Tuesday, 01 June 2010 07:48
In nine days, the 2010 World Cup kicks off and South Africa had their best win for a long time in Polokwane last night as they beat Guatemala 5-0. Today is also a big day for all the national teams as they will all be submitting their final squad list to FIFA today.
First to South Africa and their big win in Polokwane. Two penalties from Katlego Mphela and goals from Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Surprise Moriri and Bernard Parker put this game beyond any doubt and we ask the question again; can South Africa win the World Cup? Nobody thought England would in 1966.
South African head coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is not getting carried away though and we don't blame him as they do have to face Mexico, Uruguay and France in Group A and they all sit in the top twenty according to the FIFA World Rankings. Still, home advantage has to count for something.
"The other team is not one of the best but we made opportunities, scored five and this is good," said the coach."This was a preparation game and now we are ready for the biggest game against Denmark on Saturday."
World Cup 2010 squads
All final 23 man squad lists will be submitted to FIFA today and we will do our best to update every team page as and when the squad lists are released, however, most will still be empty until Friday, which is when FIFA release the final confirmed list and that is the list we will work of to populate the site.
Nine World Cup Facts
- 19 - this is the 19th World Cup
- 32 - the number of teams that will take part in South Africa
- 24 - the number of teams that took part in the World Cup before France in 1998 when the number was increased
- 4 - the number of times current holders Italy have won the World Cup
- 7 - the number of nations to have won the World Cup; Brazil (5), Italy (4), Germany (3), Argentina (2), Uruguay (2), France (1), England (1)
- 10 - the number of stadiums that will be used in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup
- 202 - the number of teams ranked by FIFA in the World Rankings
- 20 - the number of outfield players a manager can name - he has to name 3 keepers
- 1 - this year will be the first time ever the World Cup is staged in Africa
We will be updating our Twitter page with team pages and the site with squad news as and when we get it.
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Final World Cup 2010 Group Tables
A
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Uruguay |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 7 |
 Mexico |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
 South Africa |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 4 |
 France |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 |
B
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
 South Korea |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
 Greece |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
 Nigeria |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
C
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 United States |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
 England |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
 Slovenia |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
 Algeria |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 |
D
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Germany |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
 Ghana |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
 Australia |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 4 |
 Serbia |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
E
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 |
 Japan |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
 Denmark |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
 Cameroon |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 0 |
F
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Paraguay |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
 Slovakia |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
 New Zealand |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
 Italy |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
G
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Brazil |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
 Portugal |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
 Ivory Coast |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
 Korea DPR |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -11 | 0 |
H
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Spain |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
 Chile |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
 Switzerland |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
 Honduras |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 |
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Be on the Ball - FCO Travel Advice
Make the most of your trip to South Africa for the World Cup and make sure you visit the FCO Be on the Ball website for advice, top tips and information that will help you prepare for a successful trip.