IntroductionThe 2010 FIFA World Cup is the 19th World Cup held since 1930. It was hosted in South Africa and took place from June 11 to July 11. The tournament was won by Spain, who won for the first time. The silver medal was given to the Netherlands, runner-up for its third time. The bronze medal, along with third place, was given to Germany.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup marked the first time that a host country and a previous tournament's finalists could not advance to the Round of 16, with South Africa, France, and Italy all being eliminated in the Group Stage.

The World Cup also saw the return of the tradition of having an opening ceremony, following the cancellation of the 2006 one.

The official mascot is Zakumi, whose colors represent the team colors of South Africa.

The FIFA Executive Committee also selected Colombian singer, Shakira's, "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" as the 2010 FIFA World Cup Official Theme Song and is sung in English and Spanish. The song is performed by Shakira and South Africa's own FreshlyGround. Shakira and FreshlyGround sang the song at both the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony. The official anthem, "Sign of a Victory" by R. Kelly, is used for accompanying matches. "Game On", the official mascot song plays whenever Zakumi appears on the playing field. All three songs appear in Listen Up! The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album released on May 31.

Coca-Cola's selected anthem, "Wavin' Flag (Celebration Re-mix)" by K'naan, has also gained widespread notoriety, being sung in 6 different languages. The 2010 FIFA World Cup also holds the record among its predecessors for having the most theme songs (official and unofficial) at seven songs and one anthem.

The official match ball, manufactured by Adidas, was named the Jabulani meaning "bringing joy to everyone" in Zulu. Players have complained about the ball, which was made to fit the new specifications set by FIFA, stating that the movements of the ball are unpredictable. For the final match in Johannesburg, a special ball was made named the Jo'bulani.

Qualifying TeamsAs the hosts, South Africa was granted automatic qualification for the World Cup. 31 other nations qualified for a total of 32 competing teams. Asian Football Confederation (AFC)

Australia
Japan
Korea Republic (South Korea)
Korea DPR (North Korea/The Democratic People's Republic of Korea)

Confederation of African Football (CAF)

Algeria
Cameroon
CÃ´te d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Ghana
Nigeria
South Africa

Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)

Honduras
Mexico
United States

South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL)

Argentina
Brazil
Chile
Uruguay
Paraguay

Oceania Football Confederation (OFC)

New Zealand

Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)

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

Prize MoneyThe total prize money given was confirmed by FIFA to be USD $420 million. Each team also receives $1 million before the tournament for preparation costs. Each team also receives money (USD) as they exit the tournament:

$8 million - to each team exiting after the Group Stage (16 teams)
$9 million - to each team exiting after the Round of 16 (8 teams)
$14 million - to each team exiting after the Quarter-finals (4 teams)
$18 million - to the team that receives fourth place
$20 million - to the team that receives third place
$24 million - to the runner-up team
$30 million - to the FIFA World Cup champion

VenuesTen stadiums were selected to host matches in nine South African cities. Two of those stadiums were in Johannesburg: Soccer City

City: Johannesburg
Capacity: 84,490

Cape Town Stadium (Green Point Stadium)

City: Cape Town
Capacity: 64,100

Moses Mabhida Stadium (Durban Stadium)

City: Durban
Capacity: 62,760

Ellis Park Stadium

City: Johannesburg
Capacity: 55,686

Loftus Versfeld Stadium

City: Pretoria
Capacity: 42,858

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

City: Port Elizabeth
Capacity: 42,486

Peter Mokaba Stadium

City: Polokwane
Capacity: 41,733

Mbombela Stadium

City: Nelspruit
Capacity: 40,929

Free State Stadium

City: Bloemfontein
Capacity: 40,911

Royal Bafokeng Stadium

City: Rustenburg
Capacity: 38,646

RefereesAfrica

Koman Coulibaly (Mali)
Jerome Damon (South Africa)
Eddy Maillet (Seychelles)

Asia

Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia)
Ravshon Irmatov (Uzbekistan)
Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (Malaysia)

Europe

OlegÃ¡rio BenquerenÃ§a (Portugal)
Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)
Martin Hansson (Sweden)
Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
StÃ©phane Lannoy (France)
Roberto Rosetti (Italy)
Wolfgang Stark (Germany)
Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)
Howard Webb (England)

North, Central America and Caribbeans

Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)
Benito Archundia (Mexico)
Carlos Batres (Guatemala)
Marco Antonio RodrÃguez (Mexico)

Oceania

Michael Hester (New Zealand)
Peter O'Leary (New Zealand)

South America

HÃ©ctor Baldassi (Argentina)
Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)
Pablo Pozo (Chile)
Ã“scar Ruiz (Colombia)
Carlos EugÃªnio Simon (Brazil)
MartÃn VÃ¡zquez (Uruguay)

Group StageGroup A - (Uruguay, Mexico, South Africa, France)June 11

South Africa 1-1 Mexico
Uruguay 0-0 France

June 16

South Africa 0-3 Uruguay

June 17

France 0-2 Mexico

June 22

Mexico 0-1 Uruguay
France 1-2 South Africa

Results: Uruguay and Mexico advance to the Round of 16. South Africa and France are eliminated from the competition.

Group B - (Argentina, Korea Republic, Greece, Nigeria)June 12

Korea Republic 2-0 Greece
Argentina 1-0 Nigeria

June 17

Argentina 4-1 Korea Republic
Greece 2-1 Nigeria

June 22

Nigeria 2-2 Korea Republic
Greece 0-2 Argentina

Results: Argentina and Korea Republic advance to the Round of 16. Greece and Nigeria are eliminated from the competition.

Group C - (United States, England, Slovenia, Algeria)June 12

England 1-1 United States

June 13

Algeria 0-1 Slovenia

June 18

Slovenia 2-2 United States
England 0-0 Algeria

June 23

Slovenia 0-1 England
United States 1-0 Algeria

Results: The United States and England advance to the Round of 16. Slovenia and Algeria are eliminated from the competition.

Group D - (Germany, Ghana, Australia, Serbia)June 13

Serbia 0-1 Ghana
Germany 4-0 Australia

June 18

Germany 0-1 Serbia

June 19

Ghana 1-1 Australia

June 23

Ghana 0-1 Germany
Australia 2-1 Serbia

Results: Germany and Ghana advance to the Round of 16. Australia and Serbia are eliminated from the competition.

Group E - (Netherlands, Japan, Denmark, Cameroon)June 14

Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
Japan 1-0 Cameroon

June 19

Netherlands 1-0 Japan
Cameroon 1-2 Denmark

June 24

Denmark 1-3 Japan
Cameroon 1-2 Netherlands

Results: The Netherlands and Japan advance to the Round of 16. Denmark and Cameroon are eliminated from the competition.

Group F - (Paraguay, Slovakia, New Zealand, Italy)June 14

Italy 1-1 Paraguay

June 15

New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia

June 20

Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
Italy 1-1 New Zealand

June 24

Slovakia 3-2 Italy
Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand

Results: Paraguay and Slovakia advance to the Round of 16. New Zealand and Italy are eliminated from the competition.

Group G - (Brazil, Portugal, CÃ´te d'Ivoire, Korea DPR)June 15

CÃ´te d'Ivoire 0-0 Portugal
Brazil 2-1 Korea DPR

June 20

Brazil 3-1 CÃ´te d'Ivoire

June 21

Portugal 7-0 Korea DPR

June 25

Portugal 0-0 Brazil
Korea DPR 0-3 CÃ´te d'Ivoire

Results: Brazil and Portugal advance to the Round of 16. CÃ´te d'Ivoire and Korea DPR are eliminated from the competition.

Group H - (Spain, Chile, Switzerland, Honduras)June 16

Honduras 0-1 Chile
Spain 0-1 Switzerland

June 21

Chile 1-0 Switzerland
Spain 2-0 Honduras

June 25

Chile 1-2 Spain
Switzerland 0-0 Honduras

Results: Spain and Chile advance to the Round of 16. Switzerland and Honduras are eliminated from the competition.

Knockout StageRound of 16June 26

Uruguay 2-1 Korea Republic
United States 1-2 Ghana (a.e.t.)

Results: Uruguay and Ghana advance to the Quarter-finals. The United States and Korea Republic are eliminated from the competition.

June 27

Germany 4-1 England
Argentina 3-1 Mexico

Results: Germany and Argentina advance to the Quarter-finals. England and Mexico are eliminated from the competition.

June 28

Netherlands 2-1 Slovakia
Brazil 3-0 Chile

Results: Netherlands and Brazil advance to the Quarter-finals. Slovakia and Chile are eliminated from the competition.

June 29

Paraguay 0-0 (5-3 pen.) Japan
Spain 1-0 Portugal

Results: Spain and Paraguay advance to the Quarter-finals. Japan and Portugal are eliminated from the competition.

Quarter-finalsJuly 2

Netherlands 2-1 Brazil
Uruguay 1-1 (4-2 pen.) Ghana

Results: Netherlands and Uruguay advance to the Semi-finals. Brazil and Ghana are eliminated from the competition.

July 3

Argentina 0-4 Germany
Paraguay 0-1 Spain

Results: Germany and Spain advance to the Semi-finals. Paraguay and Argentina are eliminated from the competition.

Semi-finalsJuly 6

Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands

July 7

Germany 0-1 Spain

Results: Spain and Netherlands advance to the Finals. Germany and Uruguay are eliminated from the competition for the FIFA World Cup. However, they still compete for third place.

Third Place MatchJuly 10 (20:30) Germany 3-2 Uruguay

Location: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Stadium

Attendance: 36,254

Head Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico)

Germany's Goalscorers: Thomas MÃ¼ller - 19th minute, Marcell Jansen - 56th minute, Sami Khedira - 82nd minute

Uruguay's Goalscorers: Edinson Cavani - 28th minute, Diego ForlÃ¡n - 51st minute

Yellow Cards: 4

Dennis Aogo - 5th minute (Germany)
Cacau - 7th minute (Germany)
Diego PÃ©rez - 61st minute (Uruguay)
Arne Friedrich - 92nd minute (Germany)

Red Cards: None

Results: Germany is awarded the bronze medal. Uruguay is left in fourth place.

Final MatchA closing ceremony was held before the final, featuring Colombian singer, Shakira. Afterwards, the former-South African President Nelson Mandela made a brief appearance on the pitch, wheeled in by a motorcart.

During the final match, a series of terrorist bombings occurred in Kampala, Uganda timed to coincide with the match, killing 74 and injuring 70 others. The bombings occurred near the 90th minute of the match, targeting crowds that were watching the match, in response to the Ugandan support for the African Union Mission to Somalia.

July 11 (20:30)

Netherlands 0-1 Spain (a.e.t)

Location: Soccer City, Johannesburg

Attendance: 84,490

Head Referee: Howard Webb (England)

Yellow Cards: 14

Robin van Persie - 15th minute (Netherlands)
Carles Puyol - 16th minute (Spain)
Mark van Bommel - 22nd minute (Netherlands)
Sergio Ramos - 23rd minute (Spain)
Nigel de Jong - 28th minute (Netherlands)
Giovanni van Bronckhorst - 54th minute(Netherlands)
John Heitinga - 57th, 109th minute(Netherlands)
Joan Capdevila - 67th minute (Spain)
Arjen Robben - 84th minute (Netherlands)
Gregory van der Wiel - 111th minute (Netherlands)
Joris Mathijsen - 117th minute (Netherlands)
Xavi - 121st minute (Spain)

Red Cards: 1

Player: John Heitinga (Netherlands)
Reason: Double yellow cards
Time: 109th minute

Results: Spain is crowned the 2010 FIFA World Cup champion, winning for the first time a FIFA World Cup. The Netherlands is declared runner-up and receives the silver medal. The final marked the third time the Netherlands was runner-up. A Netherlands-fan was quoted as saying: ...we now have to add 2010 to the list, along with 1974 and 1978. It truly is "Neverland" for the Netherlands.

AwardsGolden Boot Award

Thomas MÃ¼ller (Germany)

Golden Ball Award

Diego ForlÃ¡n (Uruguay)

Golden Glove Award

Iker Casillas (Spain)

Best Young Player Award

Thomas MÃ¼ller (Germany)

FIFA Fair Play Trophy

Spain

Team RankingsFinalists1st - Spain

2nd - Netherlands

Semi-finalists3rd - Germany

4th - Uruguay

Quarter-finalists5th - Argentina

6th - Brazil

7th - Ghana

8th - Paraguay

Eliminated in the Round of 169th - Japan

10th - Chile

11th - Portugal

12th - United States

13th - England

14th - Mexico

15th - Korea Republic

16th - Slovakia

Eliminated in the Group Stage17th - CÃ´te d'Ivoire

18th - Slovenia

19th - Switzerland

20th - South Africa

21st - Australia

22nd - New Zealand

23rd - Serbia

24th - Denmark

25th - Greece

26th - Italy

27th - Nigeria

28th - Algeria

29th - France

30th - Honduras

31st - Cameroon

32nd - Korea DPR

Additional InformationAs a first, Australia competed under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after switching from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) in 2006.

New Zealand was the only undefeated team in the World Cup. Having only played three matches, it tied all three, but was unable to advance to the Round of 16.

The tournament also produced an interesting record as the top four goalscorers were from each of the four highest placing countries: David Villa (Spain - champions), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands - runner-up), Thomas MÃ¼ller (Germany - third place), and Diego ForlÃ¡n (Uruguay - fourth place). All four players scored five goals each.

This World Cup brought Brazil's FIFA rating (based partly on performance in a previous World Cup and partly on performance on qualifications for the next World Cup) from 1st to 3rd.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup shares with the 2008 Summer Olympics the record for most competing nations in a sporting event. The tournament had an attendance of 3,178,856 total at its matches and accumulated 2.6 billion viewers worldwide.

The tournament also included its own oracle. Paul the Oracle Octopus from the Sea Life Centre in Germany was made internationally famous for predicting correctly 8 times out of 8 predictions. Paul correctly predicted all 7 of Germany's matches and the outcome of the final match between Spain and the Netherlands. Prior to each of those 8 matches, the keepers placed two boxes in front of Paul, each containing a mussel and labeled with the flag of the competing countries. Whichever box Paul ate out of was predicted to be the winner. Paul was an international star overnight in Spain and received death threats from the German public.

Major ControversiesKorea DPR (North Korea) was widely criticized with its decision to change the channels broadcasting the match between Korea DPR and Portugal. When the North Korean leaders realized that the Korea DPR team was going to lose to Portugal, they ordered the television companies broadcasting the match in North Korea to change the channels so that the public would not see its nation lose at such a landslide (7-0). The channels were changed after Portugal scored the fourth goal against Korea DPR.

The Netherlands' team received the most yellow cards at 22 and one red, while Spain won the FIFA Fair Play Trophy. This sparked outrage among Netherlands' supporters as they supposedly saw Spain's players faking most of the fouls made by Netherlands' players. The Netherlands team received 9 yellow cards in the final match while Spain received 5.

In the match of the United States and Slovenia in the Group Stage, the United States was trailing Slovenia 0-2. Against the odds, the United States caught up and leveled the game at 2-2. Near the matches end during a corner kick, a United States player was able to head the ball into the goal for the winning goal. The head referee, Koman Coulibaly, called an offsides, disallowing the goal without being able to produce an explanation for his decision. The replay cameras on the television broadcastings clearly showed that players were not offsides. It also showed that they were two Slovenian players illegally grabbing United States players. The game ended in a 2-2 tie. Enraged United States-supporters sent tapes of the match to the FIFA Executive Committee. After examining the tapes, they ruled that Coulibaly called a misjudgement. FIFA punished Coulibaly, preventing him from refereeing any future games.

In the match of Portugal and Spain in the Round of 16 while the game was tied at 0-0, Spanish striker David Villa scored Spain's only and winning goal from an offside move in the 63rd minute (0.22 meters according to ESPN axis). ESPN axis showed that the referee wasn't standing on the offside line and thus his vision was obscured by players between himself and Villa.

In the match of England and Germany in the Round of 16 while Germany lead 2-1, an English midfielder shot the ball and hit the crossbar and then the ground, before bouncing straight up which allowed German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to grab the ball. The head referee and assistants were unable to see the goal and disallowed it. England lost its chance to catch up to Germany and continued on to lose 4-1, its worst defeat in FIFA history. England-supporters protested to FIFA President Sepp Blatter to implement goal line technology to challenge on-field authority.

In the match of Argentina and Mexico in the Round of 16 while the game was tied at 0-0, an Argentinean player was able to score in an offsides positions. Head referee Roberto Rosetti allowed the goal enraging Mexican players and supporters. Argentina continued to win against Mexico in a 3-1 match.

In response to the mistakes for the England versus Germany match and Argentina versus Mexico match, FIFA President Sepp Blatter apologized to the English and Mexican Football Confederations for the referee misjudgments that went against them and promised to reopen discussions on implementing technology to aid in the judgment of match officials.

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