 22, Cracow
Notices: Stadium is reserve object for Euro 2012.

Olympic Stadium in Kiev:
Capacity: 83 053
Sport Clubs: Arsenal, Dynamo
Country: Ukraine
City: Kiev
Cost: ?
Build Time: ? - 2011
Notices: Main arena in Euro 2012. 3 Group Matches, Quarter Final and Final

Shakhtar Stadium:
Capacity: 50 000
Sport Clubs: FC Shakhtar
Country: Ukraine
City: Donetsk
Cost: 200mln $
Build Time: 06.2006-05.2008
Project: Arup Sport Company
Adress: Skakhtar Museum, Shopping Center, Cafeteria, Conference Centers
Notices: 3 Group Matches, Quarter Final, Half Final

Stadion Meteor:
Capacity: 31 000
Sport Clubs: FC Dnipro
Country: Ukraine
City: Dnipropetrovsk
Cost: 25mln $
Build Time: 09.2004-02.2007
Notices: 3 Group Matches

UEFA EURO 2012 Event Calendar

2010-04-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Event Schedule UEFA EURO 2012

Location: Poland & Ukraine
Dates: Summer 2012
Stadiums:
Poland- Silesian Stadium , National Stadium, Stadium in Maslice, Baltic Arena and Wisla Stadium.
Ukraine- NSK Olimpiyskyi , Shakhtar Stadium, Ukraina Stadium and Dnipro Stadium.
Host Cities of Poland: Gdarisk, Poznari, Warsaw, Wroclaw.
Host Cities of Ukraine: Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kiev, Lviv.

EURO 2012 Date & Event

18/04/2007 - Announcement of EURO hosts

14/12/2009 - Logo and slogan launch in Kyiv

07/02/2010 - Qualifying draw in Warsaw

08/06/2010 - Two years to EURO kick-off

03, 04, 07/09/2010 - EURO qualifying matches

08, 09, 12/10/2010 - EURO qualifying matches

Spring 2011 Ticketing sales launch

25, 26, 29/03/2011 - EURO qualifying matches

03, 04, 07/06/2011 - EURO qualifying matches

08/06/2011 One year to kick-off

02, 03, 06/09/2011 - EURO qualifying matches

07, 08, 11/10/2011 - EURO qualifying matches

11, 12/11/2011 - EURO qualifying play-offs

15/11/2011 - EURO qualifying play-offs

December 2011 Final draw in Kyiv

29/02/2012 100 days to kick-off

08/06/2012 EURO kicks off in Warsaw

01/07/2012 EURO final in Kyiv

EURO 2008 - Preview

2010-04-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

2008 UEFA European Football Championship

Commonly referred to as Euro 2008, will be co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland. The tournament is all set to start in Basle, Switzerland, on 7 June 2008, and will end with final match in Vienna, Austria, on 29 June 2008.

Maps of World catches up with Euro 2008 euphoria in this section. We provide a wide variety of information to all soccer enthusiasts who would be watching the exciting Euro Cup 2008 matches in site as well as on television. Go through our various sections related to Euro Cup 2008 , starting from various Euro Cup tournament groups, soccer team jerseys, existing Euro Cup records, flight information, and much more. Let's keep our fingers crossed till the end when the glorious champions would emerge from the soccer's battlefield in Switzerland and Vienna.

A total of 8 different stadia used to host the final matches on Euro 2008.

Austria

Innsbruck
Klagenfurt
Salzburg
Vienna

Switzerland

Basle
Berne
Geneva
Zurich

2008 UEFA European Football Championship, Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship. Austria and Switzerland hosted the tournament, which began on 7 June 2008 and concluded with the final at Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna on 29 June 2008. It was the second successful joint bid in the competition’s history. Spain won the tournament by defeating Germany 1–0 in the final. This was only the second time in the history of the tournament that the winning team won all their matches in the group stage; the other team to do so was France in 1984.

Sixteen teams participated in the tournament. Austria and Switzerland automatically qualified as hosts; the remaining 14 teams were determined through qualifying matches, which began in August 2006. As European champions, Spain earned the right to compete for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Tournament Review - EURO 2008

Qualification for Euro 2008 started in August 2006, just over a month after the end of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The qualifying tournament was contested by national teams from each of UEFA’s member associations, with the exceptions of Austria and Switzerland , who had qualified for the finals tournament automatically as hosts, and Montenegro, who came into existence too late to be admitted to UEFA. England was the only seeded team not to qualify for the tournament proper, whereas Russia was the only unseeded one to qualify.

The draw for the finals tournament took place on 2 December 200 , and saw Group C immediately called as the “group of death “, with Italy, France, Romania and the Netherlands competing for two qualifying places. In contrast, Germany and Portugal were deemed to have an easy draw, as the tournament structure meant they could not meet Italy, France, the Netherlands or Spain until the final.

In the group stage, Croatia, Spain and the Netherlands all qualified with maximum points. Austria and Switzerland were not expected to progress, despite the advantage of being the hosts. Portugal and Turkey easily defeated Switzerland and Czech Republic. Austria fared slightly better in Group B, managing to set up a decisive final game against Germany, dubbed “Austria’s final”. However, they lost by one goal, making Euro 2008 the first European Championship not to have one of the host nations present in the knockout stage. The Turks joined Portugal as the qualifiers from Group A. France were the high profile victims of Group C, recording just one point from a 0–0 draw against Romania in their opening game. Italy beat the French on the final day to finish on four points, joining the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. Finally, in Group D , Greece failed to reproduce the form of their shock 2004 win, and ended the tournament with no points. Russia qualified at the expense of Sweden , after beating them in a final game.

In the quarter-finals, the Portugal team was unable to defeat Bundesteam, losing in an exciting game against Germany. Turkey, as usual won in extra time, defeating Croatia 3-2, and advancing on penalties. Coached by Dutchman Guus Hiddink , Russia beat the Netherlands with two extra time goals. The final quarter-finals saw Spain defeat Italy on penalties after a 0–0 draw in normal time.

In the semi-finals, Turkey’s progress was halted against Germany. Turkey entered the game with 9 of their squad missing due to injury or suspension, but still scored the first goal, and later leveled the game 2-2, before Germany scored the winning goal in the final minute. The world television feed of the match was intermittently lost during the match, which prevented the broadcast of the second goal by Germany. This was due to a thunderstorm at the broadcasting relay station in Austria, despite the game being played in Switzerland. Spain won the second semi-final against Russia by three goals to nil, through second half goals from Xavi, Daniel Güiza and David Silva, earning Spain their first appearance in a major final for 24 years.

In the final, Spain became European champions for the second time after Fernando Torres’s first-half goal in Vienna proved enough to defeat Germany. Though Germany had a strong start, Spain started to look more dangerous after they had settled. After half an hour, Xavi played a pass in behind the Germany back line towards Torres, who outmuscled a hesitant Philipp Lahm and clipped the ball over the diving Lehmann and just inside the far post. That goal proved to be the only goal of the game which Spain dominated, despite Germany having the majority of the possession, and Spain were crowned as champions of Euro 2008.

UEFA Europa League History

2010-04-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

History Of The UEFA Europa League Tournament

Th most popular UEFA Cup was the original brainchild of Switzerland's Ernst Thommen, Italy's Ottorino Barrasi - both future FIFA vice-presidents - and England's Sir Stanley Rous, the future president of FIFA.

Their purpose was to organise a tournament for representative sides from cities in Europe that regularly organised trade fairs. The concept was agreed upon and the forerunner to the UEFA Cup, namely the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was founded on 18 April 1955, two weeks after the founding of the European Champion Clubs' Cup.

The first Fairs Cup involved teams from Barcelona, Basle, Birmingham, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Lausanne, Leipzig, London, Milan and Zagreb. Originally conceived as a two-year tournament, it lasted for three, during which time 23 games were played. Barcelona, using players purely from FC Barcelona, beat a London representative side 8-2 on aggregate in the final.

For the second tournament the organisers reverted to club participation with the knockout format continuing, but the teams still had to come from cities staging trade fairs. Sixteen clubs took part in the 1958-60 tournament, after which it was staged on an annual basis. By 1962 the number of entrants had risen to 32; there were 48 in 1967; 60 in 1968; and, as from the 1969-70 season, there were 64 teams on the starting grid. There are now more than 100. The 1971/72 tournament, was the first to be known as the UEFA Cup.

From the 2009–10 season, the competition has been rebranded as the UEFA Europa League in a bid to increase the competition's profile. As well as changing the competition's name, an extra 16 teams now qualify for the main stages of the competition, with the group stage now consisting of 12 groups of four teams (in a double round robin), with the top two placed teams in each group progressing. The competition then progresses in much the same way as the previous format, with 4 rounds of two-legged knockout rounds and a one-off final held at a neutral ground meeting UEFA's Elite stadium criteria.

Past European Championships

2004 - Winner Greece

Euro 2004 provided one of the biggest surprises in the tournament history when Greece won the title despite having never won a single game before in any of the previous finals.

The tournament followed the format of 2000 with 16 teams. Portugal qualified as hosts and 15 teams joined them. There were 4 groups of 4 with the top 2 going through from each group to play in the quarter finals.

2000 - Winner France

For the first time, the tournament was co-hosted by Belgium and Holland. The tournament followed the same format as 1996 with 16 teams. Belgium and Holland qualified as hosts and 14 teams joined them. There were 4 groups of 4 with the top 2 going through from each group to play in the quarter finals.

1996 - Winner Germany

Football finally came home to England in 1996. It had been 30 years since England won the World Cup at Wembley stadium and the whole nation was gripped with football fever. Once again England and Germany met in the semi-finals but this time it was Germany who got revenge for their 1966 defeat as they beat the host nation on penalties to reach the final. The final saw a Golden Goal decide a major tournament for the first time with Oliver Bierhoff's goal giving the Germans the trophy with a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic.

The tournament was extended to 16 teams. England qualified as hosts and 15 teams joined them. There were 4 groups of 4 with the top 2 going through from each group to play in the quarter finals.

1992 -Winner Denmark

Sweden hosted the 1992 finals and another 7 teams qualified to join them. Yugoslavia originally qualified by hostilities in the Balkans lead to the exclusions and Denmark took their place instead.

1988 - Winner Netherlands

The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 88) final tournament was held in West Germany. It was the eighth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA. The final tournament took place between June 10 and June 25, 1988.

1984 - Winner France

France hosted the 1984 tournament which again saw 8 teams in the finals. 7 had to qualify to join France as hosts. The was a slight change to the 1980 tournament with 4 teams playing in the semi-finals. The group winners played the runners-up from the other group.

1980 - Winner Germany

The 6th European Football Championships were hosted by Italy and in 1980, the finals were expanded to 8 teams. 7 teams had to qualify to join Italy in finals who automatically qualified as the host nation. The additional teams also meant a change in format. There were 2 groups of 4 teams who all played each other once. The group winners would go straight into the final and the runner's-up into a 3rd place play-off. There were no semi-finals.

1976 - Winner Czechoslovakia

The 5th European Football Championships was held in Yugoslavia. The format again remained unchanged with only 4 teams competing in the finals. It was the final year that the hosts had to qualify and before the final stage of the tournament was expanded.

1972 - Winner Germany

Four years later it was on to Belgium for the finals. The tournament did not change in format from the previous one in 1968.

1968 - Winner Italy

The 1968 tournament changed dramatically from it's previous format. It was renamed the European Football Championships and although only 4 teams still took part in the finals, the knock-out qualifying was replaced by group matches. The hosts were not decided until after it was known which 4 teams had qualified. There were 8 groups with the winners of each group going through.

If you think penalties are an unfair way to decide a game, spare a thought for USSR who lost their semi final to Italy on the toss of a coin.

1964 - Winner Spain

The 1964 tournament was played using the same format as the tournament 4 years earlier but this time, 29 teams entered playing for one of the 4 places in the finals which were held in Spain. The USSR, Austria and Luxembourg all received byes into the last 16 and Greece also went through without playing after their opponents, Albania withdrew. The most stunning upset happened in the last 16 when Luxembourg beat Holland 3-2 over 2 legs.

The host name went on to meet the USSR in the final but this time, General Franco allowed his country to play (he refused to allow them to travel to the USSR 4 years earlier) and they beat the holders 2-1 in the Bernabeu, Madrid in front of 125,000 people.

1960 - Winner USSR

The 1960 European Nations Cup format was very different from the tournament we know today. Just 17 teams took part in the competition and only 4 of those travelled to the finals in France. The earlier knock-out rounds were held over 2 legs (home and away). As has happened so often, politics came into sport when Spain refused to travel to the USSR (on the orders of General Franco) and the Soviets were given a bye to semi final. Politics didn't stop 3 Eastern Bloc countries travelling to France for the finals which saw the USSR win the inaugural tournament in front of 18,000 people in the Parc de Princes in Paris.

2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Groups

2010-04-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Qualifying groups for FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011

Groups Qualifying

The 41 UEFA qualifying entrants will compete in eight groups from until 25 August 2010. The winners of the pools will progress to the play-offs on 11/12 and 15/16 September 2010, producing four qualifiers for the finals. The defeated sides will then compete in further two-legged ties for a chance to enter the UEFA-CONCACAF play-off. Full regulations can be found here.

A total of 41 European hopefuls were allotted to seven groups of five and one group of six. The eight group winners then go into a round of home and away play-offs on 11/12 and 15/16 September 2010, with the four winners booking places at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2011. The four losers go into a further series of play-offs to determine which nation faces a representative from the North, Central America and the Caribbean for one further place at the finals. FIFA Women's World Cup holders Germany qualify automatically for the 2011 event as host nation.

European qualifying groups for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011:

- Group 1:France,Iceland,Serbia,Northern Ireland,Croatia,Estonia.

- Group 2:Norway,Netherlands,Belarus,Slovakia,FYR Macedonia.

- Group 3:Denmark,Scotland,Greece,Bulgaria,Georgia.

- Group 4:Ukraine,Poland,Hungary,Romania,Bosnia Herzegovina.

- Group 5:England,Spain,Austria,Turkey,Malta.

- Group 6:Russia,Republic of Ireland,Switzerland,Israel,Kazakhstan.

- Group 7:Italy,Finland,Portugal,Slovenia,Armenia.

- Group 8:Sweden,Czech Republic,Belgium,Wales,Azerbaijan.

The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup finals will be held in Germany, with the host nation aiming to win the competition for the third time in a row.

Stadiums For 2011 Women's World Cup

2010-04-21T16:55:00.000-07:00

2011 Women's World Cup All Stadiums

In Germany Nine Cities Will Host Football Spectacle.

The next Women's World Cup will take place from June 26-July 17, 2011 in Germany. Five years after hosting the 2006 men's World Cup, nine cities will invite the world to games for the 2011 football spectacle.

Here a break down of the nine stadiums at the 2011 World Cup in alphabetical order.

Augsburg

The Impuls Arena opened in July 2009 and is one of the newest stadiums for the World Cup. The home of FC Augsburg offers room for 28,367 spectators. The stadium will host three first round matches as well as a quarterfinal.

Berlin

The Berlin Olympic Stadium is the largest stadium at the World Cup with a capacity of 74,244. Hertha BSC Berlin's home arena will only host the Opening Match.

Bochum

The Rewirpower Stadium is the smallest of the World Cup stadiums with 23,000 capacity. VfL Bochum's home stadium will be renovated before the 2011 World Cup and will be the site of four first round matches.

Dresden

The Rudolf Harbig Stadium has been entirely rebuilt in the Saxony capital of Dresden, which has 512,000 residents. The home grounds for third division side Dynamo Dresden seats 27,190 spectators. In addition to three first round matches, Dresen will also host a quarterfinal showdown.

Frankfurt

The Frankfurt Commerzbank Arena, the home for Eintracht Frankfurt, will host the final on July 17, 2011. With a capacity of 49,240, the Frankfurt stadium is the second largest venue for the Women's World Cup after Berlin's Olympic Stadium. In addition to the final, the stadium will also host two first round matches (one with Germany) and a semifinal. The 667,000 residents makes Frankfurt the second-largest host city of the tournament.

Leverkusen

Bay Arena is the home stadium for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Capacity was increased from 22,500 to 30,000 by the end of 2009. Leverkusen, home to 161,000 people, will welcome football fans for three first round matches as well as one quarterfinal.

Mönchengladbach

The third-largest stadium at the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany is Borussia Park Stadium, where Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach play their home matches. Capacity of Borussia Park is 46,297 while Mönchengladbach - home to 259,000 residents - will host two first round matches (one with Germany) and one semifinal.

Sinsheim

The Rhein Neckar Arena - home to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - opened in 2009 and will fit 25,641for the Women's World Cup. Sinsheim is by far the smallest host city for the World Cup with just 35,500 residents. Dietmar Hopp's Rhein Neckar Arena will host three first round matches and the game for third place.

Wolfsburg

Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg is the only game site in northern Germany and seats 25,361. The home to 2008-09 Bundesliga champions VfL Wolfsburg was built in 2002 and will host three first round matches and a quarterfinal.