World Cup

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World Cup 2010
South Africa
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The Football World Cup 2010 The football world
cup will take place in South Africa. It has 32
teams competing to win. These teams are from
across the world. The following table shows all
the teams that will be competing.
Pot 4 (Europe)
Pot 3 (Africa South America)
Pot 2 (Asia, North America Oceania)
Pot 1 (Host Top seven)
    Denmark     France     Greece
    Portugal     Serbia     Slovakia
    Slovenia     Switzerland
    Algeria     Cameroon     Côte d'Ivoire
    Ghana     Nigeria     Chile
    Paraguay     Uruguay
    Australia     Japan     Korea DPR
    Korea Republic     Honduras     Mexico
    United States     New Zealand
    South Africa     Brazil     Spain
    Netherlands     Italy     Germany
    Argentina     England
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Final Groups
Group A Group B Group C Group D
    South Africa     Argentina     England     Germany
    Mexico     Nigeria     United States     Australia
    Uruguay     Korea Republic     Algeria     Serbia
    France     Greece     Slovenia     Ghana
Group E Group F Group G Group H
    Netherlands     Italy     Brazil     Spain
    Denmark     Paraguay     Korea DPR     Switzerland
    Japan     New Zealand     Côte d'Ivoire     Honduras
    Cameroon     Slovakia     Portugal     Chile
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Denmark
Germany
Korea Republic
Italy
England
Korea DPR
Netherlands
United States of America
Slovakia
Serbia
France
Switzerland
Japan
Greece
Portugal
Spain
Slovenia
Algeria
Nigeria
Honduras
Ivory Coast
Cameroon
Brazil
Paraguay
South Africa
Ghana
New Zealand
Uruguay
Australia
Argentina
Chile
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South Africa
The South Africa national football team or Bafana
Bafana is the national team of South Africa and
is controlled by the South African Football
Association. They returned to the world stage
in 1992, after years of being banned from FIFA.
They will be hosting the 19th FIFA World Cup in
June 2010 after they hosted the FIFA
Confederations Cup in 2009. South Africa will
be the first African nation to host the FIFA
World Cup.
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Brazil
The Brazil national football team represents
Brazil in international football and is
controlled by the Brazilian Football
Confederation. They are the most successful
national football team in the history of the
World Cup, with five championships (1958, 1962,
1970, 1994, 2002). A common quip about football
is "The English invented it, the Brazilians
perfected it. Currently ranked first by FIFA,
Brazil is consistently among the strongest
football nations by Elo Ratings and is the only
team to have played in every World Cup.
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Spain
The Spanish national football team represents
Spain in international football and is controlled
by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The
Spanish side is commonly referred to as La Furia
Roja (The Red Fury). Spain is the current
European champion, having won the UEFA European
Championship in 2008. Spain also won the European
Nations' Cup in 1964 and reached the UEFA Euro
1984 Final. Spain has qualified for the FIFA
World Cup 12 times, reaching fourth place in the
1950 tournament. In July 2008, Spain rose to the
top of the FIFA World Ranking for the first time
in its history, becoming the sixth nation, and
the first who has never won the World Cup, to top
this ranking. Between November 2006 and June
2009, Spain went undefeated for a record tying 35
consecutive matches record shared with Brazil
including a record 15-game winning streak.
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Netherlands
The Netherlands national football team is the
national football team of the Netherlands and is
controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football
Association (KNVB). They won Euro '88 and
reached two consecutive World Cup finals in 1974
and 1978, but lost both finals to their
respective host nations, West Germany and
Argentina. At the peak of their success in the
1970s, the team was famous for its mastery of
Total Football and was nicknamed Clockwork Oranje
for its precision passing. In many countries
and even the Netherlands itself, the team is
colloquially referred to as Holland. It is
currently ranked fourth in the FIFA World
Rankings and third in the World Football Elo
Ratings.
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Italy
The Italian national football team represents
Italy in international football competition and
is controlled by the Federazione Italiana Giuoco
Calcio (FIGC). They are the current World
Champions, having won the 2006 FIFA World
Cup. Italy is among the top teams in
international football and the second most
successful national team in the history of the
World Cup having won four titles (1934, 1938,
1982, 2006), just one fewer than Brazil. The
traditional colour of the national team (as well
as all Italian teams and athletes) is azure blue
(Savoy Blue), the colour traditionally linked to
the royal dynasty which unified Italy in 1861,
and maintained in the official standard of the
President of the Italian Republic.
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Germany
The German national football team has been
representing the country of Germany in
international competition since 1908. It is
governed by the German Football Association which
was founded in 1900. From 1950 to 1990, the team
was called West Germany. Germany is one of the
three most successful national teams at
international competitions, having won a total of
three World Cups and three European
championships. They are also one of the most
consistent teams. Germany is the only nation to
have won both the men's and women's World Cups.
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Argentina
The Argentina national football team is the
national association football team of Argentina
and is controlled by the Argentine Football
Association (AFA). Argentina has won the most
international titles by any national team (19), a
record shared with Uruguay. Argentina is one of
the most successful national football teams in
the world, and is currently seventh in the FIFA
world rankings. The team has twice won the FIFA
World Cup, in 1978 and 1986.
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England
The England national football team represents
England in international association football and
is controlled by the Football Association, the
governing body for football in England.
Although most national teams worldwide
represent a sovereign state, the four Home
Nations which form the United Kingdom are each
represented separately in international
tournaments, except at the Olympics. England's
home ground is Wembley Stadium in London and
their head coach is Fabio Capello. England are
one of seven national teams to have won the FIFA
World Cup, which they did in 1966 when they
hosted the finals. They defeated West Germany 42
in extra time in the final. Since then their best
performance at a World Cup was reaching the
semifinals in 1990, where they lost to West
Germany on penalties.
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Australia
The Australia national football team represents
Australia in international association football
competitions. Its official nickname is the
"Socceroos". The team is controlled by Football
Federation Australia (FFA). Australia has been
represented at two FIFA World Cup tournaments, in
1974 and 2006. 14th is Australia's highest ever
FIFA World Ranking since the rankings were
introduced in 1992. Australia topped their group
in the 2010 World Cup qualification and became
one of the first nations to qualify for the
finals tournament without losing a match and only
conceding one goal.
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Japan
The Japan national football team is the national
association football team of Japan and is
controlled by the Japan Football
Association. Takeshi Okada, who had previously
served as the manager for Japan leading up to and
during the 1998 FIFA World Cup is the current
coach for the team. The Japanese team is
commonly known by the fans and media as Soccer
Nippon Daihyo (????????, or Nippon Daihyo
(?????), Daihyo (??) as abbreviated expressions.
Although the team does not have an official
nickname as such, it is often known by the name
of the manager. For example, under Ivica Osim,
the team was known as Osim Japan. Japan is one of
the most successful national teams in Asia,
having qualified for the last four consecutive
FIFA World Cup finals.
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Korea DPR
The national football team of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (recognized as Korea
DPR by FIFA) is the national team of North Korea
and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football
Association. The team has qualified for the
FIFA World Cup twice in 1966, where they reached
the quarter-finals, and for the forthcoming
competition in 2010. Korea DPR have qualified
for the AFC Asian Cup three times in 1980, when
they finished fourth, in 1992 and in 2011. The
current team is composed of both native North
Koreans and Zainichi Koreans born in Japan.
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Korea Republic
The Korea Republic national football team
represents the Republic of Korea in international
football competitions. The team, also known as
South Korea, is recognized as Korea Republic by
FIFA. South Korea has participated in seven
World Cup final tournaments and became the first
and only Asian team to reach the semi-finals,
doing so when it co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World
Cup with Japan. South Korea is considered as
one of the most successful international football
teams in Asia. It has qualified for its eighth
World Cup final tournament, the 2010 FIFA World
Cup in South Africa, having been the only
unbeaten team during the AFC qualification
tournament.
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Honduras
he Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los
Catrachos, is the national team of Honduras and
is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma
de Fútbol de Honduras (founded in 1951). They
are a rising team in CONCACAF, an ascent that
started with their third place finish in the 2001
Copa América, where they were a late invitee, due
to a withdrawal by Argentina one day prior to
kickoff. In October 2009, they confirmed
qualification to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which
will be their first appearance in the competition
since 1982.
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Mexico
The Mexico national football team represents
Mexico in international football competition and
is managed by the Mexican Football Federation
(FEMEXFUT), who also manages the women's national
team. The team is currently ranked 17th in the
FIFA World Rankings, making Mexico one of the
strongest teams in the Americas. Mexico has
qualified for thirteen World Cups and has
qualified consecutively since 1994. Mexico's best
progression was reaching the Quarterfinals in
both the 1970 and 1986 FIFA World Cups, both of
which were staged on Mexican soil.
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United States of America
The United States men's national soccer team
represents the United States in international
association football competition and is
controlled by the United States Soccer
Federation. Though soccer has not traditionally
had a high profile in American sporting life, the
sport has steadily grown in popularity since the
1970s. The team is, according to the FIFA World
Rankings, ranked 14th in the world, has appeared
in the last five FIFA World Cups, and will take
part in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
The US team's player bonus scheme for the event
is the largest for any nation in World Cup
history, potentially worth 20.6m, or 895,000
per man for winning.
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New Zealand
The New Zealand national football team, nicknamed
the All Whites, is the national association
football team of New Zealand and is governed by
New Zealand Football. The team plays in an
all-white strip, hence its nickname. The All
Whites played in the 1982 FIFA World Cup and on
14 November 2009 qualified for the 2010 FIFA
World Cup. Because of the lack of a high-quality
domestic league, most top New Zealand footballers
play in the leagues of Europe, in the United
States, or in the Australasian A-League.
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Algeria
The Algeria national football team, nicknamed Les
Fennecs (The Desert Foxes), is the national team
of Algeria and is controlled by the Fédération
Algérienne de Football. Algeria managed to
qualify to two consecutive World Cups in 1982 and
1986. Algeria also won the Africa Cup of Nations
once in 1990 when they hosted the tournament.
In November 2009, Algeria beat North African
rivals Egypt in a World Cup qualification
tiebreaker to secure a place at the 2010 World
Cup in South Africa.
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Cameroon
The Cameroon national football team, nicknamed
Les Lions Indomptables (The Indomitable Lions),
is controlled by the Fédération Camerounaise de
Football and is Africa's most successful side.
Cameroon has qualified for the FIFA World Cup
six times - in 1982, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and
2010- more than any other African nation. They
were the first African team to reach the
quarterfinal of the World Cup, in 1990, losing to
England in extra time. They have also won four
Africa Cup of Nations, they won a gold medal at
the 2000 Summer Olympics.
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Cote d'lvoire (Ivory Coast)
The Côte d'Ivoire national football team (written
as "Ivory Coast" in English), nicknamed Les
Éléphants (The Elephants), represents Côte
d'Ivoire in international football and is
controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de
Football. Until 2005, their greatest
accomplishment was winning the 1992 African Cup
of Nations against Ghana on penalties at the
Stade Leopold Senghor in Dakar, Senegal. They
have qualified for two World Cup finals, first in
Germany in 2006, losing to Argentina and the
Netherlands and beating Serbia and Montenegro as
they failed to progress beyond the group stage.
They qualified again for South Africa in 2010.
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Ghana
The Ghana national football team, popularly known
as the Black Stars, is the national association
football team of Ghana and is controlled by the
Ghana Football Association. Before gaining
independence from Great Britain in 1957, the
country played as the Gold Coast. The team have
won the Africa Cup of Nations four times, making
Ghana the second most successful team in the
contest's history, behind Egypt. After going
through 2005 unbeaten, Ghana won the FIFA most
improved team of the year award and they reached
the second round of the 2006 Germany World Cup.
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Nigeria
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the
Super Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and
is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation
(NFF). According to the FIFA World Rankings,
Nigeria ranks 21st and holds the third highest
place among the African nations behind Egypt
(12th) and Cameroon (19th). Their highest
position ever reached on the ranking was 5th in
April 1994.
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Chile
The Chilean national football team represents
Chile in all major international football
competitions. The team is controlled by the
Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was
established in 1895. They have appeared in
seven World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the
1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in third place.
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Paraguay
The Paraguay national football team is the
national team of Paraguay and is controlled by
the Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol. The
Paraguay national football team has reached the
second round of the World Cup on three occasions
(in 1986, 1998 and 2002) but has never advanced
beyond that stage. Paraguay's only major
tournament victories have come in the Copa
América, in which they triumphed in 1953 and
1979. Since the 1998 World Cup qualifiers
Paraguay has been established between the top 3
teams of CONMEBOL.
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Uruguay
The Uruguay national football team represents
Uruguay in international football competition and
is controlled by the Asociación Uruguaya de
Fútbol. Uruguay have won two FIFA World Cups,
including the first ever World Cup in 1930 as
hosts, beating Argentina 4-2 in the final. They
won their second title in 1950, upsetting hosts
Brazil 2-1 in the final match. Their success is
amplified by the fact that the nation has a very
small population. Uruguay is the only country in
the world to win a World Cup with a general
population of under 4 million inhabitants and is
by far the smallest nation to do so.
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Denmark
The Denmark national football team is controlled
by the Danish Football Association and has
represented the country of Denmark in
international football competitions since 1908.
The team has been a solidly competitive side in
international football since the mid-1980s, with
the triumph in the 1992 European Championships
(Euro 1992) tournament as its most prominent
victory, beating the European champions in the
semi-final, and the world champions in the final
. On October 10, 2009, Denmark qualified for
the 2010 FIFA World Cup by winning their
qualification group with a victory over Sweden.
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France
The France national football team represents the
nation of France in international football. It is
fielded by the French Football Federation and
competes as a member of UEFA. France was one of
the four European teams that participated at the
inaugural World Cup in 1930 and are one of seven
national teams to have won the competition, which
they did in 1998 when they hosted the Cup. They
defeated Brazil 30 in the final. France
currently share a competitive rivalry with
neighbours Italy, whom they first contested in
1910.
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Greece
The Greece national football team represents
Greece in international football and is
controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation.
Greece spent most of their history in relative
obscurity, having participated only twice in the
final tournaments of the FIFA World Cup They
have proven more competitive than they used to be
and often reach high places in the FIFA World
Rankings. Furthermore, the team attracts large
numbers of fans not only at home matches, a rare
phenomenon in the previous years, but even when
they play abroad, providing the team with great
support.
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Portugal
The Portuguese national football team is governed
by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF),
finishing 4th at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The
first appearance in the 1966 FIFA World Cup saw
them reach the semifinal, losing 21 at Wembley
to the eventual world champions England. The next
two times Portugal qualified for the World Cup
were 1986 and 2002, with Portugal going out in
the first round both times. In the 1986
tournament, players went on strike over
prize-money and refused to train between their
first and second games.
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Serbia
The Serbia national football team represents
Serbia in international football competitions and
is controlled by the Football Association of
Serbia. Both FIFA and UEFA consider the Serbia
national team the direct descendant of the Serbia
and Montenegro national football team and the SFR
Yugoslavia national football team. Serbian
national team was previously known as the
Yugoslavia national football team from 15 January
1992 until 4 February 2003, and then as the
Serbia and Montenegro national football team
until 3 June 2006
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Slovakia
The Slovakia national football team represents
Slovakia in international football and is
controlled by the Slovak Football Association.
After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the
Slovak Football Association was founded in 1993,
and has been affiliated to both FIFA and UEFA
since the same year. They will be participants
at the 2010 World Cup for the first time since
independence.
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Slovenia
The Slovenia national football team is the
national football team of Slovenia and is
controlled by the Football Association of
Slovenia. They played their first match in 1992
after the split of Socialist Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia in 1991. Before that, Slovenian
players played for the Yugoslavia national
football team. Slovenia were surprise qualifiers
for UEFA Euro 2000, when they beat Ukraine in a
playoff. In November 2009, Slovenia defeated
Russia in a playoff to clinch a berth in the 2010
FIFA World Cup.
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Switzerland
The Swiss national football team is the national
football team of Switzerland and is controlled by
the Swiss Football Association. Its best
performances in the World Cup have been reaching
the quarter-finals three times, in 1934, 1938 and
when the country hosted the event in 1954. In
2006, Switzerland set a FIFA World Cup record by
being eliminated from the competition despite not
conceding a goal, losing to Ukraine in a penalty
shootout in the last 16, by failing to score a
single penalty - becoming the first national team
in Cup history to do this. . In October 2009,
Switzerland booked their place at the 2010 World
Cup finals with a goalless draw against Israel at
St Jacob stadium in Basel.
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