FIFA World cup 2010

Japan vs. Cameroon - Group Match

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:01:00 +0000

Japan had a good start to the FIFA world cup 2010 humbling Cameroon 1-0. It was a lacklustre performance from Cameroon - never really looked like a team performance in its first game in the world cup. The Africans struggled to possess the ball and generate any rhythm up front, and even when they put a few passes together, the buildup usually was wasted by poor crosses.

After a sloppy first 30 minutes, Japan broke the tie in the 39th minute when Daisuke Matsui's curling cross from the right drifted over the heads of Cameroon defenders Nicolas Nkoulou and Stephane Mbia. The ball fell to Honda at the back post and the striker neatly controlled it and sent it past goalkeeper Hamidou Souleymanou.

Cameroon's first shot on goal came in the 37th minute, when Eric Choupo-Moting dropped the ball at the top of the box for Eyong Enoh. But Kawashima easily handled the midfielder's low drive. Japan's stiff defense frustrated Cameroon and kept Eto'o in check. Cameroon looked lost in the midfield, and clearly missed the creativity of Alex Song, who coach Paul Le Guen kept on the bench. Eto'o tried to played a more active role in the second half. Just after the break, the Inter Milan striker deftly skipped through three defenders near the touch line before drawing the ball back for Choupo-Moting. But Coupo-Moting's right-footed shot drifted past the left post. Defender Stephane Mbia nearly tied it for Cameroon in the 87th minute, but his long drive hit the left post.

Netherlands vs. Denmark - Group Match

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:54:00 +0000

Netherlands played a good attacking game in its first game at FIFA 2010 world cup winning 2-0 against Denmark. Denmark got the ball in possession few times with Netherlands in total control of the match. The first goal though came through a gift Denmark goal but that said Netherlands played a great attacking game.

The Netherlands' gift goal came as Van Persie beat an onrushing Thomas Sorensen to a long through ball down the left flank, then squared up and sent a cross into the area. Poulsen had plenty of time and space to clear the ball, but his off-balance header bounced off Agger's back and into the net. Denmark had frustrated the Dutch until then with a compact midfield, and the Netherlands never came close to the free-flowing, high-scoring type of play their fans have become accustomed to, despite several other chances. The Dutch continued to press forward after the own goal but struggled to create clear chances. Van Persie had an opportunity to double the lead in the 52nd after being sent clear into the area by Kuyt but Sorensen rushed out and got a hand on the ball. The Arsenal striker then set up Rafael van der Vaart with a cross into the area in the 59th, but his well-placed volley produced a two-handed save from Sorensen. In the 85th minute Dirk Kuyt tapped in a rebound off the post from close range to give Netherlands 2-0 lead.

Germany vs. Australia - Group Match

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:42:00 +0000

This is a match everyone likes to see - a good score, great passes, great dribbles, a great team going all out and giving an all round team. Australia is not a bad team and by no means one of the weaker ones in this world cup, but the score of 4-0 might just indicate that. The first few games had a few great teams playing safe and few ending in a draw. But Germany went all out and routed Australia 4-0.

Germany scored two goals in each half and Tim Cahill was sent off as the three-time champion surged to the top of Group D at the World Cup. Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose scored in the first 30 minutes as Australia coach Pim Verbeek's defensive tactics backfired. Podolski started the rout by ending a slick passing move in the eighth minute and Klose headed in his 11th career World Cup goal in the 26th. Thomas Mueller and Cacau also scored against an overwhelmed Australian defense in the second half after Cahill was red-carded in the 56th minute for a late tackle on Bastian Schweinsteiger. Klose missed two more good chances before Mueller made it 3-0 in the 68th minute, dragging the ball back to avoid Scott Chipperfield's lunge and firing a low shot in off the post. Cacau rounded off the scoring in the 70th, just two minutes after coming on for Klose.

"I think the way we set up our attacks is something we've been working on intensively," Germany coach Joachim Loew said. "But we've also worked on how we play off the ball – to move into unused space. We were very good on the ball tonight, and we created beautiful goals."

"It was not an easy game for us," Australian coach Verbeek said. "We tried to make it very difficult for them and use our speed, but we didn't have the ball in the first 20 minutes. The next game is a final," Verbeek said of the match with Ghana. "We have to win that game."

Serbia vs. Ghana - Group Match

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:32:00 +0000

A good first match for Ghana when it humbled Serbia with a 1-0 win. This is the first win for an african country in FIFA 2010 world cup. Ghana stunned Serbia when Asamoah Gyan scored on an 84th-minute penalty kick Sunday for a 1-0 victory in Group D. The win set off celebrations not only on the Loftus Versfeld pitch, but throughout african subcontinent. Large crowds gathered on major streets in Accra. Cars draped in the national flag swarmed the roads, and some drivers honked their horns while others sang.

In the opener for both teams, Zdravko Kuzmanovic needlessly handled a cross in the area, then argued the call and the yellow card he received. Gyan drove the penalty kick high to the left for the only goal. The only African team to reach the second round at the 2006 World Cup, Ghana nearly got a second goal. Gyan almost made it 2-0 in injury time but hit the post after a burst down the left side

"For sure, this is a big blow for us. To start a World Cup with a defeat is a bad thing," Serbia coach Radomir Antic said. "We will use all our energy to be positive when preparing for the next game."

England vs. USA - Group Match

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:26:00 +0000

The first match for England turned out to be a blunder for Robert Green, England's goalkeeper. The match ended in a 1-1 draw against USA with Robert Green writing his name onto the lengthening list of blundering England goalkeepers.

"I think it's one of them freak things," said England captain Steven Gerrard, who scored his team's fourth-minute goal. "I don't think you can criticize the goalkeeper. They've been talking about the ball. I think he'll make some important saves for us. We're all behind him."

Green let a routine shot from Clint Dempsey slip through his grasp for the Americans' only goal in their high-profile World Cup opener, a 1-1 draw in Group C. Green was well-positioned as he went down to stop the ball, but it slipped off his gloves and rolled into the net to make it 1-1. He was visibly deflated after his horrendous mistake, which silenced the thousands of England fans.

England coach Fabio Capello said he hasn't decided whether to start Green for the second game against Algeria in Cape Town on Friday.

Argentina vs. Nigeria - Group Match

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:19:00 +0000

FIFA 2010 world cup is Diego Maradona's first world cup as a coach and it started on a decent note with Argentina winning the first game 1-0 against Nigeria. A superstar as a player but a controversial choice as national team coach, Maradona prowled the sideline throughout the match, with hands clasped behind his back. For the first time as Argentina coach, the former captain wore a suit – a stark contrast to the image of him hurling himself, track-suited, into a puddle on the field when Argentina beat Peru last year.

The Nigerians struggled for much of the match to contain Messi - FIFA World player of the year, and striker Gonzalo Higuain also failed to convert three good chances. Gabriel Heinze scored on a diving header in the sixth minute, the only one of seven shots on goal Argentina converted in its 1-0 win Saturday. The Argentines almost paid for their squandered chances, as the Nigerians gained confidence in the second half. Taye Taiwo came inches from an equalizer with a low shot that flew just past Sergio Romero's left post, and substitute Kalu Uche then scooped a weak shot over the crossbar from inside the box with eight minutes left.

"The team made good moves, but we ended up suffering. That's the law of soccer," Maradona said. "Thank God we won the game. "To begin a World Cup in winning fashion gives you a certain sense of calmness. The only thing that concerns me is that we won a big game."

Korea Republic vs. Greece - Group Match

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:12:00 +0000

South Korea started the FIFA world cup 2010 on a fantastic note. It continued where it left from in 2002 performance. South Korea won 2-0 from Greece. South Korea was favorites from start playing its 7th consecutive world cup whereas this was Greece's only 2nd appearance and it started on a lacklustre note. In 1994, the Greeks let Argentina score just two minutes into the opening game. The Greeks improved this time around – by five minutes.

Lee Jung-soo and Park Ji-sung each scored and South Korea won 2-0 over lackluster Greece in Saturday's first Group B match. Ki Sung-yong curled in a free kick from near the left corner flag in the seventh minute, and the ball brushed the top of Konstantinos Katsouranis' head before reaching Lee at the far post. The central defender tapped it into an unguarded net. Park Ji-sung doubled the lead in the 52nd with a slick solo goal when the Manchester United midfielder intercepted a misplaced pass from Vassilis Torosidis and skipped past two defenders before slipping a shot beyond goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas.

"We really have to get our act together," Rehhagel, Greece coach said. "We've got to improve a couple of things and be brave and courageous enough."

Uruguay vs. France - Group Match

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:02:00 +0000

The much awaited match on the first day of the FIFA 2010 world cup between Uruguay and France ended goal-less. "It is almost a beautiful 0-0," France coach Raymond Domenech said. "But the result is what it is." Not sure if it was fear of losing the first game or something else. It looked like noone wanted to take any chances and play safe for the first game. This has left Group A wide open as the earlier match between South Africa and Mexico also ended in a draw. So, all 4 teams in Group A have 1 point each.

The low point came when Uruguay's Nicolas Lodeiro was ejected after a wild challenge on Bacary Sagna in the 81st minute for his second yellow card. Down to 10 men for the last 9 minutes plus 3 minutes of injury time, Uruguay concentrated on kicking the ball away from its penalty area and net. But even with a man up, France failed to find a goal. After the final whistle, the Uruguayans embraced, happy to have escaped with a point, while most French players looked sullen, saddled with the disappointment of a lost opportunity. French coach Domenech swiped his hand in frustration and then dug them deep in his pockets before going to shake Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez's hand. Both teams were bothered by a slippery pitch that made deep passes next to impossible and left even Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimmura unsure of his footing at one stage. France dominated the first half, but its lack of a finishing touch showed the lack of confidence.

South Africa plays Uruguay next on Wednesday, one day before France meets Mexico. Lodeiro will be suspended for the game with the host team.

South Africa vs. Mexico - Group Match

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:52:00 +0000

The first game in the World Cup 2010 finished with a decent result for the host team though Mexico looked to be a better team towards the end. The match ended at a score of 1-1. No host nation has ever failed to make it out of their group (yes, even the U.S. did so in 1994); this being said, there are no shortage of people who think South Africa may soon bear the distinction of being the first. They are considered one of the weakest teams in the tournament and they have drawn a group consisting of three other quality teams with a history of World Cup success. (France and Uruguay round out Group A)

The Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg South Africa was jampacked with football fans all cheering for their own countries. Mexico looked better in the first half, but South Africa really caught fire in the second. At the 11th minute of the 2nd half Siphiwe Tshabalala scored from a good strike which overpassed the goalkeeper of Mexico. Though, in the 79th minute of the match, South Africans were dismayed by what happened through Mexico’s equalizer. Rafael Marquez was able to score a goal due to a bad defense from South Africans. At the end of the first World Cup 2010 match, Giovani Dos Santos was named as the man of the match for Mexico.

FIFA 2010 Groups standings

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Bookmark this post if you want to know about latest group standings:

Group A
	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Points
	South Africa	1	0	1	0	1	1	1
	Mexico	1	0	1	0	1	1	1
	Uruguay	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
	France	1	0	1	0	0	0	1

Group B
	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Points
	Korea Rep.	1	1	0	0	2	0	3
	Argentina	1	1	0	0	1	0	3
	Nigeria	1	0	0	1	0	1	0
	Greece	1	0	0	1	0	2	0

Group C
	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Points
	Slovenia	1	11	0	0	1	0	3
	USA	1	0	1	0	1	1	1
	England	1	0	1	0	1	1	1
	Algeria	1	0	0	1	0	1	0

Group D
	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Points
	Germany	1	1	0	0	4	0	3
	Ghana	1	1	0	0	1	0	3
	Serbia	1	0	0	1	0	1	0
	Australia	1	0	0	1	0	4	3

Group E
	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Points
	Netherlands	1	1	0	0	2	0	3
	Japan	1	1	0	0	1	0	3
	Cameroon	1	0	0	1	0	1	0
	Denmark	1	0	0	1	0	2	0

Group F
	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Points
	Italy	1	0	1	0	1	1	1
	Paraguay	1	0	1	0	1	1	1
	New Zealand	1	0	1	0	1	1	1
	Slovakia	1	0	1	0	1	1	1

Group G
	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Points
	Brazil	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Korea PDR	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Cote d'Ivoire	1	0	1	0	0	0	1
	Portugal	1	0	1	0	0	0	1

Group H
	Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	Goals For	Goals Against	Points
	Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Switzerland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Honduras	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Chile	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

FIFA 2010 Match Results

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:52:00 +0000

Bookmark this post if you are interested in knowing about the FIFA 2010 match results:

Day	Stage	Team 1	Team 2	Result
Friday	Group A	South Africa	Mexico	1-1
11-Jun		Uruguay	France	0-0
Saturday	Group B	Korea Republic	Greece	2-0 (Korea won)
		Argentina	Nigeria	1-0 (Argentina won)
12-Jun	Group C	England	United States	1-1
Sunday		Algeria	Slovenia	0-1 (Slovenia won)
	Group D	Serbia	Ghana	0-1 (Ghana won)
13-Jun		Germany	Australia	4-0 (Germany won)
Monday	Group E	Netherlands	Denmark	2-0 (Netherlands won)
		Japan	Cameroon	1-0 (Japan won)
14-Jun	Group F	Italy	Paraguay	1-1
Tuesday		New Zealand	Slovakia	1-1
	Group G	Côte d'Ivoire	Portugal	0-0
15-Jun		Brazil	Korea DPR
Wednesday	Group H	Honduras	Chile
		Spain	Switzerland
16-Jun	Group A	South Africa	Uruguay
Thursday	Group B	Argentina	Korea Republic
		Greece	Nigeria
17-Jun	Group A	France	Mexico
Friday	Group D	Germany	Serbia
	Group C	Slovenia	United States
18-Jun		England	Algeria
Saturday	Group E	Netherlands	Japan
	Group D	Ghana	Australia
19-Jun	Group E	Cameroon	Denmark
Sunday	Group F	Slovakia	Paraguay
		Italy	New Zealand
20-Jun	Group G	Brazil	Côte d'Ivoire
Monday		Portugal	Korea DPR
	Group H	Chile	Switzerland
21-Jun		Spain	Honduras
Tuesday	Group A	Mexico	Uruguay
		France	South Africa
22-Jun	Group B	Nigeria	Korea Republic
		Greece	Argentina
Wednesday	Group C	Slovenia	England
		United States	Algeria
23-Jun	Group D	Ghana	Germany
		Australia	Serbia
Thursday	Group F	Slovakia	Italy
		Paraguay	New Zealand
24-Jun	Group E	Denmark	Japan
		Cameroon	Netherlands
Friday	Group G	Portugal	Brazil
		Korea DPR	Côte d'Ivoire
25-Jun	Group H	Chile	Spain
		Switzerland	Honduras
Saturday	Round of 16 - Match 1	1A	2B

26-Jun	Round of 16 - Match 3	1C	2D
Sunday	Round of 16 - Match 4	1D	2C

27-Jun	Round of 16 - Match 2	1B	2A
Monday	Round of 16 - Match 5	1E	2F

28-Jun	Round of 16 - Match 7	1G	2H
Tuesday	Round of 16 - Match 6	1F	2E

29-Jun	Round of 16 - Match 8	1H	2G
Wednesday

30-Jun	Rest Days
Thursday

01-Jul
Friday	Quarterfinal C	5	7

02-Jul	Quarterfinal A	1	3
Saturday	Quarterfinal B	2	4

03-Jul	Quarterfinal D	6	8
Sunday

04-Jul
Monday	Rest Days

05-Jul
Tuesday	Semifinal I	A	C

06-Jul
Wednesday	Semifinal II	B	D

07-Jul
Thursday

08-Jul	Rest Days
Friday

09-Jul
Saturday	Third Place play-off	Loser I	Loser II

10-Jul
Sunday	Final	Winner I	Winner II

11-Jul

FIFA 2010 Qualifying teams comparison

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Following is a comparison of the FIFA 2010 qualifying teams. The FIFA rankings are as of Oct, 2009. Watch for the subsequent posts of details of each qualifying teams.

Team	FIFA Ranking	Appearance in Finals	Previous best performance	Consecutive Streak
South Africa	85	3rd	Group Stage (1998, 2002)	1 (Last: 2002)
Japan	40	4th	Round of 16 (2002)	4
Australia	24	3rd	Round of 16 (2006)	2
Korea Republic	48	8th	Fourth Place (2002)	7
Netherlands	3	9th	Runners-Up (1974, 1978)	2
Korea DPR	91	2nd	Quarter-finals (1966)	1 (Last: 1966)
Brazil	1	19th	Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)	19
Ghana	38	2nd	Round of 16 (2006)	2
England	7	13th	Winners (1966)	4
Spain	2	13th	Fourth Place (1950)	9
Paraguay	21	8th	Round of 16 (1986, 1998, 2002)	4
Côte d'Ivoire	19	2nd	Group Stage (2006)	2
Germany	5	17th	Winners (1954, 1974, 1990)	15
Denmark	27	4th	Quarter-finals (1998)	1 (Last: 2002)
Serbia	20	11th	Fourth Place (19305, 1962)	2
Italy	4	17th	Winners (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)	13
Chile	17	8th	Third Place (1962)	1 (Last: 1998)
Mexico	18	14th	Quarter-finals (1970, 1986)	5
United States	11	9th	Third Place (19305)	6
Switzerland	13	9th	Quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954)	2
Slovakia	33	9th4	Runners-Up (1934, 1962)	1 (Last: 1990)
Argentina	6	15th	Winners (1978, 1986)	10
Honduras	35	2nd	Group Stage (1982)	1 (Last: 1982)
New Zealand	83	2nd	Group Stage (1982)	1 (Last: 1982)
Nigeria	32	4th	Round of 16 (1994, 1998)	1 (Last: 2002)
Cameroon	14	6th	Quarter-finals (1990)	1 (Last: 2002)
Algeria	29	3rd	Group Stage (1982, 1986)	1 (Last: 1986)
Greece	16	2nd	Group Stage (1994)	1 (Last: 1994)
Slovenia	49	2nd	Group Stage (2002)	1 (Last: 2002)
Portugal	10	5th	Third Place (1966)	3
France	9	13th	Winners (1998)	4
Uruguay	25	11th	Winners (1930, 1950)	1 (Last: 2002)

FIFA 2010 World Cup Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:08:00 +0000

The 2010 FIFA World Cup matches schedule is as follows:

Day	Venue & Time	Stage	Team 1	Team 2
Friday	Johannesburg (SC), 16:00	Group A	South Africa	Mexico
11-Jun	Cape Town, 20:30		Uruguay	France
Saturday	Port Elizabeth, 13:30	Group B	Korea Republic	Greece
	Johannesburg (Ellis), 16:00		Argentina	Nigeria
12-Jun	Rustenburg, 20:30	Group C	England	United States
Sunday	Polokwane, 13:30		Algeria	Slovenia
	Pretoria, 16:00	Group D	Serbia	Ghana
13-Jun	Durban, 20:30		Germany	Australia
Monday	Johannesburg (SC), 13:30	Group E	Netherlands	Denmark
	Bloemfontein, 16:00		Japan	Cameroon
14-Jun	Cape Town, 20:30	Group F	Italy	Paraguay
Tuesday	Rustenburg, 13:30		New Zealand	Slovakia
	Port Elizabeth, 16:00	Group G	Côte d'Ivoire	Portugal
15-Jun	Johannesburg (Ellis), 20:30		Brazil	Korea DPR
Wednesday	Nelspruit, 13:30	Group H	Honduras	Chile
	Durban, 16:00		Spain	Switzerland
16-Jun	Pretoria, 20:30	Group A	South Africa	Uruguay
Thursday	Johannesburg (SC), 13:30	Group B	Argentina	Korea Republic
	Bloemfontein, 16:00		Greece	Nigeria
17-Jun	Polokwane, 20:30	Group A	France	Mexico
Friday	Port Elizabeth, 13:30	Group D	Germany	Serbia
	Johannesburg (Ellis), 16:00	Group C	Slovenia	United States
18-Jun	Cape Town, 20:30		England	Algeria
Saturday	Durban, 13:30	Group E	Netherlands	Japan
	Rustenburg, 16:00	Group D	Ghana	Australia
19-Jun	Pretoria, 20:30	Group E	Cameroon	Denmark
Sunday	Bloemfontein, 13:30	Group F	Slovakia	Paraguay
	Nelspruit, 16:00		Italy	New Zealand
20-Jun	Johannesburg (SC), 20:30	Group G	Brazil	Côte d'Ivoire
Monday	Cape Town, 13:30		Portugal	Korea DPR
	Port Elizabeth, 16:00	Group H	Chile	Switzerland
21-Jun	Johannesburg (Ellis), 20:30		Spain	Honduras
Tuesday	Rustenburg, 16:00	Group A	Mexico	Uruguay
	Bloemfontein, 16:00		France	South Africa
22-Jun	Durban, 20:30	Group B	Nigeria	Korea Republic
	Polokwane, 20:30		Greece	Argentina
Wednesday	Port Elizabeth, 16:00	Group C	Slovenia	England
	Pretoria, 16:00		United States	Algeria
23-Jun	Johannesburg (SC), 20:30	Group D	Ghana	Germany
	Nelspruit, 20:30		Australia	Serbia
Thursday	Johannesburg (Ellis), 16:00	Group F	Slovakia	Italy
	Polokwane, 16:00		Paraguay	New Zealand
24-Jun	Rustenburg, 20:30	Group E	Denmark	Japan
	Cape Town, 20:30		Cameroon	Netherlands
Friday	Durban, 16:00	Group G	Portugal	Brazil
	Nelspruit, 16:00		Korea DPR	Côte d'Ivoire
25-Jun	Pretoria, 20:30	Group H	Chile	Spain
	Bloemfontein, 20:30		Switzerland	Honduras
Saturday	Port Elizabeth, 16:00	Round of 16 - Match 1	1A	2B

26-Jun	Rustenburg, 20:30	Round of 16 - Match 3	1C	2D
Sunday	Bloemfontein, 16:00	Round of 16 - Match 4	1D	2C

27-Jun	Johannesburg (SC), 20:30	Round of 16 - Match 2	1B	2A
Monday	Durban, 16:00	Round of 16 - Match 5	1E	2F

28-Jun	Johannesburg (Ellis), 20:30	Round of 16 - Match 7	1G	2H
Tuesday	Pretoria, 16:00	Round of 16 - Match 6	1F	2E

29-Jun	Cape Town, 20:30	Round of 16 - Match 8	1H	2G
Wednesday	Rest days

30-Jun
Thursday

01-Jul
Friday	Port Elizabeth, 16:00	Quarterfinal C	5	7

02-Jul	Johannesburg (SC), 20:30	Quarterfinal A	1	3
Saturday	Cape Town, 16:00	Quarterfinal B	2	4

03-Jul	Johannesburg (Ellis), 20:30	Quarterfinal D	6	8
Sunday	Rest days

04-Jul
Monday

05-Jul
Tuesday	Cape Town, 20:30	Semifinal I	A	C

06-Jul
Wednesday	Durban, 20:30	Semifinal II	B	D

07-Jul
Thursday	Rest days

08-Jul
Friday

09-Jul
Saturday	Port Elizabeth, 20:30	Third Place play-off	Loser I	Loser II

10-Jul
Sunday	Johannesburg (SC), 20:30	Final	Winner I	Winner II

11-Jul

FIFA 2010 Mascot

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:43:00 +0000

The official mascot for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is Zakumi (born 16 June 1994), an anthropomorphised leopard with green hair, presented on 22 September 2008. His name comes from "ZA", the international abbreviation for South Africa, and "kumi", a word that means "ten" in various African languages. The mascot's colours reflect those of the host nation's playing strip – yellow and green.

Zakumi's birthdate coincides with a day known and celebrated as Youth Day in South Africa and their second group match. The year 1994 marks the first non-racial nationwide elections in South Africa. He will turn 16 in 2010. Andries Odendaal, from Cape Town, created the original character design.

Zakumi's official motto is: "Zakumi's game is Fair Play."

FIFA 2010 Prize money

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:35:00 +0000

The total prize money on offer for the tournament was confirmed by FIFA as $420 million, a 60 percent increase on the 2006 tournament. Before the tournament, each participating team would receive $1 million, for preparation costs. Once at the tournament, teams exiting at the group stage would receive $8 million. Thereafter, the prize money would be distributed as follows:

$9 million - Round of 16

$18 million - Quarter-finals
$20 million - Semi-finals
$24 million - Runners up
$30 million - Winners

In a first for the World Cup, there would also be payments made by FIFA to the domestic clubs of the players representing their national teams at the tournament. This would see a total of €26 million being paid to domestic clubs, amounting to just over €1,000 per player per day.

FIFA 2010 Tie breaking criteria

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:33:00 +0000

For the World Cup tournament, FIFA uses the following criteria to rank teams in the Group Stage:

1. Greatest number of points in all group matches
2. Goal difference in all group matches
3. Ggreatest number of goals scored in all group matches
4. Greatest number of points in matches between tied teams
5. Goal difference in matches between tied teams
6. Greatest number of goals scored in matches between tied teams
7. Drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee

FIFA 2010 Final Groups

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:02:00 +0000

Following are the final 8 groups of the FIFA world cup 2010:

Group A
South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France

Group B
Argentina
Nigeria
Korea Republic
Greece

Group C
England
United States
Algeria
Slovenia

Group D
Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

Group E
Netherlands
Denmark
Japan
Cameroon

Group F
Italy
Paraguay
New Zealand
Slovakia

Group G
Brazil
Korea DPR
Côte d'Ivoire
Portugal

Group H
Spain
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile

FIFA 2010 Venues

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:53:00 +0000

Following are the cities and stadiums of the FIFA world cup 2010:

Johannesburg - Soccer City, Ellis Park Stadium
Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
Cape Town - Cape Town Stadium
Pretoria - Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Bloemfontein - Free State Stadium
Polokwane - Peter Mokaba Stadium
Rustenburg - Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Nelspruit - Mbombela Stadium

Five new stadiums have been built for the tournament, and five of the existing venues are to be upgraded.

FIFA 2010 qualified teams

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:40:00 +0000

The following 32 teams qualified for the final tournament of FIFA world cup 2010:

Australia
Japan
Korea DPR
Korea Republic

Algeria
Cameroon
Côte d'Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
South Africa (hosts)

Honduras
Mexico
United States

Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Paraguay
Uruguay

New Zealand

Denmark
England
France
Germany
Greece
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland

As with the 2006 tournament, each team's squad for the 2010 World Cup consists of 23 players. Each participating national association must confirm their final 23-player squad by 1 June 2010. Teams are permitted to make late replacements in the event of serious injury, at any time up to 24 hours before their first game.

Blog on FIFA world cup 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Admin) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:34:00 +0000

We are starting a blog on FIFA world cup 2010. The FIFA world cup 2010 is the 19th world cup and is scheduled to take place between 11th June, 2010 and 11th July, 2010. The world cup has a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams.

Africa was chosen as the host for the 2010 World Cup as part of a policy to rotate the event among football confederations (which was later abandoned in October 2007). Five African nations placed bids to host the 2010 World Cup:

- Egypt
- Libya / Tunisia (co-hosting)
- Morocco
- South Africa

Following the decision of the FIFA Executive Committee not to allow co-hosted tournaments, Tunisia withdrew from the bidding process. The committee also decided not to consider Libya's solo bid as it no longer met all the stipulations laid down in the official List of Requirements.

After one round of voting, the winning bid was announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter at a media conference on 15 May 2004 in Zürich. South Africa was awarded the rights to host the tournament, defeating Morocco and Egypt.

Italy are the defending champions. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town.

Watch out this blog for more details.