2010 Football World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international football tournament. It took place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. The 2010 FIFA World Cup was be the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations.
This was the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. This decision left the Oceania Football Confederation as the only confederation yet to host the FIFA World Cup. Italy are the defending champions. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town.
As the host nation, South Africa qualifies automatically for the tournament. However, South Africa did participate in World Cup qualifiers because the CAF qualifiers also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2010 African Cup of Nations. They were the first host since 1934 to participate in preliminary qualifying. As happened in the previous tournament, the defending champions were not given an automatic berth, and Italy had to participate in qualification.
The qualification draw for the 2010 World Cup was held in Durban, South Africa, on 25 November 2007.
List of qualified teams
The following 32 teams qualified for the final tournament.
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Venues
In 2005, the organisers released a provisional list of thirteen venues to be used for the World Cup: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg (two venues), Kimberley, Nelspruit, Orkney, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg. This was narrowed down to ten venuewhich were officially announced by FIFA on 17 March 2006:
| Johannesburg | Durban | Cape Town | Johannesburg | Pretoria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soccer City | Moses Mabhida Stm | Cape Town Stadium | Ellis Park Stadium | Loftus Versfeld Stat |
| Capacity: 91,141 | Capacity: 70,000 | Capacity: 69,070 | Capacity: 62,567 | Capacity: 51,760 |
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| Port Elizabeth | Bloemfontein | Polokwane | Nelspruit | Rustenburg |
| Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | Free State Stadium | Peter Mokaba Stadium | Mbombela Stadium | Royal Bafokeng Stadium |
| Capacity: 48,000 | Capacity: 48,000 | Capacity: 46,000 | Capacity: 43,500 | Capacity: 42,000 |
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Final Draw
The FIFA Organising Committee approved the procedure for the Final Draw on 2 December 2009. The seeding was based on the October 2009 FIFA World Ranking and seven squads joined hosts South Africa as seeded teams for the Final Draw. The committee also approved the composition of the other pots as well as the procedure for the final draw. Pot 2 was composed of teams from Asia, Oceania, and North and Central America and the Caribbean. Pot 3 included teams from Africa and South America. Pot 4 had the remaining European teams.
Hosts South Africa was automatically positioned as A1; the other seeded teams were drawn into the other groups B–H, but were always in position 1 of their group. Groups were drawn from A to H and the positions in the group were drawn for Pots 2 to 4. Geographical criteria also were respected, meaning that no two teams from the same confederation were drawn in the same group (except European teams, where a maximum of two will be in a group); i.e., South Africa cannot play the African teams from Pot 3 and Argentina and Brazil cannot be drawn against the three remaining South American teams. The first two African teams drawn from Pot 3 are placed with Argentina and Brazil. Similarly, hosts South Africa may not be paired with any of the other African nations (also placed in Pot 3).
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
 South Africa |
Brazil
Spain
Netherlands
Italy
Germany
Argentina
England
Australia
Japan
Korea DPR
Korea Republic
Honduras
Mexico
United States
New Zealand
Algeria
Cameroon
Côte d’Ivoire
Ghana
Nigeria
Chile
Paraguay
Uruguay
Denmark
France
Greece
Portugal
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Switzerland
The group draw was staged in Cape Town, South Africa, at 19:00 (UTC+2) on 4 December 2009 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.[52] The ceremony was presented by South African actress Charlize Theron, assisted by FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke.[53] The balls were drawn by English football star David Beckham and African sporting figures Haile Gebreselassie, John Smit, Makhaya Ntini, Matthew Booth and Simphiwe Dludlu.
Referees
FIFA selected the following referees to work the World Cup:
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Matches
Group A
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| 11 June 2010 | |||
| South Africa |
Match 1 | Mexico |
Soccer City, Johannesburg |
| Uruguay |
Match 2 | France |
Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town |
| 16 June 2010 | |||
| South Africa |
Match 17 | Uruguay |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria |
| 17 June 2010 | |||
| France |
Match 20 | Mexico |
Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane |
| 22 June 2010 | |||
| Mexico |
Match 33 | Uruguay |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg |
| France |
Match 34 | South Africa |
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein |
Group B
|
| 12 June 2010 | |||
| Korea Republic |
Match 3 | Greece |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| Argentina |
Match 4 | Nigeria |
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 17 June 2010 | |||
| Argentina |
Match 18 | Korea Republic |
Soccer City, Johannesburg |
| Greece |
Match 19 | Nigeria |
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| 22 June 2010 | |||
| Nigeria |
Match 35 | Korea Republic |
Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban |
| Greece |
Match 36 | Argentina |
Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane |
Group C
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| 12 June 2010 | |||
| England |
Match 5 | United States |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg |
| 13 June 2010 | |||
| Algeria |
Match 6 | Slovenia |
Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane |
| 18 June 2010 | |||
| Slovenia |
Match 22 | United States |
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg |
| England |
Match 23 | Algeria |
Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town |
| 23 June 2010 | |||
| Slovenia |
Match 37 | England |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| United States |
Match 38 | Algeria |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria |
Group D
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| 13 June 2010 | |||
| Serbia |
Match 7 | Ghana |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria |
| Germany |
Match 8 | Australia |
Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban |
| 18 June 2010 | |||
| Germany |
Match 21 | Serbia |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| 19 June 2010 | |||
| Ghana |
Match 25 | Australia |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg |
| 23 June 2010 | |||
| Ghana |
Match 39 | Germany |
Soccer City, Johannesburg |
| Australia |
Match 40 | Serbia |
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit |
Group E
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| 14 June 2010 | |||
| Netherlands |
Match 9 | Denmark |
Soccer City, Johannesburg |
| Japan |
Match 10 | Cameroon |
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| 19 June 2010 | |||
| Netherlands |
Match 24 | Japan |
Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban |
| Cameroon |
Match 26 | Denmark |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria |
| 24 June 2010 | |||
| Denmark |
Match 43 | Japan |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg |
| Cameroon |
Match 44 | Netherlands |
Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town |
Group F
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| 14 June 2010 | |||
| Italy |
Match 11 | Paraguay |
Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town |
| 15 June 2010 | |||
| New Zealand |
Match 12 | Slovakia |
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg |
| 20 June 2010 | |||
| Slovakia |
Match 27 | Paraguay |
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| Italy |
Match 28 | New Zealand |
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit |
| 24 June 2010 | |||
| Slovakia |
Match 41 | Italy |
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg |
| Paraguay |
Match 42 | New Zealand |
Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane |
Group G
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| 15 June 2010 | |||
| Côte d’Ivoire |
Match 13 | Portugal |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| Brazil |
Match 14 | Korea DPR |
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 20 June 2010 | |||
| Brazil |
Match 29 | Côte d’Ivoire |
Soccer City, Johannesburg |
| 21 June 2010 | |||
| Portugal |
Match 30 | Korea DPR |
Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town |
| 25 June 2010 | |||
| Korea DPR |
Match 45 | Côte d’Ivoire |
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit |
| Portugal |
Match 46 | Brazil |
Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban |
Group H
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| 16 June 2010 | |||
| Honduras |
Match 15 | Chile |
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit |
| Spain |
Match 16 | Switzerland |
Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban |
| 21 June 2010 | |||
| Chile |
Match 31 | Switzerland |
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth |
| Spain |
Match 32 | Honduras |
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 25 June 2010 | |||
| Chile |
Match 47 | Spain |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria |
| Switzerland |
Match 48 | Honduras |
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein |
Knockout stage
| Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||
| 26 June – Port Elizabeth | ||||||||||||||
 Winners of Group A |
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| 2 July – Johannesburg | ||||||||||||||
| Runners-up of Group B |
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| Winners of Match 49 |
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| 26 June – Rustenburg | ||||||||||||||
| Winners of Match 50 |
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| Winners of Group C |
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| 6 July – Cape Town | ||||||||||||||
| Runners-up of Group D |
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| Winners of Match 58 |
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| 28 June – Durban | ||||||||||||||
| Winners of Match 57 |
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| Winners of Group E |
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| 2 July – Port Elizabeth | ||||||||||||||
| Runners-up of Group F |
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| Winners of Match 53 |
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| 28 June – Johannesburg | ||||||||||||||
| Winners of Match 54 |
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| Winners of Group G |
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| 11 July – Johannesburg | ||||||||||||||
| Runners-up of Group H |
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| Winners of Match 61 |
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| 27 June – Johannesburg | ||||||||||||||
| Winners of Match 62 |
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| Winners of Group B |
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| 3 July – Cape Town | ||||||||||||||
| Runners-up of Group A |
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| Winners of Match 52 |
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| 27 June – Bloemfontein | ||||||||||||||
| Winners of Match 51 |
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| Winners of Group D |
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| 7 July – Durban | ||||||||||||||
| Runners-up of Group C |
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| Winners of Match 59 |
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| 29 June – Pretoria | ||||||||||||||
| Winners of Match 60 |
Third place | |||||||||||||
| Winners of Group F |
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| 3 July – Johannesburg | 10 July – Port Elizabeth | |||||||||||||
| Runners-up of Group E |
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| Winners of Match 55 |
Losers of Match 61 |
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| 29 June – Cape Town | ||||||||||||||
| Winners of Match 56 |
Losers of Match 62 |
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| Winners of Group H |
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| Runners-up of Group G |
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Round of 16
| 26 June 2010 |
16:00Winners of Group A Match 49 Runners-up of Group BNelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
| 26 June 2010 |
20:30Winners of Group C Match 50 Runners-up of Group DRoyal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
| 27 June 2010 |
16:00Winners of Group D Match 51 Runners-up of Group CFree State Stadium, Bloemfontein
| 27 June 2010 |
20:30Winners of Group B Match 52 Runners-up of Group ASoccer City, Johannesburg
| 28 June 2010 |
16:00Winners of Group E Match 53 Runners-up of Group FMoses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
| 28 June 2010 |
20:30Winners of Group G Match 54 Runners-up of Group HEllis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
| 29 June 2010 |
16:00Winners of Group F Match 55 Runners-up of Group ELoftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
| 29 June 2010 |
20:30Winners of Group H Match 56 Runners-up of Group GCape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Quarter-finals
| 2 July 2010 |
16:00Winners of Match 53 Match 57 Winners of Match 54Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
| 2 July 2010 |
20:30Winners of Match 49 Match 58 Winners of Match 50Soccer City, Johannesburg
| 3 July 2010 |
16:00Winners of Match 52 Match 59 Winners of Match 51Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
| 3 July 2010 |
20:30Winners of Match 55 Match 60 Winners of Match 56Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Semi-finals
| 6 July 2010 |
20:30Winners of Match 58 Match 61 Winners of Match 57Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
| 7 July 2010 |
20:30Winners of Match 59 Match 62 Winners of Match 60Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Third place play-off
| 10 July 2010 |
20:30Losers of Match 61 Match 63 Losers of Match 62Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Final
| 11 July 2010 |
20:30Winners of Match 61 Match 64 Winners of Match 62Soccer City, Johannesburg
